Articles: business cards

A business card gets a few seconds of attention, and the decision on whether it stays in the wallet comes even faster. Anything that makes contact easier and reminds people what you do helps. Anything that has to be decoded gets in the way.

What really has to fit

The usual mistake is cramming everything in: the full offer, several numbers, addresses, social icons and a slogan. The effect is the opposite of the one intended - small lettering disappears and the reader has no idea where to look. Better to choose one route of contact as the main one and give it far more prominence than the rest.

• Name and role - set so they can be read without effort.
• One main contact - a phone number or an email, the rest smaller.
• What you actually do - a short line, if the company name does not reveal it.
• Empty space - generous margins make the card look calm and orderly.

Standing out without fireworks

Cards are usually remembered through touch rather than graphics. Thick, rigid stock, a clear texture, matt or Soft Touch lamination, rounded corners - details like these separate your card from a dozen others in a wallet. The back is often wasted: leave it nearly empty, put one sentence there, or keep space for a handwritten note such as the date of the next appointment.

Before ordering a full run, print the design at true size and trim it to the size of a card. It takes five minutes and shows straight away whether the type is too small or anything sits too close to the edge.