This world has been made from marketing. Well, marketing and a whole lot of science and technology, sacrifice and late, sleepless nights where people worked to make things better. But, in order to sell some of those things, marketing came to be.
Before the internet, people used business cards and most businesses still use them. They are portable and with the right design, they can grab your attention really quickly. If they come with a good recommendation, then the service or product is already most likely, going to be sold.
But, to have a business card sell something that quickly, it still needs good design. Here is what you need to know to design a business card which will sell.
The Constraints Empower You
Business cards are really small, often smaller than credit cards, but not larger than them. With that in mind, you have a certain size to work it, sometimes less, never more. Most designers fall flat when met with such a small canvas. Well, most designers look at the constraints as constraints, and not new possibilities. With less space, you can’t just add everything to the card and make it viable.
The less you can do, the more of a message you can send. Just think of short poems with a single verse and four lines, for example. Business cards require you to do just that, but with a logo, drawing, a phone number and a name.
Stick to the Basics
Creativity is fun but if it takes you in the wrong direction, it is always good to remember the basics. Some design principles should not be broken just because you have a rather small canvas. From a technical perspective, you should use a specific DPI, work in the CMYK color model and make sure that your typography can be read. This means that you shouldn’t go below a certain font size.
Make it a Tool – Use Various Materials
A business card is great and all, but what if it was a can opener or a bottle opener? Some people have made cheese graters out of business cards while having calendars or schedules on them is often a good solution. By using different materials, the business card can have another purpose, meaning another reason for the potential client to hang onto it. Having a useful tool which is also a business card is a win for both the customer and the company/individual being advertised.
These are but a few ways you could improve your business card design. There certainly are more ways for you to do it, but these should be the starting point from which you can build a great advertising tool.
