Business Cards Land

We’ve seen a lot of crazy stuff on this site, meat business cards, microchip business cards, even extremely plain business cards made into catapults.  This, however, might take the cake for craziest use of a business card yet.  We just found business cards that you can record a voice greeting, information and audio clip onto, and then be played back by whomever you give that card to.  Yes, you can SPEAK to those you choose to give your card to.  Wow.

That said, we’re going to try to embed that video here, but we’ve been having technical issues embedding videos, so in the event that it doesn’t embed, please just click Here to see the full video of the talking business cards. 

Bottom line, we’re guessing this is a product and an idea that you’d only give to the very best of your clients, those few important clients that bring in more business, more revenue or more, well, whatever, as these are probably a bit spendy. Giving these away, will probably hurt, but the effects might just be worth it.

That said, here’s a question we’d love to have answered:  What would YOUR recordable business cards say if you had them?  What would your message to your favorite clients be?  Lets hear them, and we’ll post the best answer here!  Now check out the video and enjoy your weekend!!

Popularity: 4% [?]

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Usually on this site, we’re telling you great ways to get amazingly designed business cards for cheaper; after all OvernightPrints.com has a knack for offering up some of the highest quality, most breathtaking business cards on the market.  Sometimes, however, we just have to spotlight some ways to make your business cards not only beautiful, but downright elegant and artistic.  That’s exactly what the creators of these business cards did, and we have to admit, we’re impressed.

Check these out above.  Look at the way the small stamps of foil add so much to these cards, and make them look not only classy, but extremely artistic and, well, modern.  Word is these were designed for a clothing store…here’s what they had to say about them:

“Designed by Seven Nine. A fashion boutique can use this business card to display contact information. The graphic abstraction of trees serves as an interesting background that also conveys an image of a trendy clothing store. The dark palette also gives the business card a contemporary, fashion-forward feel.”

-Inkd

Whatever the case may be, we love them, we love the design, the dark color palette and the overall tone of the card.  Plus, they are vertical, which can provide an additional tip we’d like to offer you.  Business cards don’t Always have to be horizontal.  When the whole world prints sideways, print yours longways and you’ll notice that your card always stands out in a pile…literally.

Popularity: 20% [?]

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Ok, here we go, Friday we mentioned arguably the coolest, dorkiest, nerdiest and most difficult business card to reproduce.  That’s right, the microchip business card is hard to beat, but then we wake up this fine Monday and we do just that…at least in our humble opinions we do. 

That’s right, we found yet another microchip business card that not only raises the bar, it jumps right over it and laughs while it runs past.  This microchip business card is not only a working microchip, like the other card, but this one comes in Business card form, size and shape, as well as looks extremely cool and stylish while doing so.

This card looks like it belongs to an “Evil Mad Scientist” and taking one glance at it you’ll completely understand why.  The color scheme of black and white, mixed with the cool vintage font (and we’ve mentioned before, font is almost everything) makes this not only one of the most interesting business cards, it makes it one of the hands down coolest.

As we mentioned Friday, however, these business cards, while totally original and inspiring, are also nearly impossible to reproduce, extremely expensive and you’re most likely not going to want to, or be able to, give many away.  Nevertheless, we’re constantly inspired, and constantly surprised on this blog, and this microchip card did both of those things to kick start our week.  Well played Evil Mad Scientist…well played indeed.

Popularity: 4% [?]

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Every now and again we find a business card design that is so remarkably unique, we just can’t help but show you.  99% of the time, however, these business cards are extremely expensive, almost impossible to make yourself or even find someone who could make one for you and a bit on the impractical side.  Today, we might have the business card that takes the cake. 

While the trend has certainly shifted and it is true that the “geeks” are taking over the world, a fact we’re completely supportive of, this business card might very well be the geekiest business card we’ve ever, EVER, seen.  This business card is printed on a microchip.  Yes, a computer microchip, and yes, it’s fully functional.  Unless you’re looking at this chip specifically looking for contact information, we have to admit, you might completely miss the fact that it’s a business card at all.  Upon further inspection, however, you can clearly find the person’s name, email address and even a phone number.

To Travis Goodspeed, the creator of this business card, we must collectively tip our hats.  What a genius idea, despite the fact that as we mentioned, they’d be next to impossible to actually get your hands on one.  However he did this, and however many he made are most likely the most creative business cards that have circulated around, and for that, we’re impressed.

Now, it’s the weekend, go set up your order for your Own business cards, and get out and enjoy the beautiful summer weather!  We’ll see you bright and early Monday morning!

Popularity: 7% [?]

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Here’s an idea we have only barely scratched the surface on here on BusinessCardsLand.com:  The idea that the more interactive a business card is, the more likely people are to hang onto them, save them, show others and most importantly, remember them.  By interactive, of course we mean a business card you can actually do something with.  We’ve had lockpicking business cards, toothpick and mirror business cards and even business cards that give you the illusion that they are three-dimensional.  Never, however, have we featured a business card that you can actually untie from a knot, and retie it when you’re done.

That’s right, we just found a business card that comes to you in knot form.  It looks like it’s made out of a fabric type material, and as such lends you the opportunity to fold it, re-fold it, tie it, untie it and crumple it up all without damaging the card itself, or the business contact information on it.  Imagine the looks on people’s faces when they request your business card and you hand them a small knotted piece of fabric, telling them to simply Untie it when they’re ready to get ahold of you.

Do this, and I can almost personally promise you that people would be passing that card around for months.  The only problem, however, is the impractical nature of the card.  Like the card printed on meat, the metal business cards and business cards printed on other strange materials, they are both expensive, difficult to find a place to produce them, and hard to actually get rid of.  No one wants to hand out a card that cost them $2 to make, now do they?

That said, it’s always interesting to see how people are pushing the boundaries of business card design and marketing.  The sky is truly the limit, and our goal is to find as many of those inspirational ideas as possible.  After all, when you’re ready to order, you can head to OvernightPrints.com and USE all that inspiration to make your business cards better than ever.

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Here’s an interesting bit of trivia for you – the standard size of a business card (in the U.S.) is 3.5″ by 2″  or 88mm. by 52 mm – finished size (some references say 89mm. x 51mm – but of course the U.S. doesn’t use the metric system, so 3.5″ by 2″ is close enough.)

(Evidently a lot of people want to know this – tens of thousands of people search for the answer monthly, according to Google.)

As far as I know, however, the United States is the only country with a uniform card size.   Unless you specifically order a custom size, when ordering from a US-based printer, that’s the size you’ll get.

Why should you care?  Because if you do business in other countries, it’s helpful to understand that not every country follows US conventions when it comes to business card size – and that affects whether or not such business cards can be used and stored efficiently.  If you do business in a particular country, it might be smart to print your business cards in a size and format that’s common in that country.

It has become increasingly popular to print business cards the size of a standard credit card – 3 1/4′ by 2 1/8″, or 85.5 mm. x 54mm.)

Popularity: 1% [?]

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Hello and happy Monday!  On this site, we’ve mentioned time and time again that beautiful business cards, with exceptional design, are a shoe-in to get noticed more than their extremely plain counterparts.  As always, however, there is an exception to every rule and this is no different.  Sometimes, the uglier a business card and its design are, the more likely people are to stop, stare and yes, remember.

That’s exactly the case for this extremely strange, yet strangely interesting business card we stumbled on.  I’m not sure if it’s the slightly menacing stick figure on the front of the card, or the extremely loud colors that were chosen, or just how darkly scribbled in the contact information on the back happens to be, but something, something, draws our eyes to these cards and we just can’t stop looking.  In the event someone actually gave us this card, I can guarantee it’d be one that we’d keep in our cases and show just about everyone we knew.  That, my friends, is power.

So, knowing this, if you’re a proud employee of a company that thinks way outside the box, if you own your own business and want to be remembered but in a slightly different way, maybe when it comes to YOUR design, think Ugly instead of thinking Pretty.  Who knows, that decision might be exactly what it takes to launch your business cards, and your business along with it, to the next level.  After all, getting remembered is half the battle!

Have any ugly business cards you’ve stumbled across?  We’d love to see, discover and even highlight any and all that you may have found!  The uglier, the better!

Popularity: 9% [?]

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I showed this idea to a friend of mine a week or so ago and was tickled to see he’d actually tried it!

The first thing you’ll need is a hole punch.  An ordinary round one will do – or you can buy a punch in a different shape (start, heart, house, check mark, smiley face, et cetera) at many office supply or hobby stores.

The next thing you need is a business card that needs a little pizzazz…

All you do is punch a hole in your business card – and voila!  Instant conversation-starter.

I guarantee you that a good percentage of people who get such a card from you will ask you about it, so you need to work out an answer in advance.  Something along the lines of “That hole represents the gap in your insurance coverage…” can be quite effective.

Taking this idea  step further – you can carry your hole punch WITH YOU and actually punch the card while you’re talking to the person, before you hand it to them.  Illustrate your point by punching the hole while you’re talking and you will almost certainly be remembered.

Don’t have a hole punch?  A twist on this idea is to use a scissors and snip off the corner of your card, either before or during the business card exchange – maybe saying “we don’t cut corners with our products” as you do.

You CAN embellish quite ordinary business cards this way, and even reinforce your company’s marketing message as you do.

Popularity: 1% [?]

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When it comes to business cards, if you made a chart about the percentage of cards you’ve ever been given that have square corners, vs. the number of cards that have had rounded corners, what would you say that chart would look like?  If we’re honest, the chances are that chart would be extremely lopsided towards the square.  Extremely meaning probably 98%.  Yikes.

That said, if you shop at OvernightPrints.com, you can actually choose rounded business cards instead of the traditional square.  With one click, you can get the highest quality, most affordable rounded business cards in the industry.  Talk about setting yourself apart?  Wouldn’t you rather be a part of that 2% than the 98% you have sitting in your drawers?  Thought so. 

That said, we found a few rounded business card designs that really stood out and we thought you’d love to see them.  First, we have arguably the most simple of all business cards.  With a simple logo on the bottom right, and a name on the bottom left, this card says style and the rounded corners completely make it.  Simple = Good.  Simple = Power.

Next up, we have a very graphically pleasing card, complete with great color contrasts, a cool graphic that stands out, and of course, the rounded corners.  Just looking at it makes you feel like it’s quality, and the person who designed it is just as high quality.

So, when you’re preparing YOUR order for business cards, why not opt for rounded corners instead of the traditional square?  With one simple change you’re taking your business cards to a completely unique level, without breaking the bank to do so!

Popularity: 4% [?]

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In a previous post about using business cards to stand out in your company, I described ways to customize company business cards to highlight your unique skills, experience, or simply your personality.

But what if your organization won’t allow you to deviate from the traditional “name, address, phone number” format, or simply disapproves of anybody showing a little initiative and originality when it comes to marketing?

There are many easy and inexpensive ways to enhance existing business cards – here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Stickers:
  Buy tiny stickers and affix them to your business cards – perhaps something like gold stars or smiley faces.  Make sure the sticker is appropriate for your industry (I wouldn’t put a smiley face on a criminal attorney’s business card) – but there are thousands of stickers available!  You may very well find something that’s eye-catching and that bolsters your marketing message.
• Stamps:
  You can find rubber stamps at hobby and office supply shops – pick a color and actually stamp over the text on your existing card, or stamp on a blank area.  A local artist I know had an ordinary black-text-on-white-stock business card.  She bought a lovely rubber stamp of a heart, used red ink, and stamped right over the text on her card.  It actually looked as if the red ink was BEHIND the text – it was quite legible and really unusual.
• Handwriting:
  Probably the easiest way to embellish a business card is simply to write on it.  Your name, your nickname, your personal cell phone number, a “10% off” discount – when you’re right in front of someone, and you take the time to write something on a business card before you hand it to them, they’ll notice!

Next time – I’ll show you a clever way to modify an existing business card while making a marketing point at the same time.

Popularity: 1% [?]

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