When you meet high profile leader in your industry, you want to make sure you leave a lasting impression. A lame business card is the worst way to go about this. When you set out to order business cards, remember that they are more than just tiny slips of paper. They are a concrete representation of your company and yourself. Designing business cards with style can give you the extra individuality you need in today’s competitive market.

Color and Contrast

The classic black-on-white business card still serves its purpose. Especially for professionals such as physicians or attorneys whose vocation implies a degree of gravitas, this simple and striking design is a viable option. Choosing rich linen paper in ivory or dove gray and embossed or foil lettering can add interest to even the most basic card. For others, bright colors can add that spark that makes your card stand out from the rest. Consider incorporating any colors that occur in your company’s logo into cardstock or typefaces. Double-sided cards with white faces and colored backings add interest and contrast to otherwise conservative cards. Including a personal photograph ensures that potential clients remember not only your name but your face as well.

Alignment and Proximity

The human eye loves symmetry. Even our perceptions of personal beauty can be linked to mathematical formulas. When designing a stylish business card, ensuring that all relevant information is printed in proper alignment can make the difference between fortune and failure. Whether justified left, right or centered, all text and images should be grouped in a way that is pleasing to the viewer. In the same way that we look for logical placement, we also assume that information placed in proximity makes logical sense. Most people tend to read by sight instead of discerning individual words, so the name of your company should take prominence and your name and title should be grouped together. Likewise, contact information, whether it is your telephone numbers or email address should be printed in a way that provides both design coherence and ease of access.

Repetition

Repeating design elements, colors or typefaces on a business card can create a unique, stylish look. Often novice designers will incorporate several different fonts into a card layout in an attempt to create visual interest. In reality, choosing a single typeface and altering the point size or utilizing effects such as bolding, italicizing or shadowing text creates a seamless pattern of repetition while presenting the finished product as a cohesive whole.

The next time you order business cards, keep in mind that a creative, well-crafted card may be your only introduction to new clients. Take the time to design business cards with style.