The 5 R’s of Business Cards

Whether you’re the VP of a corporation or the owner of a small business, business cards are a staple of the business world. Both nationally and internationally, business cards can help you get your brand and across to another person easily.

People are generally more engaged with printed material over digital media which is often skimmed in less than 15 seconds. Leaving someone with a printed reminder of who you are is many times more efficient than a website and is more likely to end in a sale.

However, it’s easy for business cards to fall into a poor design and might become confusing to your customers. So, before you send off your new design to get printed, remember the five R’s of business cards.

1. Readable

The most important part of new business cards is your information. It’s vital to make sure that your information is legible. First, don’t try to put every social media account you have on the card. Keep it to your phone number, address, email, and two social media accounts, but only if they are really necessary. You should also make sure that the font is clear and legible. A script font may look pretty, but it’s probably not readable.

2. Room

Your business card should include a graphic of some sort, be it a logo or image. Graphics should be clear and given space to breathe; the white space around your graphic will help them stand out more. You may also want to leave one side of the card blank so it can be used to jot down notes or extra information at the time they are handed out. If you’re having trouble with the design of your business card, most printing companies have services to help you.

3. Relevancy

The audience you traditionally work with should be the audience of your business card. Keep your graphics and style relevant to your business, your products, and your audience. If you run more than one business, unless they part of the same industry, make separate cards in order to differentiate between your businesses for your customers. Your business card might also be the perfect spot for a short call to action that encourages the customer to call today.

4. Restrain

When you’re working with a printing company, you will able to pick from a range of finishing options to improve the style of your cards. This can include different kinds of papers, accents, different shapes, folds, etc. Unless the industry you fall into is a particularly creative one, stick to something that is simple but elegant that works for you. Don’t overdo it or you may be remembered for the wrong reasons.

5. Refined

Business cards should be printed by professional printing companies that know what they are doing. While it may seem simple enough to do at home, the cards may not come out as cleanly or as nicely as you want them to be. The last thing you want is to lose out on potential clients because of a bad business card. Printing companies will not only give you the best product, but they can also help you with designing and editing your cards.

Remember the five R’s of business cards when creating your own cards and you will always come out with a winning design.