What Makes a Good Business Card? 5 Rules You Need to Know

Spring has sprung and the warmer weather has put us all in a good mood at Colour Print (not to mention all the cake we’ve been getting thanks to Nigel and Ady’s birthdays!) so we’ve launched a fantastic new competition to give you the chance to win 500 business cards. Our competition has got us thinking: what makes a good business card? At Colour Print, we don’t just print them – we can design them, too – and that’s why so many people come to us for a complete print and distribution service. Business cards are important. They can bring people together. You could work for a firm of financial advisors or you could be the drummer in a Goth-punk band (you might be both) – either way, your business card is an essential marketing and networking tool. When it comes to creating a good business card, there’s five simple rules. 1. Make Your Branding Clear Anything that is going to represent you or your company must have the appropriate branding –it’s a quick and easy way of showing people who you are. If you are not happy with how you are branding yourself or your company, check out our seven ways to improve your company branding. 2. Keep it Simple Make sure all the important information is contained on your business card. The bare minimum is company name, your name, contact details. A short (two-three words) descriptor of what you do is fine, if it’s not obvious from the company name. Everything else is probably surplus to requirements. 3. Make it Up-to-Date Nothing looks as unprofessional as handing out a business card with the printed telephone number scratched out and a different one scribbled underneath in biro. 4. Don’t Be Afraid to Stand Out When it comes to designing a business card, it’s easy to stick with what you know. But sometimes even the most clean, professional design needs a little something extra to help it stand out. It might be thicker paper or a textured finish, or it might be something a bit more eccentric. If you’re handing out your business card at a networking event, standing out from the crowd could be the difference between making a valuable contact and losing them. 5. Know Your Audience Who is going to be looking at your business card? If you want to be impressing potential clients in the corporate world, then a classic design with embossed gold lettering might be the considered style. If you want to be picking up gigs in the Goth-punk underworld, then a more informal style may be called for (you don’t want to mix them up). A good business card is one that is branded, concise, up-to-date and directed at the right people. A swift glance should tell the reader everything they need to know and they can slip it in their purse or wallet for when they want to get in contact with you. Good branding helps your contact locate your card quickly when they’re looking through a stack of cards to find yours. If you are thinking of having some business cards printed up and want to find out more about how we can help you with its design or printing, please give us a call on 01603 488001. And don’t forget to enter our competition to win 500 business cards – you could get it all for free!