Top 5 Stunning Business Card Design Tips

A business card is a physical manifestation of a first impression, and to make yours stand out from the crowd, you’re going to want to know the best business card design tips. People hate carrying paper or having it clutter their home or office, meaning most business cards are immediately disposed of; but if you make your business card memorable, you’ll create a lasting impression

So what business card design tips do you need to know? Let’s start with the basics.

1. Tame the Printer

Remember that you’re designing for paper, not web! And thus you must keep certain basic principles in mind. The basics are:

• Keep all your copy at least 5 mm from the edge.
• Work at 300dpi to ensure quality image reproduction.
• Ensure legible typography given your business card size.
• Work in CMYK (the color set that printers use).

With these in mind you’ll be sure that your great design isn’t botched by the physics of printing. You may also find it helpful to utilize grids and grid theory, the “invisible glue that holds designs together.” Grid theory helps you establish and understand a set of guidelines regarding how things are laid out in graphic design.

2. But What Should I Put On the Business Card?

There are three must-have essentials of any business card:

1. Name.
2. Phone number.
3. PROFESSIONAL email (this means no “sk8terkid98@hotmail” emails.)

You may also want to include a link to your LinkedIn profile.

If your business has an address, list that!

Additionally, be sure to keep your font and design consistent between your resume and your business cards, and for any and all professional documents used to represent yourself.

3. Get Creative With Materials

Who says business cards have to be made out of paper anyway?

One easy trick to make your business card stand out is to make it from an unconventional material, like a dog trainer engraving their information on dog biscuits, or packaging your business card with some memorable goodies, like gummy bears (as pictured above) or 3D-printed plastic emblems relevant to your product or service. When your business card is more than a business card, it’s instantly memorable.

It’s also worth noting that just like in the iconic scene from American Psycho, simply using high-quality, fancy paper can also make your business card stand out. To use an anecdote from my own experience, one time someone handed me their business card, and it was of such high quality, soft, smooth finish that I still remember it, even though it was years ago; it felt like it was made out of a cloud! When the very feel of your card is remarkable, you’ll be sure to make an impression.

4. Use Die Cutting

Use what now? Die cutting is a process where you remove elements from the card stock, leaving that space physically empty. This can be as simple as rounding the edges, or a restaurant cutting their business cards to make it look like a bite has been taken from it! This also entails any creative shape you can imagine, like a coffee mug-shaped business card for a cafe.

Consider this: why are business cards the size that they are? Is there any logical, objective reason for it? Or is it just a social norm? Consider bucking social norms and use creative sizes for your business cards. If a potential customer gets handed your business card and it’s a size or shape they simply didn’t expect, you’ll already be creating a memorable impression!

Companies like Moo.com offer a wide variety of business card shapes, and you can even order a free sample pack of their designs.

5. Include Functionality

You’ll be less likely to have your card considered clutter if you make it genuinely functional. How so? Examples include:

• A business card that folds into a phone stand.
• A business card that sprouts seeds when soaked in water.
• A business card for a bike repair shop that can be used to patch a flat tire on a bike.
• A business card for a bar that doubles as a bottle-opener.
• A business card for a cheese company that doubles as a miniature cheese grater.
• An eyeglass business card that doubles as a magnifying glass.

Wanna see some of these designs in action? Check out and retweet the video below:

Click here for some fun examples.

And that’s it!

But be sure to keep researching, for there are too many creative ways to design a business card than I can list here. Cleverbusinesscards.com is a great resource for getting inspiration from more clever designs!

Share your own creative ideas in the comment section below, or tag them on social with #OFJSCardDesigns!

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Works cited:

• https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-three-labeled-mockup-business-cards-1493323/
• https://www.creativebloq.com/graphic-design/how-design-business-card-10-top-tips-9134291
• http://blog.tph.ca/index.php/2014/06/02/thirteen-fun-and-functional-business-cards/
• https://www.printi.com/blog/cmyk-color/
• https://www.moo.com
• https://www.psprint.com