Business cards are first impressions that can speak in your absence, so it’s important to make sure that your cards are eye-catching and informative.

You could take your cues from the Japanese and coat your business card in a gram of gold. That may not be your best option, nor is it the most cost effective. Imagine leaving a stack of your cards on a table at a conference – People will certainly pick them up, but you run the risk of your business card being sold at a cash for gold hotel party.

There’s the American Psycho approach using a bone or eggshell background with (oh God!) a watermark. How will you stand out from the rest of the crowd with their Silian Rail fonts and luxuriously thick paper? Patrick Bateman had to kill people, but that’s not a best practice – Murder is a very bad marketing strategy.

So what’s left for you?

A good business card speaks for you.

You want your business card to give the ten second summary you’d give if someone asked, “Tell me about your business.” If you’re a hipster hairdresser, you might want hand-drawn hearts and flowers on your card. A caterer may want a photo of a buffet table with classy text.

A template-generated stock business card will never achieve this for you. You need a designer with an eye for detail and subtlety. If you’d like to brainstorm some business card designs, please contact me! I offer very affordable prices for design and printing on high-quality, glossy cards.