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What does your corperate identity say about you? [Part 1- Business cards]
By Matt Richardson | December 18, 2007
I have always been a little bit of a business card fanatic. Call it weird, or call it what you will I like GOOD business cards. Conversely, although I love good business cards, I am equally as passionate about bad business cards there is almost nothing that turns me away from a business more than a bad business card.
What makes a BAD business card?
Some of the worst business cards I have seen have had some of the following elements in common…
- Improper usage of colors.
I’m all about using color in a business card, but the key to this is to use colors that complement your card. In other words there is no need for a rainbow of colors maybe just the colors that best support your logo. - Overly complicated/Cluttered.
Almost every one out there has a website, and one of the nice things about having a web site is that you no longer have to cram everything you do on your business card, keep it simple! - Strange shapes/Sizes.
I know in my case I have a stack of business cards on my desk, most of them are ones to follow up on, but some are simply because I think they are cool. With this being said I usually weed out the ones that either don’t fit or are folded in half. Simply said keep with a “standard” size (roughly 87mm x 49mm), or somewhere close to it. - Quotes and other non-industry related elements.
I’m sure that the quotes are nice but unless it’s something critically important leave them for those motivational movie speeches. You only have so much room on your card without making it look cluttered. Remember some white space is good! - Email and website.
Its almost 2008, every serious business/business person should have a website and a proper email address. Save the “yahoo.com” and “hotmail.com” for your personal addresses invest in a decent domain it’s well worth it (and it’s not all that expensive).
What makes a GOOD business card?
With that being said conversely a good business card is not only one of your tools to help your first impression, but it’s also a good way to keep your business/brand on peoples mind.
Some of the best business cards I have seen have had some of the following elements in common.
- Well placed info.
The nice thing about many of the business cards that I like is that you don’t have to go too far to find what you need. Most good business cards flow so that there is not a loss of attention on the card. Give your potential customers what they need: ex Company name/logo, your name, a means of contacting you, what you do, and that’s it! You don’t need much more than that. - Contrasting colors.
This is a helpful hint to make it easier on not only your potential customers, but also yourself. Some colors are MUCH easier to read on top of each other than others. For example black print and white background is an extremely safe combination, while you might not want to try something like grey on black or other “strange” combinations. - Keep it simple.
As I stated earlier sometimes simple is better. The main focus of a business card is to not only catch your potential customer’s attention, but also provide them with the information they need. White space is defiantly your friend here. - Logo.
Ask most people who advertise what the most important feature in your identity is, and they will tell you your logo, or whatever you use to identify yourself. A well designed and well placed logo can make or break your business card, period! - Consistency
Overall this is a point that fits in almost anything regarding your brand. When you find that formula that works for you keep it and use it all the time. When a customer (or potential customer) sees something from you they should know who it’s from within the first few seconds of looking at it, if not well you might be in trouble.
So, what do you think makes a good or a bad business card?
Topics: Corperate Identity |
