Business cards are a powerful call to action, and when used correctly, they can net you great clients for life. Your business card is an extension of your brand, a physical representation of your company and your branding. Pure Metal Cards can help you stand apart with truly unique business card design ideas.
When your business card is essentially an invitation for somebody to use your product or service over another, you need to make sure that it represents the high quality of work that you know you can deliver. Consider these thirteen tips and tricks that you’ll need to create a show-stopping metal business card that is guaranteed to bring you more business!
1 – Less is More
KISS – this an acronym for keeping it simple, stupid, and is a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960. It still holds true today! Business cards do not need to be overly complex as this can make it a lot harder for customers to find the information they might need. Typically they may only be searching for your phone number or an email address. You should focus on keeping your designs simple, as less really is more. Complicated designs generally look messy, or might not make a great first impression.
Too much text looks busy, is difficult to read, and looks unprofessional. Simple is best. Use only what’s totally necessary for someone to know your name, your company, what you do, and why they should use you, and how to reach you. If you have too much information to put on the front of the card, remember you can use the backside, too.
Your physical address is only necessary if people need to visit your location. Do you still own a fax machine? Do you need a fax number on your card?
A simple design will also allow you to utilize the marvelous ‘power of summary’, directing the viewer’s attention straight to what’s important: how they can get in touch. In fact, why not add a QR code and move all that additional contact information onto the code. More details about QR codes are shown here.
2- Go Big on Space
Similar to KISS above, leaving a lot of space allows other design elements to stand out to the card reader. The more you pack onto your business card, the more difficult it will be to read, and thus the more likely that it won’t be read.
3 – Using a Poor Quality Card
This relates more to paper rather than metal business cards. A poor quality card implies a business that will have poor quality products and services. Rather than attracting business, this type of card would most likely repel prospective customers. From a metal business card perspective the thicker the card, the more impressive they feel. We usually recommend a 0.3mm/0.01” or 0.5mm/0.02” card thickness. The thicker the metal card, the heavier they are. However, carrying 5-10 cards can be quite a chore. We usually suggest a 0.8mm/0.03” (credit) card thickness for membership cards.
4 – Stick to a color scheme
Don’t make the mistake of color-overload. Too many colors that don’t complement one another will make your card look busy and will detract from the content. Great brands are often renowned for their colors like the blue and white of Facebook or the red and white Coca-Cola logo. Regardless of what brand you think of, their color scheme will play a hugely important role in how memorable that brand is.
When designing your business card, you should always aim to implement your brand color palette. Association is an incredibly powerful tool, so by using a strong color scheme in your design you may be subconsciously pushing a potential customer towards your brand. Ensure your business cards match your corporate stationery and marketing communications. Try not to use clashing colors – instead, go for two or three colors that complement each other.
5 – Stand Out
Make sure your card design stands out. If you look at the cards you have received and collected, which ones really make an impact? Try to incorporate some of the most memorable features that you like into your own business card design.
Here are some points to consider:
- Switch Angles: Think about using a card formatted vertically to make your mark.
- Go Black: Almost all paper cards have a white background, so the black will really stand out.
- Single or bright colors: A card with a single or bright card is instantly noticeable.
- Photo or a picture: Why not add your portrait or a business-relevant photo. This not only makes your card stand out but also helps the cardholder connect your face with a name and company or brand.
- Cut Thru: Add a cut-thru/die-cut detail or logo (if suitable) to your card design.
6 – Clearly State What You Do
When someone looks at your business card, can they tell immediately what your business does and which specific business of that type you are? If not, you’re not likely to get many calls or referrals. To help with that identification, be sure to include your logo. If possible, the logo should have some connection to what your business does or what you are selling. For example, UPS (United Parcel Service) for 44 years had a logo on their business cards that showed a string-wrapped parcel sitting above the carrier’s shield.
7 – Be Double-Sided
Your card is real estate. Why waste half the area to promote you and your brand? Include Something on the back of your card. The front of your card serves the purpose of telling people who you are, what you do, and how to contact you. Use the rear for a call to action or a promotion. It may not cost any more to print on both sides of your card.
8 – Does Card Size Matter?
The standard US business card size is 3.5 by 2-inches. Common sense dictates using a traditional-sized card. Each country has its own standards too. Bigger business cards will not fit in a purse, wallet, or most business cardholders. Smaller cards stand a chance of getting lost or overlooked. Chances are an odd-sized business card will end up in the trash.
9 – Use a Basic Font
Simple, businesslike fonts work best for designing business cards for most types of businesses. Ensure your font matches your corporate or brand guidelines, rather than a font that you, personally like. Sans serif fonts are a favorite of many designers. Resist the urge to get overly creative with your font choice or to use more than one or two different fonts. A well-designed business card is both readable and professional-looking.
10 – Print That Is Too Small
Does your business card have a font size so small that you need to hand out a magnifying glass in order for it to be read? Beware of this practice. You may be able to cram more information onto the card with a small font, but what good is it if people can’t read it? A good guideline is to use a type size no smaller than 8-10 points. Your company and name should be a little larger and more prominent.
11 – Make it memorable
It goes without saying that your card design should be a memorable one. Whether you have a clever or creative logo, layout or slogan, one thing that you should always focus on is making it memorable!
One unique way that you can make a memorable business card that makes a great first impression is by using cut-thru or die-cut in the design. This really works well at making you unforgettable! Also, think about the shape. Squares, circles, ovals, and triangles are also memorable, but harder for the cardholder to store.
If your business requires international travel, consider offering multiple languages, or print the phonetic spelling of a difficult to pronounce your name.
12 – Always Be Loaded
Always have a supply of your cards wherever you go. There is no point in having a box full of business cards gathering dust on your desk. It would serve you and your business better to apply the old axiom, “Use it or lose it.” What can you lose? Business. Give them out when appropriate, and while you’re at it, don’t hesitate to give out more than one. Invite people to pass the extras along to others who might need your service. You might be surprised at how often this can result in a referral. If a lead or prospect is more promising than you though, take back your paper card and offer them a metal business card. You will be remembered!
13 – Cost
The final point is how much to spend? How much value do you place on your business cards? Thinking of metal business cards, these are very expensive compared to paper or plastic business cards. However, relatively speaking, they are only about the cost of your daily takeaway coffee. What is the value of a business lead that remembers you from your card?
In Conclusion
Your business card is one of those parts of your operations where you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. A classic business card with simple design elements is all you need to achieve a professional appearance. Business cards are the swiss army knife of the business world. They are an essential tool for your company’s growth; business cards allow you to show off not only your personality but how your creative and unique business can benefit others.
Using metal business cards is a great way to make an impact on new and prospective customers and ensure you retain your existing customers. At Pure Metal Cards, we have the tools required to help launch and improve your customer retention programs. We are excited to help you create custom designs that help your business stand out in the crowd. We hope these tips help make your business cards unforgettable.
Why Choose Pure Metal Cards?
Satisfaction Guaranteed – We want you to be completely amazed by your purchase. We replace cards if they do not meet your satisfaction.
Speed – Pure Metal Cards offers the fastest turnaround time in the market today for custom-made metal business cards. Cards typically take 7-9 business days to produce and 1-2 days to ship to you.
Pricing – We lead the industry by offering simple, all-inclusive pricing. The price quoted on our website is the price you pay.
Range of Card Finishes – We offer the widest range of metals and card finishes available anywhere. For example, we have 12 different finishes for our matt black metal cards.
Switch to Metal Today
With over 2 million metal cards shipped to over 70 countries around the world over ten years, we lead the industry in card innovation and options to make your name or brand stand out from the rest. Pure Metal Cards can help you develop your existing business card or membership card to become an unforgettable metal card your clients or members will enjoy receiving.
For more information please contact us today.