We know you have questions about business cards and guess what, you don’t have to look far to find out the answers:
What is a business card?
A business card is a small printed card that consists of all your important business details for a potential client to contact you about your service or business. Besides your company name and logo, your name, title, contact details, tagline etc. can be found.
To summarise, a business card represents your brand. A business card also gives people the first impression of what your brand is about, which is why it’s important to put a little more thought into designing your very first business card.
What other names does a business card have?
A business card is also known as a name card. While it is sometimes referred to as a “visiting card”, it does have a slight difference compared to a business card. A visiting card, or call card, is used for social purposes and appears more personal, having fewer details compared to a standard business card. Despite this, our gallery consists of both types of cards without specifically categorising them.
What is the standard size of a business card?
In the US and Canada, the standard business card size is 3.5” x 2.0”. It measures 8.9 x 5.1 cm and 89 x 51 mm in the metric system (or to be accurate, the dimension of a business card is 8.89 x 5.08 cm and 88.9 x 50.8 mm).
The standard business card sizes may vary from one country to another. For instance, in the UK, the standard size for business card is 8.5 x 5.5 cm, or 85 x 55 mm in millimetres.
The general rule is that you’d want the size of business card to be just right to fit (or no bigger than) a person’s wallet, business card holder, pocket or purse.
What should be on a business card?
A business card should consist of your business name, brand logo, name of contact, phone number, address, email address, website and social media profiles (optional). The goal is to let the recipient of your business card know who to contact when in need of your business service or product. So, you need to make sure the contact information on the business card is current, accurate and easily reachable.
There are actually other uses for a business card as well. We have featured different types of business cards and you’ll be surprised at how a unique idea can turn a business card into something more than just a piece of contact paper!
What title should I put on my business card?
When handing out your business cards, note that you are the person representing your business/company. If you’re the business owner, state it on your business card. Let’s say you’re in the creative field, you may identify yourself clearly as an “Author”, “Designer”, “Illustrator” etc.
For a company that has many different job titles, there’s no harm in letting people know who they are communicating with. Your employees and business partners can have a business card of your brand, so make sure to have a proper job title printed so your brand is properly represented.
CEO, Founder, or Owner – which one is appropriate on a business card?
Each of these titles has a distinct meaning. A founder is someone who sets up or launches the business, while an owner is someone who owns the business. In some cases, the owner is also the founder of the company. A CEO, on the other hand, is someone who is appointed to lead and grow the company.
When deciding which title to go for, think about how you’d like to be perceived by others. Make sure your role is clear and why people should get in touch with you in the first place.
What is the front and back of a business card?
The front side of a business card displays all the necessary information about your business, including your name, title and contact details. Everything there is to know about your business should be right there at their fingertips.
The back side of a business card is where you can get creative by adding a logo, tagline and anything else you can think of that gives people an overall idea about your brand. You can make it eye-catching with a splash of colour and patterns, or keep it minimal with a simple design. Or better yet, use a catchy tagline so your potential customers can remember you and your company.
Both sides can be a good asset for you to showcase your expertise as well. We have several business card features that utilise these areas to their full potential.
Is a business card supposed to be double sided?
Not exactly. While most business cards are indeed double-sided, there are definitely some one-sided business cards that are equally effective. The idea of printing on both sides of the business card is to send out as much information about the business as possible. This includes the service provided and the overall brand image. Your objective should be to encourage people to use your brand, so think about advertising. More space utilised, more opportunities.
For a single-sided business card, you need to make sure your brand image is clear and straight to the point. Some business owners prefer to use single-sided business cards and give potential clients the space they need to write down some notes after a social meet up. After all, if done right, a single-sided business card can look sleek and sophisticated as well.
What is a good thickness for business cards?
Generally, the standard thickness for business cards is 14pt, which is known as 14-point, and the business card paper weight is 300gsm. To be clear, 14pt paper means that the paper measures a thickness of 0.014 inches. A 14pt business card is thick enough to make people feel durable yet quite flexible at the same time.
What should NOT be on a business card?
The first and foremost: outdated information. Make sure the typography used is legible, unless artistry plays a major role in your presentation. Avoid typos and cluttered information as well.
Should all business cards have a phone number?
If phone calls aren’t your main form of communication, then no. Some people prefer using emails or social media messaging. In that case, make sure to include at least two ways for people to get in touch with you, so they can choose the method that’s most convenient for them, such as your email address, Instagram handle or a Facebook page.
Should all business cards have a logo?
It’s not a must, but there’s definitely no harm in having one. It’s part of the branding strategy that gets your company noticed and stand out. Without a logo, your business card will only have words to convey your brand’s identity. Not that it’s a bad idea, but you do need to come up with a smart, witty tagline to be memorable.
Should a business card have other shapes other than rectangular?
YES. A business card is not necessarily rectangular. We’ve seen many creative business cards in different shapes, and they’ve totally blown our minds!
Should I add a QR code to my business card?
Apart from the standard information, you can definitely add a QR code (a ‘Quick Response’ code) to the business card for people to scan and add your contact information easily to their devices, or to visit your website or social media sites.
Some people may suggest you replace your business card with a QR code. However, in our opinion, a paper-based business card can definitely bring better results in the long term. As an extra value, you can include a QR code on your business card so people can learn more about your service or product, or even reveal a discount coupon code. This is because, effective as it is, people will still need an app, or at least, a smartphone camera to view the information from the QR code. Don’t limit your brand’s visibility to just the virtual world – that’s our advice.
Should I design a business card of my own?
We have featured many designers who like to design their own business cards. They have shared how much they enjoyed the fruit of their labour, although at first they did find themselves to be their most difficult client yet. Everyone wants the best business card.
When designing your own business card, it’s a great time to review your own business goals, direction, brand image etc. It’s no harm trying, but in the end, if you still feel like getting someone to design a business card for you, we have showcased many types of business cards that may suit your interest. Check out our gallery and, who knows, maybe you can even find the right designer for your brand.
How do I pick a business card layout?
A business card is horizontal in general, but you can definitely try a vertical business card for a change. It depends a lot on what kind of information and design elements are going to be on the business card.
We have featured quite many different business card layouts, including arch shaped business cards, square business cards, rounded corners business cards, and so much more. These unique business cards can be a real head-turner!
Do you have some business card ideas or references for me according to my niche?
We thought you’d never asked – of course we do! Here’s the list of business card categories we’ve just compiled for your easy viewing. We’ve already featured more than a thousand business cards (and counting), so hopefully you can find what you need. If not, feel free to drop us a comment below so we’ll work on finding the business cards (of your niche) in our upcoming features.
We hope we’ve covered as many topics regarding business cards as we can. We’ll continue to add more Q&A in this section, so don’t be shy to check back and see if there’s any new info you’d like to know.
