Using Graphic Design To Achieve The Perfect Business Card (Part 1)

When it comes to first impressions, your business card is actually the perfect way that you can start projecting the sort of image that you want your clients to have of you. There are actually a number of different graphic design approaches that you can take to ensure that your business card is the epitome of your brand and that clients and customers will remember you well into the future. So, which approach best fits your brand?

The “Professional”
The best way to convey that your brand is exceptionally professional is by giving your business card a minimal design that is sharp and clean. You need to get rid of the distractions and the bells and whistles – professional graphic design should get right to the point.

What to include?
The elements that you can use to embody a sense of professionalism include the use of sans serif fonts, leaving plenty of white space and the use of letter pressing or embossing.

Colours to use:
White can be used to symbolize purity and to suggest clarity of purpose. Brown can be used to give the impression of stability, whilst grey us suggestive of a practical nature.

The “Playful”
When you want to steer clear of the professional attitude and convey the playfulness of your brand, you need to use graphic design to make your business cards colourful and chock full of imagination. You want cards that sit outside of the box and draw clients in, getting them to want more.

What to include?
The elements that you should use if you want to convey a playful approach include colourful illustrations (for a whimsical effect), script fonts, die cutting and letter pressing.

Colours to use:
Yellow is a great options, as it embodies a happy and energetic feeling. Orange is also a good choice, as it has fun and flamboyant associations. You could even choose soft pastels.

The “Reliable”
This is the approach that you need to take when you want your brand to be seen as trustworthy. Trying to convey your solid reputation via a business card, however, can be pretty difficult, so you’ll need to put your graphic design-thinking hat on for this one.

What to include?
The elements that you can use to convey reliability involve falling back onto the basics. Use a serif or a sans serif font (bold variations tend to work best) and steer clear of unnecessary effects.

Colours to use:
Blue is commonly used to represent trust, so tends to be a popular business card choice. Red can be used to show a mark of confidence, whilst brown is symbolic of reliability.

In part two of this article, we look at the final two graphic design approaches that you can take for your business cards, as well as quickly delving into the elements that every successful business card design should include.