Business card ideas, below are examples of really creative card ideas.
- The travel agent’s business card that looks like a luggage tag.
- The landscape designer’s card that contains real seeds.
- The manicurist’s business card containing holes for your fingers.
- The photographer’s card that folds out to display a mini portfolio.
- The office supply store’s business card information printed on large rubber bands.
The list of creative business cards ideas goes on and on, and all of these examples have a few things in common: that when the companys were creating business cards they had very creative ideas, very memorable and very expensive to produce.
Even if you have the budget to create a business card that is wildly and unusual, you may have difficulty finding a printer who can produce it. If you opt to hand craft an unusual business card yourself, you will probably spend more time producing your cards than running your business.
It’s a good idea to play with a few different business card ideas. Maybe try your design in horizontal and vertical formats. Move the logo from one side to the other or into the corner. Adjust type sizes. Alter the color usage.
Then show your layouts to a few friends or colleagues and ask their opinion. What do they notice first? What do they find cluttered? What’s difficult to read? Make certain you’re happy with the final card design, or else you’ll end up wasting time and money… not to mention your companies image.
When thinking about your business card design and what to include, don’t forget about the back. Many people struggle when creating their business cards because there’s not much space, and that’s true. Keep in mind that a business card is a snapshot of your company, and the vital components are logo, tag line, name and contact information.
If you want to include a list of services or a map to your location, using the back of your card is the perfect answer. You can also consider using a fold-over card… it automatically doubles the amount of space you have.
So if you want to create a great business card at a reasonable price, where should you start? First, it depends on your skill level. If you don’t consider yourself good at creating business cards, you can use pre-designed business card templates. If you’re a bit more creative, you can use Adobe Photoshop® or a similar program to create your logo as well as your business card design.
If you opt to create your own cards without using a template, there are several important points to keep in mind. First, make sure the resolution setting is at least 300 dpi (dots per inch). If not, you’ll be disappointed with the printed result.
Lower resolutions look fine on your monitor, but when printed your card will be very jagged-looking. If you download any images, verify their resolution. Most web images are set at 72 dpi which is far too low for quality printing. A quick word about taking images from the Internet: be certain anything you borrow is truly “royalty-free” or you could be infringing on someone’s copyright. There are a number of sites that sell “royalty-free” images for reasonably low prices.
Next, you’ll want to be certain that the color mode is set to CMYK or four-color process. By default, many programs display color in RGB which is the color setting for your monitor. If you don’t work in CMYK or fail to convert RGB images, the printed result can be a far-different color than you expect with often disappointing results.
Set a safety margin for your cards. Do not place any type, logos or images within one-eighth inch of the edge of the card. Information that is too close to the edge may be cut off when the cards are trimmed to size. If you want your image or background to extend to the edge of your card, you must create a bleed and allow one-eighth inch on all sides to be trimmed away.
Cards are printed as “multiple-up” on a larger sheet. Check with your printer regarding the size sheet used for business card printing. Typically, it’s 8.5 x 11, so you can position 8 to 10 cards on the sheet. Use your program’s “step and repeat” feature to create multiple-ups that are placed in exact position for final trimming. If your placements are not exact, card will have varying margins and some information may be cut off.
Finally, proof read every word on your card and double check every number. It’s a good idea to have someone else double check your information as well. You’ve got a great idea and great card, but your phone won’t ring if you’ve inadvertently transposed two digits!
Checklist:
- Remember: 300 - 400 dpi is ideal for printing
- Use CMYK color mode
- Include a 1/8” safety margin on all sides
- Allow 1/8” on all sides for the bleed
- Use “step and repeat” to position multiple cards on a page
- Proof read, proof read, proof read
- Ask your printer for a proof before sending your cards to press.
