Many people assume that business cards are created for highlighting an exclusive quality- i.e. professionalism. However, this is not completely true. Apart from highlighting professionalism, you can also use business cards for highlighting other important qualities, such as reliability, and fun. In fact, you can create customized business cards, based on the qualities you want to highlight.

Today, we will discuss the different types of business cards that you can consider for promoting your company. Additionally, we will highlight the crucial elements that should be included in these respective cards.

• Professional Cards

We start by discussing professional business card design cards, because most people prefer using them for connecting with clients. To convey your professionalism, make sure that your business card design possesses a sharp and sleek look. The designs should be simple and you should highlight your message in a straightforward manner.

Important Elements

To highlight your professional attitude, you can opt for important elements, such as white space, sans serif fonts, and embossed effects. Overall, ensure that card possesses a clean look.

• Reliable Cards

If you want to build up the image of your company as a trusted brand, opt for reliable cards.

Elements

These days, many companies are experimenting with card designs. They use attractive elements in cards to impress clients. Unfortunately, many recipients consider flashy cards as a trick to increase conversation rates of companies and thus, avoid taking any further action.

If you want to promote reliability as your USP (Unique Selling Point), avoid following the popular trend of creating flashy cards. Rather, stick to conventional designs. This may convince your potential clients that you do not need to opt for any desperate tricks to promote your brand.

Incorporating sans-serif or serif fonts in the card can be a great idea. If you want to leave a powerful impression on minds of your target audience, use a bold variation of the font you are using.

Color

Use subtle colors. Avoid using excessive colors or even a particular color in excess. In most cultures, blue represents trust. Using it in your card, therefore, will be a great idea. If you do not want to use blue, opt for a classic black and white color scheme.

Remember that no matter what the situation is, the black and white color scheme never fails.

• Playful Cards

Occasionally, you may want to explore your fun side through business cards. By ‘fun’, we do not mean childish. We mean that you can create business cards that highlight your playful or creative side, apart from promoting your professional attitude.

Elements

For playful cards, the elements should be strong and energetic. Using colorful graphic design in these cards will be a good idea. However, do not compromise with legibility, for the sake of style.

Choose sans-serif fonts. Do not assume that including comic sans in your card will automatically provide it with a playful look. Trust us-it will evoke a negative reaction amongst the recipients. Therefore, avoid it.

Color

To promote an energetic feeling via the cards, use bright colors, such as yellow and orange. However, make sure that these colors do not hurt the eyes. In general, keep the look creative, playful, and yet simple.

Depending on your personal and professional requirements, you can choose any of these card types. However, despite the type of card you choose, ensure that it highlights your personality perfectly.

There’s no need to tell that graphic design and website design are two different fields where the techniques are different, the challenges are different and the practices are different. But they have one thing in common – Photoshop, which needs no introduction. In this article, you will find a plan of action broken down into some points which will help you create graphics that are intended for website design.

• When you use colors, use the ones that are net-safe. Try using colors that are safe to use on the internet. This means, opt for colors that make your site look the same on all the browsers and all resolutions of monitors. Now, how should you do it? There are two methods as follows:
  1. Choose ‘only web’ colors – This will narrow down the availability of colors by just giving you the ones that can be used safely on the internet.
  2. Turn a shade into a net-safe color – This is another way of ensuring that the colors you have used are displaying the same way on every monitor and every browser.
• When using Photoshop, save the graphics you have created using the “Save for Web & Devices” command. You have to always keep in mind the fact that your web graphic design India should be done in such a way that there is a balance between the file size and graphics quality.

• While saving animated graphics, save them in GIF format. GIF makes using animation easier. The downside of GIF is that it is nowadays replaced with PNG in most cases and it a bit grainier than the JPG and PNG formats. You can try to use APNG. It’s an extension of PNG but the problem with this is that it is not supported by all the browsers. If you are in two minds regarding which one to choose – PNG or GIF, go with PNG for images that are not animated.

• For JPG, it is advisable to use “Progressive Scan”. This option renders the images gradually as the website loads. But with the kind of broadband speed available today, this is not really relevant any more.

• Don’t ignore the information on “Download Time”. To succeed in the world wide web, you need to make sure that the website loads fast and also looks attractive. In order to do that effectively, you have to save and optimize your graphic design right. While optimizing, keep your eyes fixed on the download time. In a DSL Internet connection, images take about two seconds to download.

• When in need of transparent images, use PNG format. This format is very effective when it comes to rendering images that have transparency in them. The transparency of PNG is supported by most of the browsers, except IE6, where transparent PNG looks gray. Though there are ways to solve this problem, implementing them can be very difficult.

Whether you are working on a web graphic design India project or a business card design project, you, as a designer, should keep in mind the fact that you have the complete freedom to fine-tune the tools you use for designing. So, create picture-perfect designs and share your views with us.

Businesses can’t sustain without marketing themselves. There are several companies offering the same services and you need to make people aware about your products/services to stand out from competition. The problem with small companies is that they don’t have the required budget to start a marketing campaign in print or electronic media and as a result, never get as good an exposure as the bigger brands. As a small business, you need to find an alternate way to promote your company – you can design a professional business card by hiring a quality graphic design company and use it strategically to promote your business.

Most times, business owners print their business cards but don’t promote it because they think it won’t help them in marketing. The fact is, business cards not only introduce you to new clients, but if your business card design is memorable, help you promote your business as well. Here are a few ways to utilize your business card and publicize your business:

• Whenever you go to business meetings or corporate parties, always carry your business card with you. You never know where you may meet a potential client; your business card can help you introduce your business to a new client almost anywhere. Compared to verbal promotion of your business, when you hand over your card to a potential client, it establishes your credibility. He will keep the card and may call you in future, if he needs your help.

You should use a card holder for your cards to keep them in proper shape. When you bring out your card from a sophisticated card holder, you leave a good impression on your clients’ mind. Always keep the contact information updated in the business card. Whenever you change your mobile number or email address, print a new set of cards and remove the old ones.

• You can hand your business card to your friend and family members and request them to spread your card among their friends and colleagues. In this way, you will be able to promote your business without investing anything in promotion.

The more you distribute your business card, the more exposure your business gets. Besides handing over cards to your potential client and friends, you should leave your business card on bulletin boards, cinemas, restaurants, supermarkets, libraries, etc. to grab attention of your target audience.

• Your card receivers will not spare a second glance at your card unless you give them a good reason to do the same and keep your card. Your contact info and beautiful graphics won’t make your card important to your target audience. To make it interesting, you can print a calendar on the back of your card. A pocket calendar is useful and will ensure your clients and customers keep your business card, if only to occasionally check dates.
• Every business owner sends dozens of official letters, couriers, etc. to their business associates and customers. Whenever you mail something, send a business card with it to keep your target audience aware of your business. In an email, use the signature section as your business card by giving your company name, contact info and link to your website.

The appearance of a business card can contribute to the image you build up about the business or the service provider. Compared to a striking personality if somebody hands you a not so attractive a card, you may not feel too impressed. On the other hand even if a small business owner hands you a creative business card you tend to form a good impression and may feel interested to enquire about his business or services.

A business card often acts as a mouthpiece for your business or the services you offer. Hence you can not afford to create a negative or dull impression in the minds of your potential customer or to those you hand your business cards. You can seek professional help from business card designers who can help you to represent your business cards exactly the way you want. You can also use designing tools for this purpose to create amazing business card designs. But going creative for your business cards does not mean that you have to add various graphical images of flora and fauna. But suppose you are dealing with photography, you can add an image of a camera on your business card to create an impact on the mind of the viewers.

In your business card design you can use different interesting templates, fonts, backgrounds, themes, graphical symbols etc to make it interesting and appealing. But just for the sake of creativity adding too much objects will make it appear messy. Also avoid using loud colors for your business card design. Leave ample amount of white space in your business card to give it a professional look. Avoid using photos on your business cards which is now an outdated style of presenting business cards. For professional feel and look to your card you can always opt for graphic design company who can surely offer you professional service.

By adding text to your business card you can clearly convey the message you want to reach out to your potential customers. You can also use the tag line that you use to represent your business. You can also use pre-designed frames to make your cards appear more attractive. Moreover it is most important to strike a balance while designing your business card.

Business cards are undoubtedly trustworthy tools for the marketing consultants. These cards carry your name as well as contact information. On the other hand, they also represent your brand image to the clients. So, always make sure your business card is looking unique. It is better to stay away from the conventional-looking business cards and go for the double-sided design. This is because; it will surely make your business card look different from the generic-looking cards.

Now, if you do not have any knowledge regarding designing, you may follow the below-mentioned tips: Continue reading ‘How to Design Double-Sided Business Cards?’ »

Business card is no doubt a vital tool for advertising. It has promotional value that could be well used for the business expansion of a commercial enterprise. In most of the time after meeting, conference or displaying products it is expected that you will leave your card with the people you have met for business purpose.

Business card design is not that difficult. However, make sure that the details, such as, company name, address and contact information (website, fax, e-mail phone number etc) are inserted in the card. Before starting the design work, plan for an image as well as feel that will go well with your company.

If your company is operating its business in the financial field avoid using flashy business card design. This is because; it may create a sense of insecurity in your client’s mind. It is always better to design your business card from your customers’ point of view.

• It is Important that your Business Partners like your Business Card
  In order to make your business card design acceptable to your prospective clients it is better to conduct an “on spot” interview about your newly created design. Try to gather all their opinions so that you can make the necessary alterations based on them.
• Printing of Business Card
  Though in recent times, you will find different companies offering business card design services, it is advisable that you choose a reputed graphic design company. This is because; if that company proves expertise in this field you can expect to get standard printing services from it.
• Costs of Printing Business Card
  The general rule of analyzing actual costs are mentioned below:
  • If you print your business card in black and white, you can definitely save money. But never compromise on the paper quality, otherwise your card will loose its professional look.
  • You can use 2-3 colors. This will make your business card visually appealing and the cost will also remain cheap.
  • If your budget is not that tight, you can go for full color business card printing that will surely create a great visual effect.
  • If you order in chunk, the printing cost of each business card will become cheaper.

So, follow these tips and make your business card an effective as well as an attractive one.