What you will receive

A professional and unique business card design that furthers your growth.

Why do you need a business card?

Sallie Krawcheck (CEO of Ellevest and former head at Bank of America's Global Wealth and Investment Management) says "Networking has been cited as the number one unwritten rule of success in business. Who you know really impacts what you know." Business cards being the first form of formal exchange between professionals directly impacts who you know and by extension what you know. They are essentially pocket-sized billboards for your brand, and to be a frontrunner you need professional high-quality business cards.

A business card should be like a Swiss Army Knife for basic professional needs like recognition, advertising, and call to action all wrapped in a pocket-sized package with your contact details. With multiple directions to consider for business card designs, the sky is the limit, from an almost blank canvas with a brand logo to thinking out of the box like a textured card for a cushion business. I know, crazy but fantastic. Something you'd remember for sure!

What do I need before I hire a business card designer?

It doesn't matter if you are an individual contractor, a small business or a large enterprise, you need to consider some aspects before you hire a designer for creative input.

A finished logo design

With customization options aplenty, you need to have your logo design complete for your business card. With the general form factor of a business card being really small, a preset effective logo is important for effective communication, especially at that size. You would need to provide your own logo to the designer or seek logo design services as well.

brand color palette

Unless you are going for a simple black and white business card, you need to have a brand color palette in place to be used across your business card. Even for simple designs, it's better to have some color schemes that drive attention to specific elements like the name, the logo, or contact information. This is a key element to design business cards and a starting point for any design ideas for the same.

necessary text and images

The next would be to consider necessary information like name, contact, images, designation, department, etc. These are the most important elements of your design so ensure that its accurate before sharing with a designer. You can also choose to include a bold statement about you or the brand with the logo. On the information side, you can also consider adding a QR code for a digital contact card or the company website. A designer can then help you set it up to track no of scans, and daily activity and also reconfigure it to lead to a different action in the future with the same code.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO

Another good practice that aids the design is having a brief understanding of what you want to communicate. What kind of company are you, are you an individual or a business? What do you want to communicate with your business card; not only in terms of content but also design? Are you more serious and corporate or lively and fun? This will prove to be useful for the designer to design the business cards but also play an important role in selecting materials. Also, think a bit about the form factor, usually, business cards are horizontal but vertical business cards have recently become popular.

The Design

The design stage is the most critical. This is where you determine what gets the highest priority, and gauge what should the most impact on your business card design. To design your own business cards; templates give you a huge selection in just a few minutes but they suffer from being unoriginal and overused. A business card template makes sense in a pinch but custom business cards are the way to go if you take brand recognition and conversion seriously. A good business card isn't free, a free business card isn't good. Mainly because it wasn't specifically created for your business.

A designer who can understand your business values, your brand identity components, and the final impact that you intend to have on your prospect. A professional who can apply these in this small form factor is ideal. The designer would advise you on the right business card size and shape. This can be sharp or rounded corners for a sharp or friendly appeal. A specialist can create custom business card designs and the only time they cut corners is when the card is rounded.

Be aware that different countries have different standardized sizing for business cards. The US standard for business card size is 3.5 x 2 inches and it should be considered before you create business cards.

A proficient designer will also effectively use your color palette to drive the viewer's eye across the card. Based on your preference you can choose to highlight your logo or another essential part that you want your prospects to see. Business card design like any other design discipline is the art of visual communication and a good professional will be able to meet your objectives.

Lastly, the designer should be proficient in designing for different paper types, printing, and specialty techniques. In extension to laying down all the information on the card, techniques like die-cuts, Spot UV, and Specialty inks can really elevate your designs. Based on your industry, and your need for a custom business card, you should consider these for your business card, and a good designer will know how to achieve the right final result.

Output Processes

So your business card design is complete! It's a perfect size and has an exceptional design that would make anyone take a second look.

Before you go to print with your business card, your designer should be able to create mockups for your design. Ideally on the selected paper types with the selected print techniques. This is a good way to see your new business card in a real-world setting in an environment of your choice. You should also print the business card design at a home printer to get an idea of sizing.

When printing your business card, there are a few printing requirements to consider with respect to the design's bleed area and cut lines to ensure there are no white edges on the final product. A good designer would consider these before handing off the print-ready files to you or your printer.

What is my process for Business Card Design?

Working with Creatibly gives you the confidence to get what you want with your Business Card Design and Printing services. While you focus on growing your business, Creatibly knows the exact dimensions, the right paper types, and the correct formats so you can concentrate on what you do best. You get a custom business card design that stands out amongst the noise in your industry.

All projects start with an initial consultation to understand your exact goals, wants, and needs for your Business Card Design and Printing. Once we have your details, you receive your Design within 24 hours and make any revisions you would like. Once you have approved the Design, we send you the digital and print-ready files.

Creatibly will design and print your Business Cards, giving you an excellent marketing tool that makes an impact. With all the important elements, I design your business cards with the intent to leave a lasting impression on your potential clients and customers.

We sweat the details, so you don't have to. Your project includes:

• One Design and One Revision

• Digital and Print-Ready Files

• 2-sided Printing on Premium Quality Paper with FREE Shipping

FAQs

How do I design my own business cards?

You can use a lot of online resources to design your own business cards. There are good options like Canva and Adobe Express. Before you begin, you should be aware of the sizing norms in your region. In the US that is 3.5 x 2 inches. These template-based resources are good for a quick and basic design. Although, a freelance graphic designer can help you strategically design business cards and optimize them to appeal to your prospects with special design techniques to elevate your designs.

How can I make a logo for my business card?

There are plenty of logo design generators online like Canva, Designhill, and Adobe's free logo maker. When going through the design options, remember that you need your logo for a business card, so it should work well on this small; it should be readable and recognizable. A logo designer would be a better bet since they specialize in creating scalable logos for brands, something that works well on a business card or a billboard, and everything in between. If you intend to copyright your logo, it's ideal to seek professional help for a unique design.

What should be the design of a business card?

While most business cards are horizontal rectangular pieces of paper with text on one side and a logo on the other. If you need to stand out from your competition, consider a square or a more distinct shape. Also, experiment with different printing materials for your business cards. You can also work with a designer to create a custom shape and add special finishes like glossy and embossed elements.

What software is used to design business cards?

A lot of in-browser software like Canva and Vistaprint can be used to design business cards. For accurate designs and print-ready files, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Indesign are great tools as well. The Adobe tools allow more control over design elements with greater customization.

Do you need printing?

View the Business Card Printing Service here.