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I recently read a description of an exchange of business cards that reminded me of a Japanese tea ceremony I experienced in California. Each executive handed the other his business card. Then both looked carefully at what they had received, as if to commit all the details to memory. Then each filed the card away safely (almost ritualistically) in their wallet. It seemed that in the hustle and bustle of the day each executive took a moment to fully absorb this information with both attentiveness to, and respect for, the professional introduction.
Like a Japanese tea ceremony.
These little 2” x 3.5” (in the USA at least) advertisements, billboards, whatever analogy you might use, are very powerful, especially considering their low cost compared to other advertising (and/or commercial printing).
Everything Is an Ad
Thirty years ago I attended a meeting with a consultant at my day job. I was the art director/production manager of a government-education nonprofit organization. Several of my bosses had called in the consultant to offer objective feedback on our marketing efforts and commercial printing work.
The marketing consultant said something that has stayed with me ever since: “Everything you print is an advertisement for your company.” It was brilliant. I have approached everything I have designed in this light in the past 30 years. (And I advise you to consider this approach as well.)
So a business card is really an ad for your business. An ad for you, actually. For your attention to detail, your creativity. Even the skill of the custom printing supplier you chose. This is reflected in the choice of paper. In the format, the type choices, the decision to print a fold-over card, a regular business card, one that’s an other-than-standard size, one that is upright rather than horizontal. Or that’s a product printed on a letterpress (with slightly recessed type and imagery). Every quality and attribute of the card reflects on you. It either polishes your brand or tarnishes it.
Thoughts on Print Business Cards
Here are some thoughts my fiancee suggested for this topic as well as my own thoughts and some online information:
The Substrate
What you print on makes a subtle, subliminal impression. It gets into the prospect’s consciousness under the radar. I Googled the current options for business card paper stock and came up with the following.
A lot of business cards are printed on 80# cover stock. That’s what I’ve always been used to. However, many more are 100# cover and beyond, up to 14 pt. or even 16 pt. That’s comparable to about 114# cover. If the math is daunting (you might want to check a paper weight conversion chart online), the gist of the message is that people are printing on thicker paper. Why? Because thicker paper feels more substantial. It has more of a sense of gravitas.
Granted, 100# stock or 80# cover stock would be 11 pt. or 10 pt. respectively (approximately), but this will feel thinner if the paper is gloss coated. It will still have some “snap” or rigidity. It will also look very crisp and focused compared to an uncoated stock (if you have a photo or color treatment on the card). But it won’t necessarily be as touchable as a more earth-friendly uncoated stock.
It all depends on what you’re selling. If you want a more corporate look, you might opt for the gloss coated sheet. Or you might go even further and choose the almost-mirrored surface of a cast-coated paper. In contrast, if your business is more personal, artistic, social, or whatever, you might opt for the uncoated sheet. Or you might consider a matte- or dull-coated paper (softer, less harsh than a gloss-coated stock).
The best way to make this decision is to ask your printer for unprinted paper samples cut to size. I personally would go even further and ask for some sample color laser proofs printed from your files on a few different paper stocks.
I’ve also seen some transparent cards. These will stand out among the plethora of other business cards. I’ve actually seen this done on two different substrates: transparent vellum and transparent plastic. The benefit is that originality makes a business card memorable. Unfortunately, they may be more expensive. But based on what I learned 30 years ago, a business card is not an expense. It’s an investment.
A fold-over card is another option that stands out from the competition. It also gives you more space for your message, as well as a “reveal,” as they say. You can say one thing on the cover and then reveal more information when the potential client opens the card. That makes the card memorable.
Also, anything that involves the client (including opening the card) makes the process more memorable. I believe the term is (or at least was when I was an art director) a “reader involvement vehicle.” Back when I was a kid and we would send in cereal box tops and receive a toy in the mail, the marketing concept was the same.
The Design
Collect and then study as many business cards as you can find. Personally I would keep the design simple, perhaps one main color (black for the type) and one accent color. Mine has all information in black on a white background except for a red “&” (Steve Waxman & Associates) and a red tagline.
The tagline explains in a few words what I do: “Printing and Integrated Media.” This is inclusive enough to embrace everything from the standees and signage my fiancee and I used to install at movie theaters to my graphic design work, from writing about printing to my fiancee’s and my art therapy work with the autistic. A little color is more powerful than a lot (in part, because everyone is printing color business cards, and the goal is to do something different in order to stand out from the crowd).
I’d keep the type choices simple, too. My card includes one type family, Gill Sans, in a roman face for everything but my name, which is bold. My name is also lowercase (in contrast to other business cards), although it is rather large. And everything is flush right (since most cards are flush left). My fiancee has liked it for 17 years, and she’s a tough critic.
So what I’d suggest for your own business card design is the following:
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- Choose one or two typefaces. Lay them out in a few novel ways.
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- Add limited color.
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- Do something simple but intriguing with the design. The ampersand I choose (“&” in Steve Waxman & Associates) looks like a hand-drawn glyph with an arrow at the end pointing to “associates”).
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- Make samples on a few different paper stocks.
- Then ask everyone’s opinion. Then make your own decision.
What Not to Do
Two things I’d avoid are the following:
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- If the paper is too thin, you may look cheap. Thick paper feels opulent.
- If you get a company to send you the cards for free if you advertise for them on the back of the card, you will also look cheap. Remember, a business card is an investment. And it costs less than an ad in a magazine and far less than a billboard.
Considerations
In this day and age, you may not want everyone to have your home address. I’m not sure my fiancee is too happy that my card has this information. Therefore, you might want to print two cards, one for certain clients and another for everyone else. It’s like targeting your resume to a specific potential employer rather than having the same resume for everyone.
On the positive side, a good business card says a lot about the brand: You. Who you are, how skilled you are. It even says a lot about the skill of the commercial printing supplier you chose to produce the business card. And if you do something truly unique (let’s say by adding thread to a business card using a sewing machine, if you’re a tailor), you will make a lasting impression.
You may even want to go one step further and make a refrigerator magnet that matches the card. Or you may want to choose a handmade paper stock to set your card apart from the competition.
The Takeaway
Remember, people decide to call you—or not call you—based on the qualities (design, paper, etc.) of your business card. So crafting a good one is worth your time and reflection. And invest in a business card wallet so the cards don’t get dirty or ragged in your regular wallet.
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on Monday, June 6th, 2022 at 4:32 am and is filed under Business Cards.
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