A lot of business professionals, obsessed with branding and marketing to the fullest, forget the less is more rule when it comes to business cards. You may have a wildly colorful eye catching billboard for your company on the highway that brings in traffic but that riot of color does not belong on your business card.

Two colors is the best option when it comes to your business cards. Two contrasting colors that is. That’s why the classic black and white business card option still holds ground. Contrasting colors sell your business. They make text easier to read and make complimentary images seem less cluttered. White text against a color background works well too. Be sure to choose the right two colors for your card.

Three colors should be your absolute max when it comes to business card printing. Depending on the colors you choose, three different ink colors can make your point without being too in your face. If one color dominates alls the better because visually two colors still stand out despite the fact that you have three.

Remember that your company logo does not really count towards the three color rule for your business card. If your logo is very colorful though you may want to restrict yourself to two colors for the rest of your card layout.

If you aren’t sure whether two or three color works better for your business card try playing around with it a bit. Experiment on the printing website with different color counts and palettes until you find what works best for your company’s business card.

A little online research will show you that the rounded edge business card is making itself known in the world of custom printing. Look at the business cards you received during your most recent networking event. How many have rounded edges? Why would you choose rounded edges over traditional corners for your business cards?

Rounded corner business cards convey a much softer modern tone to your business card. They appear youthful and creative where sharp corners can seem a little old fashioned. Of course how the rounded edge comes across depends on your profession. Connotations of softness do not belong on the professional lawyer’s or tycoon’s business card.

In some professions, softening a company images with rounded edges makes sense. Dentists and other health professionals need to seem less intimidating to their clients. A rounded business card edge and a cartoon image can make a big difference to your client list.

If you choose to go with rounded corners for your business card make sure you adjust the rest of your business card design. Check that the design template still sits comfortably in the new frame and be sure to move text in slightly to accommodate the edging. Rounded corners can do wonders for the right business card and business. Do your research to see if that includes your company.

I’ve mentioned several times on this blog the importance of choosing a heavy well cut card stock for your business card. Recently, several business card websites began offering even heavier card stock to their clients. The fact that heavy card stock makes a difference is catching on. The weight of your business card tells as much of a story as the information printed on the front.

Extremely light weight thin business cards do not make a good impression. When people pick up a very thin business card they think your business is new, you are flimsy, flakey and unreliable, you don’t have any money for your business cards so therefore mustn’t do a good enough job to keep clients. It seems a little dramatic but thoughts like this do go through your mind when handed a business card that only keeps your interest for negative reasons.

Heavy business cards make potential clients and customers think you are stable, reliable, have been around for a while and aren’t afraid to spend a few extra pennies to make a quality first impression. Weighted card stock makes business cards stand out for the right reasons. People forget that the weight of your business card is key to its success as its one of the first impressions your client is given of you, your product and your company.

Potential customers realize your business card isn’t up to par when they receive other cards that are heavier. With the recent surge in printers offering heavier stock now may be a good time to reorder and keep up with the competition.

Those who make their living from making folks laugh need to be taken seriously when it comes to booking, negotiations, publicity and marketing. Comedians are like any other working professional and need a business card. The comedian’s business card should avoid cheap gimmicks and let vendors and clients know that you may make folks laugh for a living but your business is no laughing matter.

Be sure to incorporate any established branding on the comedian’s business card. This could be the colors scheme used in promotional fliers or the logo used on videos of live shows. Your business card is part of your marketing package and needs to work with the pieces you have already created. Use this opportunity to make any tweaks. Changing the tone of a color palette slightly shouldn’t harm the overall branded visual.

When it comes to clip art or images on the comedian’s business card the comedian is key. A portrait photograph taken by a professional photographer is a good idea for newer comedians looking to establish a reputation. For better known comedians an image is unnecessary on the business card. The name alone should create an image in the recipient’s mind.

The comedian’s business card should be legible, simply constructed with a flair of personality. If you get the balance between character and professionalism you’ll have the perfect card for any working comic.

The modern advertising agency supports a host of employees, computer platforms and clients. Keeping clients is all about keeping the ideas fresh and the creativity professional. The advertising agency’s business card must be some of the company’s best branding work. An ad agency business card should be vibrant, fresh and even cutting edge.

When designing the advertising agency business card consider both current trends and emerging styles when creating the background template. You want your work to look comfortable in the current climate but show clients you are a forward thinking company. Research trends in fashion and media to get some ideas.

Give your ad agency business card a clever quirk to catch the eye of potential clients. It could be a fact list about advertising on the reverse side or the ability to fold the business card into a box or other shape. Having pieces pop up or out works well too. Find something that emphasizes the way you run your creative in the office and reflect it in your business card design.

Interesting shapes, dimensions, textures and color choices are all possibilities with the advertising agency business card. How you design your card depends very much on the type of client you are trying to attract. They must see their branding future in your branded present. Do your research and use your market data to choose palettes, patterns and styles.

Be sure to use your advertising agency business card to advertize your agency’s work. Consider a fold over style business card to provide room for a gallery of past projects. Be sure to show a great range in the images and provide a url to further images. By keeping a visitor counter on your online gallery you will be able to see how many folks use your business card to find out more information about your company’s reputation.

Cupcakes have become very popular desserts and wedding day alternatives. The professional cupcake business is in high demand. Creating desserts that gain a reputation is about a good product and good advertising. The business card remains the best form of advertising for any company. The cup cake company business card is visually stimulating, informative and fun.

It is essential that the cupcake business card make you hungry, trigger some response to the sight of a cupcake that they want to go to your store. The visual is key on all business cards but a bakery business card should look good enough to eat. Use either very pictographic images or actual photographs to make your point. The realistic looking cupcakes don’t work with a large crowd of people. A real photograph or the hint of the real thing is much better than a poor representation of the real thing. Professional images can make all the difference.

Traditional bakery colors such as pink and blue still work for the cupcake company business card. Be sure to incorporate current branding. Think frosting colors when designing your cupcake company business cards. Those are the colors that attract your customers in reality so why not use them on your business card? Bakery, confectioners, chocolate shops and candy seller business card templates may have what you are looking for.

Bakeries and cupcake companies alike have been known to offer clients scented business cards. If you do choose to go with a scent be sure it makes sense and isn’t overpowering. The smell of vanilla or almond would work as they are both smells associated with baking and widely agreeable. If you choose to scent the cards yourself be sure to create a spray spot in your design such as a colored circle in the corner to keep things uniform.

Thick textured card stock works well for the cupcake company business card. It makes you think of bakery boxes and freshly baked goods. Anything over a hundred pound weight would be ideal. Texture wise think linen finish to remind folks of the silky feeling of frosted cupcakes. Cupcake company business cards should entice you into the store and into putting the business card in your pocket.

]]> http://www.printedbusinesscards.com/business-card-help/cupcake-company-business-card/feed/ 0 http://www.printedbusinesscards.com/business-card-help/receiving-business-cards-the-art-of-networking/ http://www.printedbusinesscards.com/business-card-help/receiving-business-cards-the-art-of-networking/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 16:37:56 +0000 Trish http://www.printedbusinesscards.com/?p=3837

Having great business cards is wonderful. Receiving a lot of business cards is fantastic. Every business card someone has given you is a potential sale. People don’t just hand their business cards out to anyone so getting one is a definite win. Amassing business cards is the goal of any good networker. There are a few tried and tested ways to receive business cards.

The easiest way to get a business card is to give one. For business professionals being handed a business card creates an almost Pavlovian response and they will immediately dig out their own business cards to return the favor. By giving business cards you receive business cards. Often folks handed a card who don’t have their own with them will write down their details for you. Give them one of your business cards to use.

If you want someone’s business card, ask for it. Sometimes the direct approach elicits the best response. At the conclusion of a conversation or as soon as the conversation turns to work, its time to ask for a business card. Don’t wait for the business card to appear, especially of you are saying your goodbyes. Always ask before its too late.

If you are trying to create a networking situation, turn the conversation to business. Ask the individual what they do for a living. If you think they would make a good addition to your professional network, steer the conversation to business location and product information. Most folks at this point will hand you a business card.

Sometimes folks just volunteer their business card whether you want or not. Do not discard these potential contacts. Everybody knows someone else in the professional community. Those unsolicited business cards may end up being the means to a lucrative end.

Taking the time to create professional looking well printed business cards for your company is only one part of the process. Those business cards must be kept in good condition until they are handed over to clients and potential customers. If you order several thousand business cards at one time they must be preserved between the ordering box and the client’s wallet. Business card holders are the difference between a good and bad impression when it comes to business networking.

A business card holder protects your business cards from the elements and keeps things crisp and flat. If you usually put your business cards in your pocket, the business card holder prevent wrinkling and rubbing ensuring your business cards stay looking brand new. No one wants to receive a soft edged, worn out looking business card. Think of the holder as your business card’s weapon.

Having established the fact that you need a business card holder ordering one is easy. Most online business card printers offer them at check out and this will save you on shipping. If you are ordering generic company business cards be sure to get a card holder for each employee. Everyone must make the same great first impression.

There are several types of business card holders out there all perfectly able to get the job done. Whether you go with a metal, plastic or leather holder is up to you. Of course budget can make a difference here. The metal holders are a good middle road choice. Leather begs for personalization and plastic works well if there are no other choices.

If you own business cards you should own at least one business card holder. Your business cards should stay in the box they arrived in until you put them in your card holder. Most holders carry between 20 and 25 business cards so be sure not to overfill. As soon as you start using a business card holder you’ll wonder how you ever looked professional without it. Pick one up now.

The home sales party is a tradition in American homes and a staple of the stay at home parent economy for over fifty years. Home party professionals sell everything from kitchen-ware and storage containers to makeup, clothes and jewelry. Competing with big box stores and capitalizing on the small town charm of a freelance professional, home party hosts need business cards that are confident, complete and charismatic.

Product placement is key to the success of the home party business card. Often folks place emphasis on their contact information rather than the product. In this type of business the product is central. This is very much a salesman style business card. There is no store front so the business card must be shop window as well as ordering information. Use bullet points to list product features, place one or more pictures of the product on the business card and provide links to product websites.

Utilize the back side of the home party business card for listing ordering information or tips on how to host your own party and the potential benefits. The more useful your business cards are the more likely folks are to hold onto it.

Consider the fold over business card style for the home party professional. Fold over cards have more space for pictures and information and they are sturdy and substantial making people less inclined to throw them away. A few extra pennies on your business card could lead up to a lot more dollars for your business.

Be sure to hand out your business card to everyone that attends a home party. The only time you interact with potential clients and party hosts is at your actual parties so do your best networking there. Include a business card with every completed order and be sure to staple your business card to any order form or book you distribute.

As the sun makes itself known, the search for leisure activities increases. Swimming is a classic summer standby and swimming pools and aquatic centers are gearing up for their busy season. The swimming pool business card should promote the facility and upcoming seasonal events as well as provide information about opening times and general procedures.

A swimming pool business card should of course reflect the nature of water. You could use metallic or silver foiling for accenting logos or images, have a blue background or use water as your clip art. What should be avoided with aquatic center business cards is colors that have little to do with water. In many cases a business wants to avoid being obvious about using traditionally associated colors. A swimming pool is not one of those businesses. Forget neon, primary colors or even black and white for the aquatic center business card.

If the business card is intended to be seasonal, consider using the reverse side for listing the times and days of promotional events or clubs. Your opening hours should be prominent on your business card as well as admission fees. These are the reason most folks call ahead and if they have the information on your business card you can save patrons time and free up your front desk workers.

For the larger aquatic center, consider a fold over business card to incorporate all the necessary information. Use the extra space to explain swimming pool rules and procedures as well as liability and safety issues. What about including a few photograph of your facility featuring happy patrons. This makes your business card more like a promotional brochure.

The waterproof or plastic business card is always a fun idea for the swimming pool or aquatic center’s business card. It increase the longevity of the card and because of its increased strength and sturdiness, folks are more likely to hold onto it. Also consider magnetic business cards for a swimming pool’s summer promotions. This ensures that every time your patrons reach for a cold drink from the fridge they think about going swimming.