Not only the type of business you own but the type of businesses and clients you come into contact with are important considerations when designing a business card. If you have a very traditional business with well established clients and partnerships with other traditional professions change in business card design should be gradual. No-one wants to be drug kicking and screaming into a modern perspective but no-one wants to be left behind either. Consider implementing a few changes with each new business card order.

If on the other hand if you are a start up company, operating mainly online and appealing to a younger audience, keeping up with modern business card techniques is practically a requirement. Newer companies are expected to come out cutting edge and the branding of the company still revolves around the business card no matter how cyber savvy the company may be.

Keeping on top of business trends is essential for every aspect of your business and your business card is a reflection of your knowledge. A well branded business card shares the story of the company and reflects their outlook of the economic and creative business climate.

Like any business, the tattoo parlor must use their business card as a medium for communication meaning all forms of contact must be clear, correct and central to the design. Do not forget e-mail addresses and websites. Most importantly physical location of your store is most important for the tattoo artist’s business card. Consider adding a map as well as driving directions from the main highway.

The fold over style business card is ideal for the tattoo shop business card. There is additional room for images of your best work as well as your facilities. A picture of your storefront provides a visual reference and images of the interior let potential customers rate the cleanliness and layout of your operation. Always use a professional photographer to create images for your business card. Be sure you have copyright to all the photographs.

Use the additional space of your business card to provide details of your services, years of experience and any specialties. Additional services such as piercing should be noted on your business card. Always include any certification or national accreditation to add a level of confidence to your potential customers.

Consider metallic foiling for the tattoo store’s business card. Metallic foiling, when used in moderation, can add an eye catching element to your business card and cause people to take a second glance at your information. Every time someone reads about your tattoo parlor the more likely they are to recognize other forms of branding and you will be the first place they think of when they decide to take the plunge into permanent body art.

Horizontally printed cards are expected by a vast majority of the traditional corporate world. Gimmicks and eye catching design are not necessary when simple exchanging contact information. Traditional services such as lawyers, doctors and dentists favor the horizontal card as due well established companies and large corporations.

Vertical cards offer a different perspective on contact information. If you hand a vertically printed card over to someone not expecting it they will try to read horizontally then turn the card to read the vertical text. This works for some folks and can be a nice gimmick but for others it can be annoying and time wasting. Think seriously about the type of business you have and the type of client you are trying to attract.

The vertical business card provides a sense of additional height and can work great for those who are in the business of perspective such as architects, engineers, artists, photographers and up and coming businesses such as green technology. Vertical cards suggest change and may be a good idea for your upcoming business card order if you are looking to re-brand your product in the coming year.

Whatever printing alignment you choose for your business card, whether horizontal or vertical, be sure the information scans well, is spelled correctly and stands out for all the right reasons.

Traditional one sided business card. This is a great card for the smaller business, the personal card or mommy card and as an employee business card for a larger company. These cards do well when paired with good ink, engraved printing and thick card stock.

Two-sided business card. The two sided business card is a good option for the company or small business that needs to list additional information about their company on their card. For instance directions, policies and types of services are all better on the back of a business card.

Fold over business card. This is a great card for the larger company or a creative company. Fold over cards provide more room for information and make the contact information for the larger company look less crowded. Fold over cards allow for additional images and creative background designs making them ideal for the art gallery, artist or small craft company.

Nontraditional shape business card. These are the cards you see that are square or circular or some other non rectangular shape. These are certainly attention getting cards but may not be suitable for a large number of businesses. If you are a professional business person you need a business card that fits easily into the company Rolodex. Shaped cards are fun for new businesses starting out trying to make a lasting impression, artistic companies or as promotional cards.

Whatever type of business card you go with be sure to proofread your text carefully, use bold not offense color schemes and highlight the best aspects of your business or service.

Letterhead. High quality paper watermarked and printed with the company details may seem a little old school but it remains an essential of the business client relationship. A letterhead sent through the traditional mail service still carries more weight than something sent by e-mail. A medium sized company should consider 500 sheets of letterhead as mandatory.

Address Labels or printed envelopes. Envelopes with custom printing will always look more professional than stick on address labels but both get the job done. Printed return address on envelopes is a must for the larger business. Smaller businesses should consider an address stamp rather than address labels.

Custom binders or folders. Promotional literature should always be presented to clients in a custom printed folder. A plain folder always makes the company look cheap and your branding look scattered. Smaller businesses should consider custom oversized labels to personalize the plain folders their budget affords.

Promotional literature. For some companies this is brochures for others its fliers and posters. Whatever additional printed material your company uses in the running and promotion of the business it should all match the business card design.

Branding is all about repetition and cohesiveness. If all of your printed materials are cohesive your company logo, colors or slogan will be easier for clients and potential customers to remember.

Branding is essential on the media company’s business card. Take established logos and color palettes and upload them to your business card template. If you have a very busy and colorful logo you may want to consider slimming things down and re-branding. Media companies need memorable logos and branding that is easy to remember.

Use the back of the media company business card to provide a list of services. Your media company may deal in television shows or documentary film clips exclusively. You may also dabble in a large number of different medias and all of these should be reflected in your list. Be sure not to leave any area off your business card as it may be the one area the potential client was looking for.

The fold over business card works well for the modern media company. It provides enough room for detail descriptions of available services as well as room for hyperlinks and images that better sell your product. If you choose a fold over business card remember each side and portion of the business card should be designed with as much care and thought as the front.

Artsy graphics, modern styling and sleek images are all friends of the media company business card. Because of the nature of the work, creativity is allowed but it must have a business savvy edge. Consider engraved printing and top of the line card stock for your media company business card. Its all about making a good and lasting first impression.

First and foremost your baby party planner business card should be clearly meant for babies and their parents. Don’t try to muddle a baby side business in with another planning business. You need to have a separate card with baby/child friendly color schemes that catches the eye. Check the business card templates online under the heading “day care.”

Color schemes for the baby planner’s business card don’t have to adhere to traditional ideas about baby showers. A pastel colored business card will not stand out. Rather, it will look dated and give the impression you aren’t keeping up with the new baby shower themes and ideas. Pick bright contrasting colors for your clip art and then keep to two colors for your text and main background color.

New parents know they want a shower or a christening party but not what that entails. Use a list to provide the basics of what your business offers. Its always good to use the back side of your card for this information. When a potential client sees how many aspects of the party you cover they will feel more confident in hiring you. Plus it provides a firm basis for hiring contracts.

Always provide links to your past party pictures, ideas and themes. A URL on the bottom front of your business card is ideal. Often your clients are throwing a party for their child for the very first time. Letting them look through possible themes and solidifying what they want will make things easier on everyone involved.

The contact information on the intern’s business card should be personal not professional. It would be unwise to include the phone number and address of your internship. Instead include your personal e-mail, social networking links and cell phone number.

As there may be little to no work experience, the intern should include a link to their online educational or volunteer resume so potential employers can read up on you. Be sure to highlight the URL in blue on your business card to make it stand out.

Keep the intern’s business card simple, clean and easy to read. You are selling you not the business card. Avoid gloss finishes unless you’re working in a highly creative field. Think about traditional colors and designs used on business cards in your chosen field and reflect that in your own card. Try to stick to no more than two contrasting colors in your business card template.

A portrait photograph is an appropriate finishing touch to the intern’s business card. Visit a professional photographer and be sure to get the copyright to your photographs so you can use them on your online printer’s website.

Never send out a job application without a business card. Hand a business card to every professional you have contact with and don’t forget to distribute your details at network events.

Its a tight job market out there and standing out for all the right reasons can help intern become employee. A professional business card can help make this happen.

]]> http://www.printedbusinesscards.com/business-card-help/welcome-to-the-world-of-work-intern%e2%80%99s-business-card/feed/ 0 http://www.printedbusinesscards.com/business-card-help/the-brewers-business-card/ http://www.printedbusinesscards.com/business-card-help/the-brewers-business-card/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:58:27 +0000 Jim http://www.printedbusinesscards.com/?p=3422
Purveyor of the Porter. Handler of the Hefeweizen. You are the person that people come to when they want a fresh and unique taste in life that will make them feel terrific. You’re the beer brewer. And whether you have been in business for thirty minutes or thirty years, a well thought out custom business card is a must when trying to get your name out there.

Let’s be honest, in this instance, a business card isn’t going to keep your customers coming back to you…the quality of your beer will do that. However, a custom business card is the first step for customer acquisition. The way to do that is by keeping your contact information (and layout) the same for everyone that works in the company, and for all of you to decide what type of image should go on the card.

The image should be tasteful, no pun intended. Sometimes all it takes is a great logo. If you have a good, recognizable logo, your personalized business card will look great. However, if you are just starting your business and do not have a well-known brand logo, think about putting an image in the background along with a logo. This is where you can be creative. One idea could be having a very close-up photo of a “sweating” pint of beer with carbonation flowing up. Another idea could be an over-the-head shot of a pint of beer, where it looks like a circle of glass and the foam of the beer. The possibilities are almost limitless.

As for acquiring the customers, never forget what the back of a custom business card can do. On this back, you could have another smaller image with some text saying, Present this card at our brewery and receive one free six-pack of beer of your choice, with a small code next to it. You might lose a few dollars on the six-pack, but as long as you are confident in your beer, you should be able to turn the customer into a regular buyer. Once they hand you the business card, mark down the code so they can’t use it again, and then hand it back to them.

So keep brewing that delicious beverage, and keep brewing that great business card.

Branding is the foundation stone of any business card and the travel agent’s business card is no exception. Use established color palettes and logos when creating your business card. You can use a template from the business card printing website and just plug in your established sections. Always check with the marketing department of your company to be sure there are no planned changes to the company’s branding.

A travel agent’s job is to inform and their business card should provide plenty of information. Too much information in a small space looks messy and dismissible. Go with a fold over style card so you have room to add numerous hyperlinks, phone numbers and images.

Consider a calender or travel notes section on the real estate agent’s business card. By making a portion of your business card into a top ten list or vacation calender you give customers more opportunities to utilize your card. A useful item is not easily discarded.

The travel agent’s business card should include a number of images. Symbols of vacations perhaps in the form of four seasonal photographs would be eye catching. Visualizing a beach, a ski resort or city is a good way to keep clients focused on the task at hand. You know, booking a vacation.