Your Business Card Design


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Tweet ORDER On-Line Business Forms, Printing & Office Supplies Business Cards & Letterheads Checks & Banking Supplies Calendar Cards Correspondence Cards Envelopes Forms Healthcare Forms Holiday Cards Holiday Gifts and Seals Labels Office Supplies Promotional Products Retail Products Stamps Tags Tax Forms Business Specific Forms and Supplies Landscaping HVAC Plumbing Cleaning Automotive Electrical Towing Real Estate Locksmith Painting Roofing and many more!	YOUR BUSINESS CARD DESIGN		MORE INFORMATION Relationship between color and emotion Brand Identity Essentials Color Theory in Action The Basics of Business Card Marketing Understanding Color Emotion Triggers Ten Powerful Networking Tips Using Business Cards Color Psychology Business Card Articles Conveying Emotion Through Color All colors are friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites! Mark Chagall Business Printings Catalog Tax Form Brochure Holiday Greetings Catalog
	Six steps to designing your business card! by Willard T. Kowalczuk February 20, 2011
	Business cards represent your business and you have approximately 10 seconds for it to make an initial lasting impression. Are you saying one thing verbally, but your business card is telling a different story? For example, a contractor meets with a prospect and talks about the quality of their workmanship. He continues, telling about their years of experience and reliability. The contractor leaves behind a “homemade”, inkjet printed business card. The two messages clash.
	Subject, main text of your business card!
	Make it bold and prominent. You want the prospect or customer to recognize and remember your company name. It should be easy to read and draw attention without dominating the card. When designing your business card, the goal is to initiate memory retention and recall while separating your business from others in the field.
	Your name on the business card
	Your name is next with regards to importance. Again, it should be prominent, easy to read using a slightly smaller font than the company name. The reward for having a great, eye-catching, memorable, impressive, business card is increased sales.
	Advertising line
	Create a unique phrase or “tagline” that represents your business, products and/or services. The best taglines are typically limited to four or five words – don’t get “wordy.” The tagline is usually placed directly below the company name with the typestyle and font size smaller and of a different font than the company name. Use it on your business card, stationery, business forms, etc. We often do it in a script to suggest a personal statement regarding the company.
	Contact Information
	Contact information is vital, but only becomes necessary once a decision for more information is required. Keep the font small, legible and easy to read.
	Brand recognition... the importance of a logo!
	Think "Golden Arches" and instantly most people think "McDonalds". They can tell you what they sell, the menu, what the food tastes like, etc. A logo can create a mental response every time the "McDonalds" logo is seen. Add the current tagline, "I'm Lovin it!", and you have a very powerful message. This didn't happen overnight and did cost millions of dollars. Apparently it was all worth it. Your logo... put it on everything... emails, letterhead, business cards, business forms, etc. It becomes instant brand recognition of your company. Most of the time, a “cutesy” business card should be left to the creative/artistic type businesses. You're in business to make a living. You're developing a brand... take it seriously. Hopefully you will be using this logo for many years to come – logos should not be changed on a whim, so be sure it reflects what you want to present. Don't confuse and complicate your business card with a busy graphic design. The reward regarding the design of a logo is in the business and sales produced through logo/brand recognition.
	Effectiveness of Color
	More prospects are converted to customers! Confidence is built in the minds of prospects and customers! Company's identity is promoted. Brand recognition is re-enforced. Stimulates an action or reaction. The benefits have been documented and will pay for themselves. With digital printing available the use of full color is extremely cost effective. Click on image for more information... color emphasizes and enhances a document! Ideas sell 90% better Recognition increases up to 83% Invoices are paid 25% faster Color increases ad recall by 24% Desire to act by 25% Readership by 35%
	Color! It provokes emotions. Use it!
	Don't use a color just because you like it. You're sending message... make it consistent with verbal communications and the brand you're building. Colors have emotions attached to them. Red, for example, is the color of revolution, danger and anger. Use it when you want people to sit up and take notice. Black - Serious, Sophisticated, Elegant Blue - Trustworthy, Stable, Serene, Cool Brown - Wholesome, Natural, Organic Gray - Neutral, Mature, Cool Green - Safe, Environmental, Comforting Orange - Emotional, Positive, Warm, Excited Pastels - Soft, Sensitive, Youthful Purple - Opulent, Contemporary, Regal Red - Passionate, Negative, Dangerous, Hot White - Pure, Truthful, Peaceful Yellow - Cheerful, Sunny, Cautious
	Business Cards serve a unique purpose!
	The benefits of a well-designed business card cannot be under-estimated. It's part of your image. On its own, it’s a visual trigger of you and your organization. Your business card is the cheapest, most cost-effective form of advertising in your arsenal. Create it with the goal of putting your best foot forward. Keep in mind that your business card: Reflect an image of your business Provide the all important first impression Fundamental part of marketing materials Integral part of a good marketing plan
	Enhance of your business card
	"White space" is another technique used to draw attention. A busy, overcrowded, card is difficult to read. Too much information squeezed on to the card will result in negative reactions. Bring your business card to life. Make it stand out from others. Impress with a visual difference. Again, it is an extension of you and your company. Make it the very best that you can.
	NOW... print and hand them out! There's business to be had so let's get down to nitty-gritty.
	What was the cost of your business cards? $35.00 for 1,000 = 3 1/2 cents each $50.00 for 1,000 = 5 cents each $75.00 for 1,000 = 7 1/2 cents each What's your average sale? A roofer - $5,000 to $10,000? Auto service repair - $150.00 to $300? An electrician/plumber - $500.00 to $1,000? These are just educated guesses. Now, get serious about your business card investment. Handing out 1,000 cards how many sales would you average? If you're percentage-of-return is only 1%, that amounts to 10 sales. Using your average sale figures, I would find it hard to believe that a great return-on-investment wasn't possible. Personally, in looking for those 10 sales, I'd hand my cards out like they were going out of style.

	TYPES OF BUSINESS CARDS

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