Designing A Business Card That Doesn't Suck! (6 Pro Tips)

Summary

This video offers professional tips for designing effective business cards, emphasizing the importance of bleed settings in Adobe Illustrator or InDesign, legible font choices, and testing prints. It highlights the role of negative space for both aesthetic and practical reasons, such as allowing for writing on the card. The video also discusses standard business card sizes, the significance of a clear call to action, and the use of 3M Visual Attention Software (VAS) to analyze and improve design layouts, ensuring that the card's focal points and call to action are effectively noticed and accessible.

Takeaways

• 📌 Business cards are essential branding tools that help companies connect in society.
• 🖌️ Adobe Photoshop lacks built-in bleeds for print documents, making Illustrator or InDesign preferable for business card design due to their bleed settings and print-ready features.
• 🔍 The choice of font is crucial for business cards; legibility is key, so opt for standard, clean, and easily readable fonts.
• 📑 Always test print your designs before mass production to avoid costly mistakes.
• 📐 Negative space in business card design is vital, not only for aesthetic purposes but also to allow room for handwritten notes or reminders.
• 📏 Standard business card sizes vary by country, with the US norm being 3.5 by 2 inches and the UK standard at 88 by 55 millimeters.
• 📍 Ensure a margin of at least half an inch from the print edge to keep text content away from the cut line.
• 🎯 Business cards serve as physical call-to-action buttons; a memorable call-to-action can generate leads and make the card stand out.
• 👀 Use visual attention software like 3M VAS to analyze and optimize the gaze sequence and points of interest in your design for effectiveness.
• 🎨 Maintain a consistent theme throughout the business card design that reflects the brand identity, including color schemes, shapes, and typefaces.
• 🔄 Contrasting the front and back of the card can create style within the theme, such as different color backgrounds with contrasting text and assets.

Q & A

Why are business cards considered an essential part of a branding package?

Business cards are considered essential because they are useful tools that companies can use to reach out into society, providing a tangible way to share contact information and make connections.

What is the significance of bleeds in print design, and why are they important for business cards?

Bleeds are important because they allow for an effective cut to be made on the printed material, ensuring that all design elements remain neatly up from the print edge. This is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the design after cutting.

Which Adobe software is recommended for designing business cards, and why?

Adobe Illustrator or InDesign is recommended for designing business cards because both programs have built-in bleed settings and include printing crop and cut marks on the final PDF, which are essential for print design.

Why is font choice particularly important for business cards?

Font choice is important for business cards because the designs are small, and the text must be legible. A clean, standard, and easy-to-read font is preferred over decorative or fancy fonts to ensure information is easily accessible.

What is the purpose of negative space in business card design, and how does it benefit the user?

Negative space in business card design allows the design to breathe, making the contact information easily accessible and seen. Additionally, it provides space for people to write down messages, reminders, or notes on the card.

What are the standard sizes for business cards in the US and the UK?

In the US, the standard size for business cards is 3.5 by 2 inches, while in the UK, it is 88 by 55 millimeters.

Why is it important to test print your business card designs before mass production?

Testing prints before mass production is important to avoid costly mistakes and to ensure that the design is visually effective and meets the expectations before committing to a large print run.

What is the main purpose of a business card, and how can it be made memorable?

The main purpose of a business card is to act as a physical call to action button in the real world. It can be made memorable by including a quirky call to action, a discount offer, or relevant information that directs recipients to a website or provides a helpful tip.

How can the 3M Visual Attention Software (VAS) help in designing business cards?

VAS can help analyze the effectiveness of business card layouts by simulating the gaze sequence and points of interest scoring, which can provide insights into how viewers will interact with the design and help refine it for better engagement.

What is the significance of maintaining a consistent theme in business card design?

Maintaining a consistent theme in business card design is important as it relates back to the brand identity, ensuring that every decision, such as color scheme, shapes, or typeface selection, aligns with the brand's solid theme and creates a cohesive visual experience.

How can contrasting the front and back of a business card contribute to the overall design theme?

Contrasting the front and back of a business card can create style within the theme by using different color backgrounds and text colors, which can enhance the design while keeping it consistent with the brand's theme.

Outlines

00:00

📇 Business Card Design Essentials

This paragraph discusses the importance of business cards in a company's branding strategy and introduces professional tips for effective design. The speaker mentions a partnership with 3M Visual Attention Software (VAS) to test the effectiveness of business card layouts. Key points include the necessity of bleed settings in print design, the importance of choosing legible fonts for small text, and the value of testing print designs before mass production. The paragraph also touches on the concept of negative space, not only for aesthetic reasons but also to allow for handwritten notes on business cards. Lastly, it addresses the standard sizes of business cards and the importance of considering bleeds and margins in design.

05:01

🎨 Enhancing Business Card Impact with VAS

The second paragraph delves into the use of 3M's Visual Attention Software (VAS) to analyze and enhance the design of business cards. The speaker shares a personal experience of using VAS to test a mock-up design for a brand called Satori Plus. The focus is on achieving a desired gaze sequence that starts with the logo and ends with the call to action. The speaker discusses the importance of color contrast and negative space in capturing attention and ensuring accessibility of information. VAS is also used to identify areas of interest and suggests potential improvements, such as highlighting the call to action more prominently. The paragraph concludes with a discussion on maintaining a consistent theme throughout the business card design that aligns with the brand identity and offers a free trial of VAS for viewers interested in analyzing their own designs.

Keywords

💡Business Cards

Business cards are small, portable, and essential tools for networking and branding, used to convey an individual's or company's contact information. In the video, they are highlighted as a critical component of a branding package, with the speaker discussing the design process and the importance of making them effective and memorable.

💡Branding

Branding refers to the process of creating a unique name, symbol, or design that identifies and differentiates a product or service from others. The video emphasizes the role of business cards in reinforcing a company's brand identity, which includes the use of consistent color schemes, typefaces, and design elements.

💡3M Visual Attention Software (VAS)

3M VAS is a tool used to analyze and test the effectiveness of visual designs, such as business cards. The speaker mentions partnering with 3M VAS to evaluate the gaze sequence and points of interest in their business card designs, aiming to ensure that the design elements capture and retain viewer attention as intended.

💡Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is a widely used software for image editing and graphic design. The video script points out that while Photoshop is popular, it lacks built-in bleed settings necessary for print design. As a result, the speaker recommends using Adobe Illustrator or InDesign for business card design to take advantage of their bleed and print settings.

💡Bleeds

In print design, bleeds are areas of the artwork that extend beyond the trim area, ensuring that the design elements are cut cleanly without white edges. The script stresses the importance of including bleeds in business card design to maintain the integrity of the design post-printing.

💡Fonts

The choice of font is crucial in business card design due to the limited space. The script advises against decorative or fancy fonts, instead recommending standard, clean, and easily readable fonts to ensure that contact information is legible, which is the primary purpose of a business card.

💡Negative Space

Negative space in design refers to the unused areas that surround and between the design elements. The video explains that negative space is not only important for aesthetic balance but also practical, as it allows for potential handwritten notes on the business card without cluttering the design.

💡Call to Action (CTA)

A call to action is a prompt designed to elicit a response or desired action from the viewer. In the context of the video, the speaker discusses incorporating a CTA on business cards, such as a discount offer or website link, to make the card memorable and potentially generate leads.

💡Gaze Sequence

Gaze sequence is the order in which a viewer's eyes are drawn to different parts of a design. The script describes using 3M VAS to test the gaze sequence of a business card design to ensure that the viewer's attention follows a logical and effective path, starting with the most prominent element and ending with the call to action.

💡Points of Interest

Points of interest are specific areas within a design that capture the viewer's attention. The video script discusses using 3M VAS to identify and highlight these areas, such as the logo, name, title, and call to action, to ensure they are easily noticed and accessible.

💡Theme

A theme in design is a consistent set of visual elements that represent a brand's identity. The video emphasizes maintaining a unified theme throughout the business card design, including color schemes, shapes, and typefaces, to reinforce brand recognition and create a cohesive look.

Highlights

Importance of business cards in branding and societal reach emphasized.

Introduction of 3M Visual Attention Software (VAS) for testing business card layouts.

Professional tips on designing effective business cards shared.

Recommendation to use Illustrator or InDesign for business card design due to bleed settings.

Importance of font choice for legibility on small business card designs.

Advice against using decorative fonts for business cards.

Suggestion to test print designs before mass production.

Explanation of the role of negative space in business card design for readability and writing space.

Discussion on standard business card sizes relative to different countries.

Importance of considering bleeds and margins in business card size decisions.

The main purpose of a business card as a physical call to action button.

Encouragement to be creative with call to action on business cards for memorability and lead generation.

Use of VAS to analyze and improve business card design effectiveness.

Demonstration of a mock-up design for Satori Plus using VAS for gaze sequence analysis.

Strategies to improve points of interest scoring in VAS analysis.

Importance of maintaining a consistent theme throughout the business card design.

Contrasting front and back of business cards to create style within a theme.

Offer for an extended free trial of VAS with a promotional code for additional trial credits.

Closing with an invitation to learn more about graphic design and a signature sign-off.

Transcripts

many clients are going to require

business cards as part of their branding

package

and quite rightly so after all business

cards are useful tools that companies

can use to reach into society

and so designers such as yourself are

obviously going to want to make

effective and awesome business card

designs

now luckily i have some professional

tips for you today on designing business

cards but i've also partnered with 3m

visual attention software

also known as vas which we are going to

take a look at later in today's video

and i'm going to use vas to really test

the effectiveness of my business card

layouts

but first let's learn about some

professional tips

now the first tip answers a question and

that question is where do you design

the business card itself now i don't

know why

but adobe photoshop still does not have

built-in bleeds on print

documents when designing something for

print

you must have bleeds on that print

document this is essential

and this is because it allows for an

effective cut to be made

and all of your design elements will

remain neatly up

from the print edge so if you are going

to use adobe software

i suggest setting up your business card

with either illustrator or indesign

because both programs do have bleed

settings when you set up a document

and they also have printing crop and cut

marks on the final pdf too

your choice of font is more important

than ever when concerning business cards

and that's because these designs are so

small how small or big we're going to

look at later

but considering they are relatively

small you need to make sure the text is

legible a business card is supposed to

inform the viewer of contact details and

other such

information so the font you choose must

easily be read at a small size so the

tip here is do not go for decorative or

fancy kind of fonts

go with something very standard and

clean and something easy to read

also make sure to test print to your

designs before you go ahead and print

out or commission

5 000 prints as an example that could

easily cost a lot of money and

induce many headaches the next tip

relates to negative space

yeah you've heard me and many people say

before that negative space

is crucial but in business car design

the negative space

has a hidden reason as to why it is

needed yes the obvious reason

is that negative space allows the design

to breathe and so the contact

information is easily accessed and

seen however when business cards are

handed out in the real world

people often like to write down little

messages or reminders on the business

card

and this could be like a phone number or

something like that or a date

and so leaving negative space for that

reason is also a great idea

do not assume you need to fill every

nook and cranny of your business card

with

design content so how big or how small

should your business cards be

there are standard sizes relative to

which country you live in

now as an example in the us that is 3.5

by 2 inches

and that is considered the norm or here

in the uk it is 88 by 55 millimeters

now you can do some research online

about where you live and what sizes are

common or you can just even check what

you have in your wallet and see

what sizes they are but whatever size

you go for

make sure you do take into consideration

the bleeds that we spoke about earlier

and also a margin

i would suggest keeping all text content

at least half an inch from the print

edge

people sometimes forget the main purpose

of a business card it is essentially a

physical

call to action button in the real world

some brands like to make a short message

that offers a discount

or something that directs recipients to

a website

or it might even provide a tip that is

relevant to the reader

if you hit the mark with a specific call

to action or other helpful information

you can make your card instantly

memorable and generate more leads in the

process

so it is a good idea to be quirky and

kind of step out of the box

but you will want to make sure that your

business cards call to action

is effective and for that i'm going to

test my design with vgs

by 3m but before i use vas

to analyze the effectiveness of my

business card as a graphic designer what

do i want to achieve

in this design to demonstrate i have a

quick

mock-up design that i made here for

satori plus which is launching

later this year now as you can see i

have the logo split in half

so that it's going to resemble an entire

full logo when you have two cards

stacked vertically first notice how

there is a lot of negative space on my

card

business cards are so small that you

need to ensure that all of the

information is easily accessible

to the viewer in terms of hierarchy on

the side of the business card with the

contact details

i want the yellow logo in the top right

to be the first thing someone notices

that's going to be my hook and then i

want the eyes to travel

down towards the name and then finishing

on the call to action which is my email

and website and so forth

and so to test that let's run the gaze

sequence with vas

and see if that path is in fact achieved

and so you can see after i've run the

gaze sequence

i more or less do have that desired path

starting in the top right with the logo

and then finishing down in the contact

details or the call to action

however the fourth step is a little bit

off to the left

so i could maybe tweak things a tiny bit

but i don't think it's that important

if say for example my logo was white or

kind of a bit transparent

it wouldn't be the starting point i was

looking for and these high scores do

suggest that my

points of interest will be easily

accessible and noticed by the viewer

and that's essentially in part due to

the contrast of color that i've been

using

but also the fact that everything else

is basically negative space

also with vas it is possible to

highlight separate areas of interest

so for example the main focal point in

the top right then my name

title and also the call to action

details

running vas the second time it seems

that my final call to action has a lower

score than the rest of the design

to improve this score i could display

the contact details in yellow

or maybe even use a boulder font or

maybe even place it over a color

square however this might interfere with

that gay sequence

from going from one two three to four so

you do want to think about what you want

to achieve with the gaze

sequence and also the points of interest

scoring every effective business card

has a theme

throughout the entire design often this

theme is going to relate back to the

brand identity in terms of the color

scheme

or it might be the shapes that are used

or things like the typeface selection

every decision should relate back to the

brand of the client

as to keep with their solid theme often

designers will contrast the front of the

card to the back

as a means of creating some kind of

style within that theme

so maybe one side could have a black

background with a white logo and text

and yet the flip side will have a white

background with black

text and assets i feel like this is a

pretty easy way to create a decent

design

while keeping in with the theme

so when's the last time you designed a

business card and do you think these

tips are helpful

now if you would like to try analyzing

your own business card designs

or any other design for that matter with

vas you can grab yourself an extended

free trial by clicking the link down

below and using the code thomas

for five extra trial credits when

signing up if you guys want to learn

something else about graphic design

today

just click a video on screen and until

next time design your future today

peace

[Music]

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