Business cards were first invented in the seventeenth century, and ever since then, they have become very popular for helping people advertise their businesses in simple yet effective ways. All you need to do to spread your brand’s name around is to leave your cards somewhere where people can find them or by handing them directly to different people. But there is still the question of how to design a business card.
You might have a great business, but if your business card looks boring or unprofessional, it will be unlikely that anyone will look any deeper into that business card. But what should you consider when designing a business card? What kind of features should you choose?
What features should you avoid? Keep reading below to learn more.
Don’t Use Too Many Colours
Many people think that the more colours there are on a card, the better. However, this is almost never true. While certain colours can be very catching, you should never use too many. Using too many shades on a business card can often look unprofessional and too busy to the eye.
It can also make your card hard to read. After all, with a bunch of colours clashing in such a small space, the result can be very distracting, and not in a good way. People may focus more on the colours rather than what your business card actually says.
This, of course, is the last thing you want to deal with. You want your business card to be as effective as possible before sending it out into the world where people will see it. For that reason, you will want to keep your colour scheme to a minimum.
The Details
If you look at examples of professional business card designs online, you will find that they only use a few colours. Most don’t use any more than three different shades. In most cases, three is the magic number when choosing colours for business cards.
If you use fewer colours than this, the business card may start to look a bit dull, depending on what style of branding you’re going for. On the other hand, if you use more than three, the card can start to look a bit jumbled and distracting. Sticking to three that compliments either your brand or the service you offer give you a good range to use when designing and using different elements.
Choose the Right Font
You’ll also want to make sure that you choose the right font. The font is actually extremely important when creating a professional business card. This is because there are many fonts available and some are much easier to read and more pleasing to look at than others.
Because there are so many fonts available, many people end up choosing fancy or pretty fonts simply because they are visually attractive. However, the chances are that those fonts are very difficult to read, especially at a glance making small text illegible. The last thing you want is for potential customers to see your card and squint at it for a few long moments before they finally can tell what it says.
If a person can’t read what a business card says right away, they will not take the time to stare it down to see what it says. For that reason, you should avoid fonts that are written in cursive for large bodies of text, have strange designs, or are too thin or too bold. Instead, you should opt for a font that is relatively standard and very easy to read, even at a distance.
What You Need to Know
This may seem a bit boring, especially if you prefer some of the more decorative fonts. However, there are still plenty of font options that you can choose from that are easy to read and you can use a decorative font within a logo or a heading instead. Keep in mind that you don’t have to express the card’s design through the font alone.
Don’t Forget About the Font Size
The font size is an important part of any business card design. Some cards may have a font that is so large that it takes up the majority of the card. On the other hand, some cards may use a font that is so small that it only takes up a small portion while the rest of the card consists of a unique design.
When in doubt, you should always go for a mid-font size. It is easy for people to read and doesn’t take up too much space, or leave too large of an empty space on your card.
But if your font is clear, spaced nicely and isn’t written in cursive, people should be able to read your card with ease. As for the size of the card itself, the standard business card size in the UK is 85mm x 55mm with a 3mm printers bleed on each side. The file size itself should be 91mm x 61mm and supplied as a PDF.
How to Design a Business Card Like a Pro
Learning how to design a business card doesn’t have to be difficult, but there are certain things you should consider. For example, choosing a limited colour scheme is important for the professionalism of your card. Also, choosing the right font size and font type is also important so that your business card is easy to read.
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