The advent of Web to Print solutions has totally changed the entire printing industry. It has impacted all the printing processes, including the designing of business cards. It is obvious that with Web to Print solutions, one gets a plethora of options to design a business card; however, it won’t succeed if you keep committing designing mistakes on it. Yes, people make several design errors, ending up with poor-quality business cards. In this article, we will discuss those mistakes one by one.
Not Including the Obvious Contact Information
You might have a question that why this obvious thing is mentioned here. Yes, you are right! It is obvious. But it is also true that this is a mistake many people commit. One of the main purposes of designing a business card is to provide contact information about your business. So, it goes without saying that it should have all the important contact information. No matter how cool your card looks, if it does not have the required information, it will remain a piece of paper that people will dump in the trash can without giving it a second thought.
You can add the below information on your business card to ensure that you are not missing any major contact information.
- Personal name
- Business name
- Job title/ specialization
- Business address
- Phone number
- Business website
- Email address
- Social media handles
You can also add any other contact information that is not mentioned above. People have different communication preferences. The more information you put on the cards, the more the chances of customers reaching out to you.
Designing a Card With No Uniqueness
One of the most common mistakes people make is to design a card with a mundane and boring design. If you do this, then people won’t remember your card, and it will get lost with all the other business cards that people have. Instead, your business card should be such that it strongly impacts your customers with its unique design, feel, and look. You have no excuses for ending up with a mundane-looking business card today, as there is so much business card design software available.
There are plenty of design templates and options available in the business card design software. This will enable you to experiment with many colors, patterns, and designs. You can also have a look at the business cards of many big companies and take inspiration from them in terms of designs, concepts, and ideas.
Using a Poor-Quality Card
While designing business cards, you must avoid using poor-quality pictures. Instead, you must use high-resolution images that don’t pixelate or blur in the final output. Apart from the image, the quality of card stock also matters. You must ensure that your cards are not flimsy or feather-light. A poor-quality business card can sometimes imply that you have poor-quality products or services. To avoid this, you can go for velvet laminated, silk laminated, painted edge cards, and many more. You can also go for plastic business cards.
Small or Unreadable Texts
The purpose of a business card is that people can easily get your information. However, if the information mentioned on the card is too small to read then customers are not going to use a magnifying glass to read that. They will simply throw it away. That’s why avoid using tiny fonts as they are hard on the eyes. Instead, you can go for a template that allows you to optimize the space without compromising the clarity.
Too much creativity can also backfire. If you use decorative fonts that are difficult to read, no one will look at your card again.
Harsh Color Schemes
Poor choices of colors can destroy a well-designed card. When choosing the color scheme, avoid the following:
- The color scheme does not relate to your brand
- Colors create visual contrast, making it uncomfortable to look at
- The color scheme’s connotations clash with your industry
- Color schemes come across as unprofessional
- The color scheme consists of too many saturated hues
To ensure the usage of a proper color scheme, you must understand how colors work and complement each other on the paper. You can make subtle changes to improve readability. You can also add more negative space to break up the design. You can avoid using broker lettering on text or super-thin line weights. You can also use a simplified version of your logo with a solid background and fewer colors. This way, it becomes easy for readers to process as the visuals are easily recognizable.
Conclusion
With a sea of unique business cards, how can you make yours stand out? Many businesses are looking for an answer. Using cutting-edge technology like business card design software can be one of them. It is because this tool comes with a plethora of options to create a unique and compelling business card. Apart from that, avoiding common mistakes can be a way to ensure that your business card is effective, if not unique.
