Business Card Design: A Quick Guide Part One

These are multi-use tools that accomplish many professional missions : advertising, brand recognition, call-to-action, and of course, communicating contact details. When properly designed, these mini billboards can have a big and long-lasting impact, turning casual encounters into loyal customers.  

In this guide, we'll go over everything you need to know about business card design, so you can tell your graphic designer exactly what you want. Your cards should be personal first and foremost, so this guide will mainly focus on your options for getting namecard that look like you. 

1. Choose The Shape 

Thanks to the advancement of different printing techniques (and the drop in their prices!), Printers have been able to explore new forms and new formats. Die- cutting techniques (cutting according to the contours of an object) make it possible to print very original business cards in large quantities!   

To keep it fairly classic, you can simply round off the angles to obtain business cards that are a little warmer than the ones everyone knows. 

But if you really want to be out of the ordinary, you can use any shape : your pet's animal, your product bottle, or whatever.  

You can even base your entire design on cutting your cards. It is that in fact Cireson highlighting the portraits of his employees. Their cards are all the more personal and accessible. 

The image you want to convey will greatly influence whether or not you opt for an original cutout. These cards are more casual and immediately make a big impression. But if you're in a more formal line of business, this probably won't be the effect you want. Also, don't forget to take practicality into account: can your cards easily fit in a wallet? 

2. Choose The Size 

You will then need to determine the size of your cards. It mainly depends on the standards of your country. Even if you want to stand out from the norm, it is good to know what these standards are, precisely ...  

• North America: 88.9 × 50.8 mm   
• Europe: 85 × 55 mm   
• Oceania: 90 × 55 mm