Everyone has a stack of business cards that they’ve collected over time. For most people, business cards sit on a desk or in a drawer. When you look at your collection of cards, you may not even remember how you came to have some of the cards in your collection. On the other hand, some of the cards may really stand out. How does your business card fare among others in someone else’s stack? Let’s find out!
Take your own business card and add it to the stack of business cards you’ve collected over the years. Lay out the cards in your collection on your desk or on a table. Arrange them face up on the table, so the name is visible. If you don’t have room to work with your entire collection, grab the first 50-75 cards on your stack and work with those. (Make sure your own card gets into your working stack.)
Once your collection is spread out, can you immediately spot your business card? Look over the cards. From your collection, select 10% of the cards, based on how well they stand out from the collection. (In other words, if you have 50 cards in your collection, choose the top five.)
Look at the cards you’ve chosen. Is your card among the cards you selected? Did the cards you chose catch your eye because of their color? Their shape? Their texture? Did the cards have an eye-catching design? Were they made of plastic instead of paper? Were they printed on both sides? Were they thicker than the other cards in your stack? What made them unique or memorable? Which design qualities made these business cards stand out for you?
If your card wasn’t among your top picks, compare your card to the ones you selected. How does your card differ from the cards you chose? Does your card incorporate interesting colors, shapes or textures in its design? Is the text on your card legible? Does it provide all of the basic information a person needs to contact you?
Return all of the cards to the desk and flip your entire collection over. The name of the person from whom you received the card should be face down on the table. Can you tell whose card belongs to whom? Do your stand-out selections still stand out?
Select all of the cards that have printing on the back and set them aside. These cards are special because no matter which way the card ends up in a stack, the card has information on both sides that can help someone remember it and find it. Even simple printing, such as a logo, a color or an appointment reminder can help your business card distinguish itself from a crowd.
The quality of being distinguishable in a stack is important for a business card because you want your business card to be both identifiable and locatable, even when it is mixed in with other business cards. If your business card uses plain white paper, with printing on one side, and plain text, it isn’t standing out in a crowd. It’s also not working as hard as it could be.
A professionally designed business card will make the best use of color, texture, paper weight and font to help your business card catch a prospect’s eye. It will incorporate the look at feel of your business, and if it is memorable, it may open doors for you months down the road!
Grantstreet Creative can design a professional business card for your organization, and deliver the quality printing services that will help your business card stand out from the rest. In business marketing, your business card is always on the front line. Give it a design that ensures it will always be working, too!
Contact our creative director Dave Ramsell by email or by phone at (330) – 243-0651 for a consultation.
