Is there such a thing as the perfect business card?

The Perfect Business Card.   22 April 2024

Happy Monday! yesterday will sitting in Costa, in the Avenue shopping Centre, I was passed a business card by a male sitting at the next table who was sketching out and idea for a product. We got chatting and he handed me his card and I handed over mine, it got me thinking about these funny small pieces of card and ‘what makes the perfect business card?’, I know very profound for 10am on a Monday morning.

It is thought that the original concept dates back to 15th Century China, where Royalty and everyday citizens, would use these as a courtesy to tell people they were coming to visit, forewarning of their impending arrival!

In 17th century England pieces or paper or card with details of the business’s name, what they provided and address, would be handed out by sellers/merchants to the public, much like business cards are today.

History lesson over, let’s get back to the question in hand, ‘what makes the perfect business card?’

There are a number of areas that need to be considered if trying to design your perfect business card:

1.    Think about what your business is about, how do you want it to be perceived by people who will look at the card? Professional? Quirky? Artistic? Fun?

2.    Carefully consider what shape you want your business card to be – portrait, landscape or square?). Many of the printers can print these various shapes and offer templates to help your design your own card, with added extras such as spot UV or foiling.  

3.    The Logo placement is important and should be displayed in a prominent place on the card. Normally this is on the front of the card in the upper lefthand corner. The logo conveys your business identity, so its placement is important and should be easily seen.

4.    It is important that you select typefaces that are legible and again convey your brand identity and how you want your business to be perceived.

5.    Which colour scheme you select for your business card can say a lot about what you are trying to portray. If looking for sophistication, elegance or a feel of luxury, opt black, whites or greys.  However, if you are looking for an artistic or fun feel to your business card, opt for bright playful colours which give the feeling of being optimistic and creative, such as yellow and orange, but beware these colours can cause issues if used too much. Muted earthy tones such as the creams, beiges and browns, give a more relaxed feel.

6.    Keep it nice and simple. Don’t overload your card with too much information.

7.    Think of the card as being your business branding, the design should reflect the brand.

8.    Buy the best quality card you can afford and if you can design the card to have more than one purpose then it is more likely to still catch the eye of the client, as opposed to being placed in a wallet or purse, out of sight out of mind.

9.    Use ‘white’ space to your advantage, by having sufficient white space around your text, balance is created and helps to focus the viewers eye on what is important. Organise the information on the card and its placement so that if flow, but don’t overload this small advertising icon with too much text.

10. Include a call to action if you have the space to do so, ‘Contact Mearns Graphics now for a quote’, ‘e-mail now for a competitive design quote’, etc, something that will encourage the client to use your services.