A visiting card is a small, printed card usually the size of a credit card and contains your business details, like name, contact number and brand logo. It is an essential part of branding and should act as a visual extension of your brand design.
Important things to know about before you get into creating a visiting card design-
- It does not matter if you are an individual freelancer, founder of a young startup, or a part of an established firm, these are the two necessary aspects you will require to finalize before you even think of creating a visiting card design –
- Complete logo
- Brand level scheme
Logos and color scheme are the two most crucial visual choices for branding. Not only will these components play a role in creating your visiting card, but they will also help to influence other areas such as loyalty and identity.
There is also one more preliminary activity that makes the remaining business card design process function more smoothly. The user must know how to communicate. Questions like what type of brands are you as an individual or business? What do you want your visiting card to convey?, not only in the form of words but also in design.
Steps for designing a visiting card
Once you have your logo, brand color scheme, along with a good idea of what you want to convey, you are ready to begin. Follow the steps below for determining what business card works best for you.
- Select your shape- With the growing advancement and affordability of the printing techniques, the professionals have more room to explain alternative shapes. The “die cutting” printing technique enables the user to cut out any shape they want and also print in bulk.
For a conservative approach, the user can build a friendlier visiting card. However, in case you want to be really creative or stand out from the competitors, you can utilize any virtual shape. It can include animal mascots, outlines of products to be sold, an entirely original shape, etc.
The user can also create an entirely different business card theme based around creative cutting. The usage of creative shapes depends upon the image you wish to convey. Special shapes make you appear more fun and can assist you to make a strong impression. However, it can also have an adverse effect on more formal industries. The user will also want to keep in mind the logistics, like how the cards fit in the wallet.
- Select your size- Your next choice must be the size of the card. This is dependent mainly on the standard of the country. Even if you plan to be unique, you must know what everyone else is doing so you stay original.
- North American Standard- 5×2 inches ( 88.9x 50.8mm)
- European Standard- 3.346x 2.165 inches ( 85x55mm)
- Oceania Standard- 3.54x 2.165 inches ( 90x55mm)
No matter how big or small the size is, you will always want to consider these factors while designing-
- Bleed area- The outermost part of the card which will most likely be removed.
- Trim line- The target line for cutting cards.
- Safety line- Anything outside this line is subject to cutting mistakes. Never let important components such as text or logos fall outside this line.
- Put your logo and other graphics- Now we begin plotting the visiting card design, first and foremost the logo should be done.
The logo should be the center of attention on the user’s visiting card, even though other secondary graphics and flourishes can prove to be useful too.
Never forget that you always have two options available at your disposal. The first strategy should be dedicated to one side of the visiting card and present exclusively on the logo. On the other hand, the other side displays the contact information of the individual. However, it is also good to have the logo on both sides, so usually you will see a smaller, out of the way logo on the side with contact information.
This is just an example of a strategy among many, though, feel free to experiment with the placement of logo placement until you get one for your tastes.
While minimalism is a much more popular choice for visiting cards, if the empty space doesn’t suit you, then you can fill it up with extra graphics.
Also, extra graphics work well for showcasing your brand identity. Without explicitly saying it, you can communicate your brand’s personality via visuals, including colors. For instance, if you wish to appear casual or approachable, implementing bright colors would work.
Another popular trend which is increasing is the instilling of interest and curiosity by leaving a little mystery. Usually, brands place a wordless visual with a URL on one side, and then all the necessary explanations which might include the brand’s and the employees’ name on the other side.
- By adding the necessary text
The content of the visiting card depends on the user. Work from home freelancers might not need a postal address, however professionals that consult face to face might require it.
Or maybe it’s a strategic choice, like drawing attention to the user’s impressive social media following. The point is that different individuals benefit from different texts on their visiting cards.
So, the next wise step for you will be to determine what to add onto your visiting card. Below is a list of common choices, so you can decide what to include or exclude.
- Name- Every visiting card requires a name.
- Organization name- An obvious choice except for personal brands as in that case, the personal name is the organization name.
- Job title- For traditional cards- add your job title too as that will remind the holder about your designation or even how you met.
- Phone number- It provides the user’s clients a choice regarding the medium of communication.
- Email- A visiting card staple, email is the new norm for non urgent communication a s it enables sending documents as attachments.
- Website URL- It includes your website URL as a non aggressive invitation for visits.
- Social Media- If social media is relevant in your field, then, use social media links to show a bit of your personality.
- Address- Crucial for drawing clients in your office or store location.
- Slogan- It is an entirely optional aspect. However, it does help with brand identity and adds a little flair to the personality of the brand.
- QR codes- It is a viable option for transferring whatever data you desire over the devices.
Always know that a business card is not only about giving away information, it is also about retaining it. People might already know your contact details but it can be useful in reminding them in case they forget it.