NewZealandCoach’s Weblog

One of the things you need to address when starting out in business is your need for a great business card. Let’s face it, some cards are boring. They don’t hold your attention. You take it, your eyes skim over it, and it’s in the bottom of your bag, never to be seen again.

It’s a confusing thing to design your card. Especially if you’re one of those people who says “I don’t have an artistic bone in my body.”

When you give your card to a client you want them to get a great impression of your business. People will judge as soon as they see it. You need your card to be good quality, and if they can’t immediately see the information they need you’ll be passed over. You need your card to say ‘this is who I am’ and ‘this is what I do’ in the most straightforward manner possible. Your card will give an indication of how much effort and professionalism you’ll put into your services. Your client will have been given cards from your competing businesses, so make sure you get the edge!

Make sure you don’t use cheap paper. It’ll probably tear, and ink can smudge. It’s corners will bend easily and it’ll look scruffy – something you don’t need.

Make sure it’s a standard size. There’s nothing more annoying than a card that won’t fit in a wallet or card holder.

Include all your contact details.

Say what your business actually does. I’ve ended up throwing cards away when I’ve realized – I have no idea what the person does, and I can’t remember!

Ensure that you use a readable font. Don’t make the lettering too small. I’ve seen people get irritated when they realize they’ll need to fish their glasses out of their bag or shirt pocket to read a card (luckily, not one of mine!)

Try to stick to the basic principles of design. This will make the card a lot more visually attractive, and it’ll look professional too.

Include a great marketing message. If you have to you can include this on the back of the card. I did not, but it can be an option if you don’t want the front of your card to be too cluttered. However I decided I wanted my message to be on the front where I know it’ll be noticed!

If you decide to include a logo, I believe it’s best to take professional advice. A symbol that isn’t right will ruin the look of your card. It needs to look just as good scaled to different sizes, so you can use it to give your commodities a recognizable brand. Don’t use something that’s similar to other businesses. Be careful of the colours you use too. Some colours have negative connotations in different cultures, and others don’t reproduce effectively when copied for other purposes. Keep it simple and striking.

Remember you’ll have this logo for a long time, so don’t rush it!

talk to me : coachdawn_newzealand@yahoo.com on yahoo messenger