Take a while to think about what your business card says about you. After yourself, this will be the first impression of your company to many people you meet. If it's badly produced and amateurish then people will assume the same about your business, but it's easy to make your business card work better for you.

Here are The Design Mechanics top 10 tips for creating the perfect business card:

1. Say what you do!

Let's start with the obvious. So many business cards simply don't state what a company does. If you have a non-descriptive company name such as "A & J Associates" then make sure your company card actually tells people what you do.

People retain business cards for a long time and will forget your name and company name soon after meeting you. Therefore your card needs to remind them you are the people who print company logos on USB sticks.

2. Don't lose sight of what your card is for

Remember that the main reason for a business card is for people to get your contact details. As such make sure that your phone number, email address and website are all clearly legible. Make sure that phone numbers especially are in easy to read fonts. Many creative typefaces have poor numerals meaning numbers such as 1 and 7 can be mixed up.

If you have a long website address, then make it more legible by using different weights to break up the words, eg: www.mywebsiteaddressislongerthanyourwebsiteaddress.com

Also consider a QR code, where people can scan your card with a mobile phone and it gives them all your contact details in a digital format.

3. Don't use a non-business email address

Business email addresses are cheap to set up. Make sure the first thing you do is buy a domain name and hosting facility so that you can operate from a commercial email address from day one - nothing says you have only just set up or that you might not be here tomorrow than displaying a Hotmail, Gmail, BT Internet etc email address on your business card.

4. Don't print your cards yourself

No matter how tight your budget, don't be tempted to home-produce your company cards. Even if you have a colour-printer that can print on card, once they are in a card holder with your competitors' cards you will regret trying to save money on them.

Home-produced cards just don't wear well. The ink isn't fixed (so it will fade, or even worse run!) and the card will become tatty very quickly. The cost of commercial printing has really come down over the past few years, and with digital printing you can get anywhere from a couple of hundred to several thousand cards printed at really affordable cost, usually in a couple of days.

5. Get new cards if your details change

The last thing you want to do is apologise when you hand your company card over. If your details change, don't scribble them out and write your new number on just because you have a box of them left. Put them in the recycle bin and get some more. Do you want people to think you are doing so badly in business that you can't afford to buy new cards? If your details are likely to change, just buy a couple of hundred at a time.

6. Resist "free" card offers

We've all seen the adverts for free business cards from Internet-based printers. These offers seem too good to be true, and often they are.

Although the business cards are free (plus postage), they are not be printed on premium card stock and also have an advert on the back from the printing company who provided them - why would you promote someone else's company at no benefit to yourself, and why scream out that you are just starting up or not successful enough to be able to afford to buy business cards for your company?

Some companies also offer pre-templated designs for you to choose from. These can seem like a good idea until you turn up at a networking event and meet the 5 other people who chose the same design as you...!

7. Keep your business card "on-brand"

Your business card should carry the same visual look and feel as the rest of your marketing material. Make sure that if you lay out all your corporate material together it looks like it all belongs to the same company.

If you already have a "brand" in place, make sure that your designer is aware of what your other literature looks like and what your consistent marketing messages are. When someone visits your website after viewing your business card they should see the same logo, colours and visual elements. This is called "visual synergy", and the repetition will help clients remember your brand.

8. Make your card much more than a business card

Think about making your business card into a flyer for your company. Consider a fold-out card to show a portfolio or list client testimonials, or use a stand-up (tent) business card that can be some kind of quick-reference guide.

If you take appointments, make sure you use your business card as an appointment card, or use the back of your card to give instant written quotes or provide receipts.

9. Include a photo if people are buying "you"

If you are a consultant or in a business where people will be buying "you" rather than a product, then put your photo on your business card. Don't just take a photo on your phone; find a local photographer who will do a head-shot at a reasonable set price.

Think about how you want to present yourself, do you need to be in a shirt and tie with a plain studio backdrop, or do you want to portray a more casual appearance by having your portrait taken in a park for example?

10. Never accept a business card from someone without giving them yours in return!

Finally, never let anyone give you their business card without taking one of yours. A good way to give someone one of your business cards is to ask for one of theirs and make sure your hand extends at the same time with yours.

It would be a very rude person who wouldn't accept your card whilst expecting you to take theirs!

If you want to learn more about branding your business then come and take a look at www.thedesignmechanics.com for more information regarding business cards and other related topics.

By Dave Pannell

Every time you hear someone say “May I have one of your business cards?" you should get excited. A business card is an entrepreneur’s best friend, his most valuable marketing tool and an essential element to becoming UNFORGETTABLE. Unfortunately, too many people have business cards that simply blend into the multitude of cookie cutter crap. And that’s a shame, because a business card is more powerful than you think.

Of course, it’s impossible to know this unless you actually have a card that’s really, really good. Therefore, this article will examine The Four Corners of Unforgettable Business Cards:
1. Stacking Up
2. Creative Enhancement
3. Implementation

CORNER #1: How Does Your Card Stack Up?
Think back to the last trade show, networking event, seminar, convention, social hour or association meeting you attended. How did people react to your business card? Did they compliment its design? Quickly shove it into their pocket? Whatever the response was, your card made some type of impression. But only the most creative, unique and memorable business cards make UNFORGETTABLE impressions. And those types of cards elicit reactions like…
• “I showed your card to everybody in my office!” says a hot prospect.
A friend of mine will LOVE this!” exclaims your tablemate.
• “Oooh!
• “Hey…can you show my friend Paul your business card!” asks a colleague of yours.
• “You know, I’ve never thrown your card away!” says one of your customers.

If you’ve ever heard a compliment along those lines before, congrats! You’re on the right track.
During the program, the facilitator asked the audience members to exchange cards and get to know each other. Gus’s card was amazing: thick, colorful, double sided, bold, shiny and best of all, simple. Nice guy, I thought.

Now, here’s the cool part: although Gus and I didn’t really keep in touch, I’ve never thrown his card away.

CORNER # 2: Standing Out
Recently I took 66 business cards I've collected over the years and spread them out on a table. I closed my eyes for 30 seconds, opened them and took note of which cards stood out the most.
• Red: every card that had red on it stood out.
• Picture: only a few cards had pictures of the cardholder.
• Vertical: several cards were formatted vertically, which caught my eye.
• Black Background: most cards have a white background, so the black ones REALLY stood out.
• Image: cards with some sort of colorful image that took up at least one fourth of the total surface area captured my interest.

(To view a high quality image of this game of 66 Card Pick Up, go to http://hellomynameisscott.blogspot.com/2005/03/does-your-business-card-stand-out.html)
This was a valuable exercise in understanding UNFORGETTABLE business cards, and I recommend it to everyone. Gather dozens of accumulated cards from your desk and discover which ones stand out. Oh, and don't forget to put your OWN card in the pile.

CORNER #3: Creative and Unique Ways to Enhance Your Card
Now that you’ve analyzed your own card and have been exposed to a large quantity of other people cards, your mind should be swimming with new, creative ideas. This is the perfect time to brainstorm ways to enhance your card. So, grab a blank sheet of paper. Let your creativity run wild! And to help you get started, here’s a list of 16 creative ideas to make your business card UNFORGETTABLE:
1. Size or Shape – Rectangle, schmectangle. I’ve seen squares, circles, ovals and triangles. Each shape made a connection to the brand, and each shape stood out amidst the endless regression of the same old rectangles.
2. Chocolate Business Cards (yes, these DO exist) – Several companies have online catalogues for personalized chocolate cards. Expensive? Delicious? Memorable?
3. Trading Cards – If your company is team oriented, get trading cards with your “players” pictures and stats.
4. Cartoons – Get a custom cartoon commissioned for the back of your card. It’s cheap, royalty free and absolutely unique to your business.
5. Table/Chart – Include a mortgage loan interest table or some staggering statistics on the back.
6. Pop-Ups – Just like kid’s books, some business cards can be printed as folded, pop-up cards. Talk about thinking three-dimensionally!
7. Credibility – The smartest thing I ever did to my business card was add color images of my two books. Instant credibility. And, I noticed an immediate change in the reactions from the people to whom I gave cards. One lady even said, “Scott, this is the coolest business card I’ve ever seen!” Money well spent.
8. Rubber Stamps – Buy 10 different customized rubber stamps for the backs of your cards. When someone asks for one just say “Pick a card, any card!”
9. Die Cutting – My friend Lisa works for the Rock Island Fire Dept. Her business card has a charred hole burnt right through the middle of every card! You can also specify various shapes, bite marks or hole sizes.
10. Recipe – If you work in an industry connected to food, kitchens or homes; include one of your favorite recipes on the back!
11. Material – Use leather, blinking or brail business cards (yes, these actually exist too!)
12. Language – If your business requires international travel, consider offering multiple languages, or print the phonetic spelling of a difficult to pronounce name.
13. Motivation – If you’re the motivational type, include a famous quotation, bible verse or movie line that connects to your brand. And be sure to read it aloud when you give someone your card, it might just make their day!
14. Stickers – Print one side of your cards on adhesive label paper. This gives the recipient a peel off sticker for reminders, appointments or phone numbers.
15. Non-Cards – Who says a card has to be a card? After all, the first rule of creativity is “break all the rules!” I’ve seen million dollar bill cards, coin cards, even a banker in Boston who uses business cards that are actually miniature checks he tears off of a pad each time he gives one out! The possibilities are endless.
16. Double Up – Make your card “double” as something other than a card. For example, mine doubles as a business card AND a nametag. Thanks for the free promotion!

CORNER #4: Implementation
Once you’ve come up with the layout for your new, creative, UNFORGETTABLE business card, there are only two things left to do: print ‘em up and hand ‘em out!
First, as you approach you printer, remember a few rules:
• It’s OK to Spend Money – when I did my taxes this year I calculated that I reprinted my business cards 11 times and spent over $1,400 on printing costs. Once again, money well spent.
• Local is Better – by choosing a local printer you can work closely with the designers; touch, feel and smell your paper and even do a few test runs until you get the card perfect. The only problem with that approach is that most cards designed, created and ordered over the Internet look like they were designed, created and ordered over the Internet.
Once you have your new cards in hand, keep a few final rules in mind:
• Reminders – be sure to tell people you’ve got a new card. Also, if you printed on both sides of your new card, remember to either tell people about the back of your card; or hand them the card back side up, so they know there’s more to it.
• Etiquette – don’t “Deal the Deck” by inconsiderately throwing thousands of your cards to everyone in sight. Remember: people throw away business cards from those who failed to establish rapport or make a connection.
• The Card Creedo: finally, when you’re ready, reach into your pocket and grab one of your business cards. My business card is not a formality. It’s not a piece of paper containing my name and contact information. My business card is the most important networking tool that I own. It’s a reflection of my personal brand and a bite-sized morsel of the mission of my business.

I LOVE my business card. After you’ve face lifted your business card from unacceptable to unforgettable, I promise you will feel great.

So, you have a business card? Great! But did you get those cards to give to your acquaintances or to get business? Are they getting business for you?? Most of us today have a business card, except those few who plans to survive the battle of brands without the most necessary armor. In this 20th century business world, even a mom-n-pop shop needs a business card and a logo to survive—today these are the bare necessities for any business.

Now, having business card is not good enough, the question is how good is your business card? Is it getting the desired business for you? Or in other words, are you able to use your business card to its full potential?

We must realize a business card is not just a piece of paper or a small card stock with your contact information. When you hand over your business card to a client, you expect him to contact you for your product or service, but have you ever thought, why should he contact you and not your competitor, if he has both the cards? This is where a well-planned business card gives you the advantage. Your business card must have something in it that would create an interest in the prospect to contact you.
a) You can add a tag line to your business card that speaks about your USP.
b) You can offer a discount to people purchasing your products if they present your business card while purchasing.
At the same time, when they come to return you those survey cards, don’t forget to give them a new business card without any survey.
(This serves two purposes, you get a client base to inform about your new products and services at the same time your prospective customers became aware of your web presence)
c) Give your business cards to all your first time customers and promise them a discount on repurchase – this can be highly effective to increase your customer loyalty.

You must also understand that when I say that your business card should get you more business I don’t want your business card to look like a billboard. You must be careful while drafting your business card and ensure that along with your contact information it has got just the minimal information that is required to prompt a prospect to initiate an action that can culminate to a sale. If you can keep in mind, all these factors while designing your business card and then use it effectively, be assured, you have just employed one of the most effective sales agent for your company.

Business Card Design Tips
Often, your business card is the only item left with a potential client or business partner. After a conference, meeting or display of your products, you are likely to meet dozens of people and leave your business card with them. It is essential that the business card design is complex and complete. When you are having your business card designed, aim for an image and a “feel” that best represents you and your company. Do not go for a flashy business card design if you are working in the financial field as this might give a feeling of sloppiness and insecurity to your clients.

Adapt the business card design to your clients
It is not important that you like your business card – but it is very important that your business partners and clients like it. One useful trick is to print out a few dozen business cards and give them out to potential prospects and conduct an “on the spot” interview about them. Gather their opinions and make any necessary changes to improve your business card design.

Business card printing
If a professional graphic design company created your business card, you can rest assured that they also followed all the necessary guidelines to make the business card printing process a good one. Many advertising and creation agencies also offer business card printing, either with their own printers or by using a dedicated printer’s services to do it. Quite often, a graphic design company will offer you a package for your card: both the design and the business card printing.

Costs of business card printing
Because there are many design and print packages and a variety of prices for business card printing, we will not stop to analyze actual costs.
• Black and white business card printing is the cheapest, but do try to print on high quality paper, or the business cards will look unprofessional.
• Full color business card printing is more expensive, but can also produce some great visual results.
• The larger your order, the cheaper you get with the individual business card printing cost.