Business card dos and don’ts

By Anh-Minh Le

Although lots of things are shifting to a digital format—like invoicing and payment systems—we don’t live in an entirely paper-less world. Handing out business cards is still a great way to ensure that customers can find you when they need your services. Plus, having a nice card demonstrates a level of professionalism that can be reassuring and go a long way in cultivating a good relationship with them.

If you’re thinking about redesigning your business card, or creating one for the first time, here’s our advice:

• Fonts: Make sure your font size is large enough for most people to read without squinting or putting the card two inches from their face. And there’s no need to get too fancy with your font style, because that can make the letters and numbers harder to read. Ditto for your font color. Choose a background color and a font color that contrast one another. (Light-colored text on a white card, for example, isn’t ideal.)

Show your design to a few friends before you have the cards printed, just to get a sense of whether everything is legible.

• Paper: This may not seem that important, but it is. Glossy paper is often difficult to write on—which is a problem if your customer (or you) want to add a note on the business card. Matte/unshiny paper is better in such cases. Also, leave the back of the card blank—again, for any handwritten notes.

When it comes to the thickness of the card itself, if the paper is too thin, it can easily get folded or crumpled … or accidentally left in a pocket and put through the wash! Which is why it makes sense to not go too cheap on the paper (or stock, as it’s commonly called).

•  Design: Keep it simple. Just a logo (if you have one) and text is usually sufficient. Extras are fine, of course, as long as they don’t look like clutter. Which brings us to …

• Information: The point of a business card is to provide your contact information to your customer. So it should include the essentials: your name, your company’s name, your title and/or occupation, your phone number, and your email address. Have a license number? Put that on it. If your mailing address is relevant, it should be on the card. If there’s room and you think it helps, add a line about your services. For example, if you’re a landscaper: Landscaping – Maintenance – Lawn Care – Trimming.

If there are other good ways to reach you—like social media outlets—then add those, but only if space allows. Don’t sacrifice valuable space on the card for nice-to-haves that aren’t as critical to your business and your customers getting a hold of you.

One last tip: You don’t have to spend a lot for the design or printing of professional-looking business cards. Do a quick online search and you’ll find plenty of options for companies that offer templates and affordable printing (such as Vistaprint and PsPrint).