---

Guest post by: John Williams Become an Author

Tweet

---

---

The Cardinal Rule to creating a good business card is to ensure that it reflects the image of your company. From a branding perspective, this means it should work with (match the look and feel of) your logo. Yes, you want your card to be somewhat unique. Yes, you want people to remember you by it. But if you break the Cardinal Rule in pursuit of uniqueness, all people will remember is that one card they once saw by some business was different. They won't remember your brand or its attributes. So in the interest of sparing you a potential branding misstep, here are the Top Five blunders I've seen new companies make when designing and printing their business cards:

1) Choosing low-quality paper stock. Inexpensive paper stock may save you money, but it often leaves you with a card that feels cheap. Touch is an important sense and plays a role in memory recall. How you appeal to this sense depends on your company's image. For example, B2B companies wanting to convey reliability should use a substantial, mid-weight stock.

2) Using a design template that does not match the logo. Assuming you want a biz card to be taken seriously and help brand your company, you need a design that works with your logo. In other words, be extremely careful with template-based designs. If the templates weren't developed specifically to match your logo (and most aren't), they probably won't. Many entrepreneurs fall in love with an overly designed template that distracts from their logo, or one that features an unrelated photograph. Photographs work well in marketing brochures, but if they appear on a business card they will dominate it - and fight with your logo to add insult to injury. In other words, your logo may go completely unnoticed.

3) Adding too much color to the card. When you want to get someone's attention, do you scream? Probably not, if you want to avoid scaring them. So why scare potential customers with a super-bright, rainbow-colored card? Color is your biggest asset in branding your company. Research indicates that color is the most important factor in memory recall. Tie your business to one or two specific colors; this color should also appear in your logo.

4) Making the card TOO unusual. You want your card to stand out, certainly, but not so much that its difference makes people uncomfortable. Complex dye-cuts, extremely oversized cards, and odd card stocks (like metal) should be used only by companies engaged in highly customized or creative endeavors. Custom embossing, rounded corners, or varnishes are better touches for most companies. While it's tempting to create an oversized card, keep in mind that many people still use Rolodexes or tuck cards into their wallets - both difficult to do with unusually sized cards. Functionality trumps form.

5) Making the logo gigantic. In general, the bigger the company, the smaller its logo appears on business cards. If you want to look like a Fortune 500, size your logo appropriately. Instead of enlarging your logo for emphasis, employ white space to bring attention to it.

If you're looking to make a lasting impression, don't cheapen your first impression. Build a better business card and you'll build a better business.

Related Articles

  4 Deadly Sales Training Blunder You must Avoid
  Use Your Business Card
  Cool Customer Clincher
  Debt Reduction Tips Every Joe Needs
  Credit Card Pitfalls For Business Owners
  Business card tips
  IS IT TIME TO CUT UP YOUR CREDIT CARD?
  How To Make The Most of Your Business Card
  VIP Marketing Vehicle: Business Cards
  Pick the Right Keyword Type for Cost-Effective PPC Campaigns
  A True Business Credit Card
  The Mistakes to Often Made in Sales
  Make Your Business Card Work for You
  Buying a franchise? Avoid these costly mistakes
  The Art of the Business Card
  10 Business Card Blunders That Hurt Business
  Are Holiday Cards Worth The Effort?
  Saving Money using Credit Cards
  To Franchisees: Be Wary of Using Company Credit Cards
  Credit cards: how do we use them?

Related Forum Posts

Re: Season's Greetings!
Re: Search Engine Friendly Web Development
Re: How can I promote my site?
Re: What is your Business?
Immigration

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Top 10 Ways to Build Creativity in the Workplace

How to Start an Errand Running Business 1-2-3

A Questionnaire for Businesses

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.