Designing a Business Card

Note: All research and links below are sourced from google and the following links found on websites: 

1. https://www.vistaprint.co.uk/hub/business-card-design-rules 

2.  https://www.instantprint.co.uk/printspiration/marketing-with-print/business-card-etiquette-around-the-world

What is a business card and it's purpose?

A business card is made to professionally connect with different clients and customers, it is used to present yourself as a business and sound interesting. If done right on your first impression you will more likely stand out and look rather interesting then other competitive businesses. In different countries and cultures there are different and interesting ways that people hands over their business cards.   

How to make one?

To make one do the following steps: 

1. Choose a template 

Selecting one is essential for anyone who isn't experienced on making one from scratch, the templates you choose can be sourced online, however if you have editing experience can still make one from scratch if you wish, you can also choose your own color scheme and hardstyle as well just make sure it looks presentable and suitable for the theme that you choose for example dark and more serious tone or perhaps a bright and colorful one instead.

2. Choose the right font 

Choosing a suitable font for your theme is a sensible choice because if it matches the overall theme it should look more neat and organized, in addition this should help grab the viewers attention while reading, I will recommend using a Sans Serif rather then just a Serif font because the text would look more fancy and not plain like a default Microsoft word document or PowerPoint text.    

3. Choosing the right shape and Size 

Selecting a size of the card itself and the text may affect on how much information you can fit on your business card, most shapes of a business card are usually rectangular which I think is a better choice especially for beginners but you can change the shape intro a square if you want your card to stand out a bit more.

4. Keeping information organized

Things such contact details including, business name, e-mail address, telephone number or even social media are a great way to keep in touch with others and can allow them to contact you in the most comfortable way possible if given plenty of options.

When adding information make sure you have a suitable and neat layout so it is easily readable, you can do this by firstly include the logo and the name, then move on with other details like email address and phone number etc.     

5. Two sides

There are many ways you can make a two sided card, one that can include all the information in the back via contact details or perhaps if it was a loyalty card you can use the back for stamps and encourage customers to visit you business often for rewards. 

There is still more to points as there are many ways you can use a double sided card, preferably if I was going to use a card for a creative media company but it should look something like the image below except the color scheme would look more less red and more gray and black, and that also includes changing the text font.

     

6. Include a suitable logo

A suitable logo is a well designed logo, the colors will need to match as the card should look professional, the final design of a suitable logo will help influence and bring the overall design of the card itself. A logo is your brand and it's all about being presentable for many viewers, being professional about your logo shows that you really mean 'business' no pun intended.  

7. Leave enough room to make it easier to read

It is only fine if you put enough detail but rather then cramming too much information just include some details, make sure you leave enough space on your card so that it looks more neat and organized, Plus having too much info is a lot to take in for someone who is reading your card and will not find your information as unique, all you need is to show off a little about your business by including it's name and some contact details.   

8. Add something to make your design look unique

By adding a unique design your business is more likely to stand out, there are many different ways to make a card look so unique, such as it's overall design like the patterns, text (Sans Serif/Serif fonts), color scheme, logo and perhaps a slogan. In addition to all you can add special print finishes like foil to add a shine effect or perhaps a different finish that adds an unusual texture like feel.  

9. Add a special promotional Call to action (Optional)

Special offers are a call to action when handing out business or even loyalty cards here is an example: GAME (UK) is a company that sells games, consoles, accessories and more when signing up for a free reward card they encourage you to visit their store more often for some free benefits.

(This part with the game rewards points was not researched but rather something I know from personal experience as I am a consumer of some of GAME's products) 

These type of cards can be used as a marketing strategy and encourages customers to stay loyal to their company and purchase products exclusively from specific businesses, if you make a call to action card you can add QR codes, discounts or other special offers that encourages customers.  

10. Make sure it's proofread

By proofread it means checking that the card doesn't contain any mistakes, this includes spelling errors and use of grammar. If you feel unsure you can ask a friend, colleague or anyone who is willing to help out, this method should not take too long as usually a business card should not contain paragraphs or lots of sentences.    

And now I will show a some existing business card examples.  

Good example

Bad example

What impact will this research have to making my business card?

All this research should give me roughly the idea of what to make including the dos and don'ts as well as how to do them professionally. 

Design Drafts and which one is the final product

So based on the results of one of my previous surveys I have selected a logo and used it to make 4 different business cards each with 2 Designs, one on the front and back. 

Design 01 Front

Feedback Rating: A higher majority out of 5 people reckons that this design is great (6/10), mainly because the logo design and the appropriate layout of the front, Personally I think it's off to a good start but I could try something a bit more unique.

Design 01 Back

Feedback Rating: This design is rated as good (5/10) since this has all the appropriate contact details and the text is basic but readable, I should probably add a bit more to the back like a title that says contact details etc.  

Design 02 Front

Feedback Rating: The majority for this rating rate that as Awesome (7/10), this time the logo was moved to the left rather then keeping it at the center. Personally I think it looks better then the first design.

Design 02 Back

Feedback Rating: The back of the second design also have the same rating as the front design, it is rated as awesome (7/10) since as we can see here the extra detail that has been added was additional text labeled as 'Contact details' plus the appropriate description including E-mail, number and address which I think is a better improvement.  

Design 03 Front

Feedback Rating: This design have some mixed opinions from the majority of people, only 2 people gave the Outstanding (8/10) rating whilst another couple of them rated this as a good design (5/10), giving that this front design is similar to the previous one to the left some people might just have a preference of reading the words from the left side rather then the right design or sometimes the other way around. My preference is that I like design 02's design since I just prefer to read left from right and that the image is the first thing that catches my attention then reading the slogan afterwards.

Design 03 Back

Feedback Rating: This design has gotten a much lower Ok (4/10) rating then the other designs so far, it might be due to what I said earlier about personal preferences, for example the logos are moved to the right side and my guess is that some people would prefer the images to be on the left side rather then the right. 

Design 04 Front

Feedback Rating: This Front design has the most mixed out of all feedbacks I received, however most of the ratings are fairly good as the ratings Range from 4-9. This card design looks very similar to the first front design which in my opinion looks slightly better since it has a bolder text.     

Design 04 Back

Next will be some questions and answers on a survey I have given to other students only 5 of them responded on each one.

Feedback Rating: A majority of people rates this as Awesome (7/10) and this design is the only design to have at least the best rating (10/10) by a single responder. Similar to the front design i have made the test stand out and look bolder.