By: Kelly Smith; Photos by Brooke Dennis and Justin Hackworth for Alt Summit
We have been talking a lot about finding your signature style that makes it easy for followers to recognize your work and identify with your consistent style. Just as you should create a style guide for a photo shoot or your web design, you should carry that guide over into your business card as well.
But first, here are three great articles and a video from Alt that explain the importance and need for business cards, especially if you are attending a conference, event, or business meeting.
- Three reasons why you should have a business card.
- The art of exchanging business cards.
- Business cards with personality.
- Advice from Guy Kawasaki from Alt Summer 2015.
Once you have established what your style guide or signature style looks like, carry that feel over into your business card through the design.
- Information is key – although you want it to look nice, don’t sacrifice important information like your name, business name, web address, email, social media handles, or phone number.
- Follow your color scheme – include at least one of your signature colors in your business card design.
- Consider an extra – at a creative conference like Alt, it is completely appropriate to add a little gift or extra with your card. This could be a chocolate, bookmark, key chain, fabric sample, product sample, confetti, or anything else that will leave people remembering who you are and what you do. However, don’t have something just to have something!
- Add a nod to your style – if you have an element in your signature style that can cross over to your card like a bow in your hair, flowers on your desk, or stripes in your clothing, then by all means incorporate that into your design.
- Keep it personal – you will make the first impression, your business card is a reminder of who you are so make sure that your typography, paper type, and imagery speak to you and your style.
For design ideas and examples head on over to our Pinterest board which includes past Alt business cards!
