How to Create More Effective Business Cards

Business cards are the smallest of all business communications but by far, they work the hardest of all.

This tiny 2" x 3" piece of card stock does so many things ... it introduces you to a perfect stranger ... identifies you and the role you play with an organization ... transmits important contact information ... and serves as an advertising and branding device.

The fact that we're so well connected today makes it a challenge to design a business card. With all the business phones, cell phones, 800#s, pagers, email addresses and web sites, we have more information that available space.

That's why editing the information that appears on a business card is the first step to making it effective.

First look at the basic information. Your name and title, the company's name, logo, address and phone number are a given. But do you really need to have a company slogan, the brands it sells and the year it was founded?

Next, ask yourself how many phone numbers really need to appear on your business card. Do people absolutely need your cell phone, 800# and pager? If you're a sales person, do you really need to include the fact that you're a member of the Million Dollar Club or President's Circle?

Every business card should contain an email address, but just your primary business email. Including your website is important. Referring people to your site for more information helps you limit the amount of details you need to have on the card.

Once you've finished editing, it's time to design.

Design business cards for readability. If people can't easily read your business card, it's worthless. Keep in mind that business cards are often exchanged in restaurants, bars, and other poorly lighted places where readability becomes more of a problem. Before you begin a design, it's also important to consider that over half of the adult population has poor eyesight. And many of them don't wear glasses or contacts.

Increasing contrast between the type and the background it's printed on is one of the primary ways of making your business cards, or any communication, more readable. High contrast between the type and its background makes reading easier. Try to use white, egg-shell, light tan, light gray or any very light color card stock with type as dark as possible. Black is ideal from a readability perspective and it's usually less expensive to print too.

Textured card stocks reduce business card readability. The unevenness of the textured surface "breaks up" small type and makes it more difficult to read. Most textured stocks also soak up ink like a sponge causing the type to print far lighter in color. Simple flat card stocks are the most readable. Try to use them for your business cards. If you feel compelled to use a textured stock to add an extra touch of elegance, select a very fine linen finish white card stock and a dark black, deep blue, maroon, or "hunter"green ink.

Avoid high gloss coated stocks because they look cheap and the high level of light reflection reduces readability. Pick a flat finish or dull coated card stock. If you opt for a dull coated, go for a coated one side, because people often write notes on the back side of a business card and a coated stock will smudge what they've written.

Type faces or fonts also have a major impact on readability. Try to stick to simple clean readable typefaces. Ornate decorative fonts like Nuptial Script, Blackhaus, or Mistral are difficult to read, especially in small sizes and don't work well on business cards. Avoid extra bold or extra narrow fonts that are also impossible to read, especially in business-card sized type.

Always try to keep the number of fonts you use on a business card to an absolute minimum. It's just good design and easier on the eyes.. Less is best. Simplicity is the key to success.

The conventional horizontal layout is usually better than a vertical layout. Even though many people enter your information into an electronic database, a good number still keep business card files which are display horizontal cards better. Horizontal layouts are usually a more "friendly format" for business cards and usually makes laying out the card easier as well.

Above all, if you can, have your business cards designed and printed professionally. You may think you're saving money by doing them yourself, but in the long run, it's actually costing you more than you think. Your business card is very often the first impression you make so you want it to make the right lasting impression.