Printed Business Cards

As the holiday season approaches, sales and discounts abound. This is the perfect time to start designing next year’s business card. Whether it’s simply a reorder of last years design or a completely fresh new card, later fall early winter is the prefect time for a business card redesign. Time to grab paper and pen and start thinking about next year’s business card image.

The first thing to do is check if any information has changed. If you spent the last few months crossing out and rewriting a phone number or e-mail address on your old cards, that is the first issue to note.  Any changes to company name, job title or company tag line should also be fixed.  Beginning with the correct information will make the redesign much easier.

Now you have the basic text to hand, it is time to review the font and size of the text. Would a different font improve the legibility? Would a larger size fit better on the card? Creating a draft of the card layout in a word processing program and changing the fonts and font sizes around is a good way of finding out what works best for your information.

Color is key in business cards. Check that the new business card will reflect company colors or website color themes. Ensure you don’t go over three colors on your new design to keep things professional and polished. If the colors are the same as last year, consider brighter tones and hues or emphasizing one color over another to mix things up a little.

Review the current logo and or photo of your business card. Do you have a more up to date image you can use? Has the company logo changed or the coloring been improved?  Would a smaller or larger image compliment the text portion better? If your card includes a photograph of yourself, why not get a new picture taken to go with your new cards.

Finally, browse online for the latest trends in inks, textured cards, finishing techniques and offers. Use the notes that you made to ensure your card is exactly how you wish to present yourself in the coming year.

Designing a new business card every year is a great excuse for handing out your card to those you have given to in the past.  Explaining the card updates old information is a great way to reconnect with old clients and affirm friendships with colleagues. Purchase an extra box to hand out with client Christmas cards.

Filed under: Business Card Help, Design Tips on October 12th, 2009