How to Design a Business Card - 9 Tips for a Professional Look

Are business cards still worth the effort? In today’s digital world, it’s tempting to think that the age of custom business card designs is a bygone era. But these cards still have their place; they’re a great way for business owners to share their contact details and job title, showcase a part of their company’s brand identity, and network with potential partners and clients. After all, it’s easy for someone to take a card and tuck it into a wallet or pocket to save for future reference, even if they don’t become a customer right away.

But how can an entrepreneur create their own professional business card? This post walks through nine tips to create a card that makes a great first impression and just “sticks” in the minds of customers.

Nine Custom Business Card Design Tips

Here are nine of the top tips business owners should keep in mind when designing their business cards. Note: these tips apply to most business cards, but entrepreneurs should always use their own best judgment to find the card that suits their needs.

1. Start with the right logo

Whether a business owner creates their own logo or hires a professional designer to do it, it’s essential to start with a good one. It’s easy to overlook the fact that a logo needs to look good in a variety of sizes (especially really small ones). After all, even with professional printing technology, the logo will be printed on a very limited surface area on the business card.

If a logo is too complicated, it won’t shrink well to fit in the business card design. It would be too hard to read (if it were legible at all). That’s not a great way to make a lasting impression.

If a business owner already has a logo they like, but it won’t shrink well onto a business card, it’s prudent to replace it with something simpler for consistency’s sake. Alternatively, the business could benefit from a secondary logo that’s simpler but visually similar. That second logo might be a better fit for business cards, stationery, letterhead, and promotional products like pens, uniform shirts, and advertisements.

2. Include the right information on the business card

A good business card sticks to essential information only. Business cards are small, so they should highlight the most important information for the prospect or customer. Here are some common essentials:

Company logo and business name
The card owner’s name
The card owner’s title
Contact information (address, phone number, and email address)
Website address
Company slogan or other indication of what the business sells or does

Some of today’s business owners also opt to include a QR code on the front or back of their business card to quickly direct prospects to the company’s website.

3. Use a basic font

Simple, businesslike fonts work best for designing business cards for most types of businesses. Sans-serif fonts are a favorite of many designers because they’re clean and legible in a variety of font sizes. It’s prudent for a business owner to resist the urge to get overly creative with their font choice or to use more than one or two different fonts. A well-designed business card is both readable and professional-looking, even with something as simple as font choice.

4. Go big on white space

For many business owners, the old adage of “less is more” actually applies to business card design. While it’s tempting for a business owner to select lots of pretty visuals when they start designing, good use of white space (or at least blank space if the background of the card is colorful) can play an important role. This tip is good to keep in mind regardless of whether an entrepreneur hires a professional designer or uses ready made templates.

Look at it this way: the more text that’s packed onto a business card, the harder it is to read. And if it’s hard to read, it’s all too likely that it’ll get trashed instead of read.

5. Pick the right colors

Bright colors can make a business card stand out, but they can also make it look garish — a look most business owners probably don’t want. Bright, loud colors can also make a business card difficult to read if it’s not designed correctly. For example, a card with a red border and extensive gold text over a black background could be difficult to read. Similarly, a card that has a purple border, a white background, and some lines of text printed in purple and others in black could look unfocused and unprofessional.

Similarly, very light gray, pink or other pale-colored text on a white background may look artistic to a graphic designer, but it can be very difficult to read, especially in small type sizes used on business cards. If a potential customer can’t easily read the phone number on a business card, they may just go to the web, search for what the business does… and then find and call a competitor instead.

6. Design a card that’s appropriate for the business

The best type of business card for financial services, doctors, lawyers, and other “coat and tie” wearing professions is usually a subdued card. But that’s not the case for everybody.

If an entrepreneur is in a creative business, a card that shows off their design skills not only advertises their business but also serves as a small portfolio of their work. But if an owner has built a brand centered around themselves as a person (i.e., prospects are more likely to recognize their face than their company name), it might be helpful for them to include a photo of themselves.

For business owners in digital-centric fields, a digital business card format could be helpful, too. That way, customers could get the information they need in just a few clicks.

Remember the first rule of creativity: Less is always more. Be careful not to overdesign or to include too many elements or lines of text on the card.

7. Include something on the back

The front of a business card serves the purpose of telling people who the business is, what it does, and how to contact it. The problem with business cards is that everybody gets them — a lot of them, in fact. The less-than-memorable ones end up in a trash can all too often.

That’s why it can be helpful for a business owner to give a customer a reason to hold onto the card by putting something helpful on the back. For example, a realtor could include a little chart that lists approximate monthly payments for homes at various price points. A security system business could list some of the top emergency numbers consumers should know in the area. That free advice acts as a little bit of content marketing, all on the back of a small card.

8. Choose card stock carefully

Before a business owner sends their card to their printer, they’ll want to carefully consider what paper to print the card on. This might seem like a minor factor, but it can be helpful to consider how customers will use the card once they get it.

For example, some business owner choose to use glossy card stock. And that’s understandable; glossy paper can look really sharp. But, it’s hard to write on; it might be helpful to use paper that’s just glossy on only once side so customers can jot down notes on the back. Alternatively, an appliance repair business owner might print their business cards on magnets so clients can put them on their fridges or washing machines.

9. Know where to get help

Don’t have graphic design skills? Don’t panic. Hiring a professional is an effective way to get the design process done quickly and professionally. After all, these pros understand terms like safety lines, trim lines, bleed areas, brand colors, and other design principles. Alternatively, business owners can turn to user-friendly design tools instead.

It’s even possible to keep costs pretty low, too. Here are some great resources to consult when looking to hire a business card design pro.

Vistaprint – Vistaprint is a low-cost, online printing service that not only allows users to design for printing, but the site also has tools that allow a business owner to design a card on their own. With a logo, any business owner can upload their design to Vistaprint to design their own card or choose from premade designs.

Hire a Freelancer – Sites like Upwork allow business owners to place their job on the site and collect and evaluate bids from graphic designers. Quality designers will include a portfolio to review their work, plus past reviews from clients.

There are numerous sites like this that allow business owners to receive low-cost bids. It can be surprisingly easy to get reasonable prices for a quality design.

Templates – Everyday software often has business card templates built in or available for download. Microsoft Word, Canva, and even some Adobe products provide business card templates.

Conclusion

Whether a business owner is creating their first business card or their tenth, they don’t have to reinvent the wheel. The perfect design is classic, simple, legible, and reflects the company’s brand personality while still giving customers all the information they need. Once the layout and design are completed, it’s always wise to double-check that the images look good on both the screen and on paper.

Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. For specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.

How to Design a Business Card – 9 Tips for a Professional Look