Stay on brand – by now you should have a brand, be it a colour palette, a logo, your photo or your company name – which ever represents you the best in the market. Strictly adhere to this brand so your card is easily identifiable in the lot.
Name vs. alias – if youre known by a name, or alias, other than your first and surname, go with the former on your card or at least mention it in bold before everything else. The people you meet will often remember you by your short name so leaving this out can potentially make you a nobody.
Choose your contact channels wisely – in todays world, there can be many ways that a potential client can contact you – Your Website, Facebook Profile or Page, LinkedIn, Twitter, Mobile, WhatsApp the list is endless! Putting all of this on your card will just make it look busy so choose one or two channels that represent you the most and is the best way to get in touch.
Avoid all the clutter – more white space is good for your card, it means that you can draw attention to things that matter the most: who you are, what you do and how to contact you. Its basically a sales pitch on a piece of card so avoid unnecessary quotations and images that dont add any value.
Use the back of the card – A business card is a powerful piece of real-estate once it has changed hands and Ive always wondered why most business cards have only one side since youre keeping the front as simple as possible, the back of the card is an excellent way to give more detail. Dont go writing an essay in there though! Take advantage of QR Codes or TinyURLs – link these to your website or blog where people can read more about the amazing work you do.
Im not a design expert but in my experience working as a management consultant Ive exchanged and received many business cards and these are some of the things I would address to create a business card that will have an impact.
