Business Card Design: What to Put on a Business Card
As your number one networking asset, business cards put you and your brand in the spotlight. With so many design options for what to put on a business card, you have to choose your content carefully.
No matter the industry, your business card has to be memorable and include the crucial details your connections will need to contact you later. So let’s look at what should be on a business card, layout design ideas and guidelines for seamless printing with Smartpress.
What Should be on a Business Card?
First up: What should be on a business card anyway? While it’s totally your call as to what you include and the message you want to send, there are some essential elements you don’t want to forget. To seal the deal on potential partnerships, customers and clients, your business card should be tailored to you but look professional at the same time – and of course, include the following:
- Your name and job title
- Business or organization name
- Contact information
- Website URL
- Address
- Logo
- Social media handles
Name & Job Title
When you think about what to put on a business card, the most obvious addition is your name and job title. It sounds simple, right? But if it’s not printed with a clear font and as part of an easy-to-read design, this information can easily be missed or misread. With this type of info on business card layouts, you establish your personal identity and professional credibility with anyone you meet.
Business or Organization Name
While you chat with associates and make new ones at conferences and events, it’s easy for your business or organization name to go in one ear and out the other. On the list of what to include on a business card, that name is key to solidifying brand recognition – and so is how you present it. Font, size and location all play a role in how your brand is perceived, so design yours in a way that’s personalized yet accurate to what your brand is all about.
Contact Information
Another obvious element to include in your design is contact information. But what may not be so obvious is which contact information. Your business card contact info should list the forms of communication you and your business prefer and excel at.
Don’t want a ton of phone calls? Include your email address. Like having a personal touch? Focus on your phone number. Your business card info can even mention online chat options, if that’s the communication avenue you like going down.
Explore some of our format and finishing options for printing unique business cards.
Website URL
You want your business card details to be a catalyst that propels clients to dig deeper into your biz or organization. One way to do that is by listing your website URL on your business card. So often, potential partners and customers want to check you out before they engage, see what your brand is all about, your product assortment and even your values.
By having your website URL at-the-ready (and an online presence that warrants their attention), you’re providing a straight line for clients to get involved and hopefully make the sale, get the RSVP or win the social follow.
Address
For retail locations, event spaces, restaurants and businesses of all kinds, an actual brick-and-mortar is where you get a lot of bang for your buck. In this case, your physical address is a huge piece of your marketing puzzle and essential to your business card information.
Maybe you have an online strategy but your offline one is stronger and more beneficial. Perhaps both spaces are equally important for your brand (or you have order pickup for local customers like Smartpress). Whatever the case, when you consider what to put on a business card, make sure that includes your address.
Logo
Visuals play a huge part in marketing, even on your business card, which is why your company logo is another important element to include. Of all the things to put on a business card, your logo can boost your brand recognition and visually represent your entire business.
As you strategize about what goes on a business card, take the time to integrate your logo, and play around with how and where to place it in your design to be the most effective.
Social Media Handles
Finally, we come to our last recommendation for what to put on business cards: social media handles. Every business or organization has a presence on at least one social platform, so include the handle for whichever one (or ones) perform the best for you.
By doing so, you’re encouraging engagement and extending the conversation from the offline space to the online one, building new relationships and strengthening existing ones.
Get the ins and outs of business card printing with our business card FAQ.
Design Ideas for Business Card
Information Layout
When you print online with Smartpress, you can customize your business card information layout in so many different ways. It all depends on the message you want your card to send. With your intent in mind, you’ll want to organize and present info in a way that best suits you and your brand. As long as your content is readable and the aesthetic is appealing, you can’t go wrong.
And while there are endless design ideas for business cards, we have a few you’ll want to consider:
- QR codes: Provide clients with access to tons of digital content, essential information, even interactive experiences.
- Foil printing: Immediately catch the eye of potential customers with foil accents or entire floods in the negative space.
- Raised UV: Distinct in its tactile texture, this coating can be applied over patterns, logos and bold typography for a truly memorable impression.
- Digital die cutting: Hand out something other than a rectangle with business cards in any shape. Or stick with the traditional shape but opt for a die-cut logo for visual appeal.
Turn your design idea into a reality with our business card template.
Recommended Business Card
Printing Guidelines
For information on business cards to really shine, it has to be printed correctly. When you partner with a commercial printer like Smartpress, you get to choose dimensions, premium paper stocks, text and cover weights, protective coatings and laminates, rounded corners, variable data and more. All of which are important for the look, feel and impact of your business cards.
For that classic, know-it-when-you-feel it business card design, we recommend our coated semigloss 1 side (C1S) stock with a 12 pt. weight. If you prefer something with more heft, go with a heavier paper weight, and if you prefer some serious shine, add our ultra gloss UV coating for an unmissable sheen. However you imagine yours, be sure to include a 0.125” bleed and 0.125” safe margin in your print-ready file.
Print Your Business Cards
with Smartpress
Knowing what to put on a business card is only part of the professional networking game. But with a business card that’s designed strategically with specific information, a layout that represents you and your brand and printed with Smartpress’ expertise, it’s a part that keeps you ahead of the competition. Choose one of our business card formats and place your order to start making connections today.
