Business Cards Land » Business Card Tips

The Perfect Cutout Makes The Perfect Business Card

Tyler Knott Gregson — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 05:44:47 +0000

It’s Friday! Cue celebrations. Now, to kick things off a bit early for your weekend festivities you may or should have planned, we dug up the perfect business card with the most perfect cutout we’ve probably ever seen executed on a business card. Sometimes cutouts just don’t work, sometimes they seem forced, sometimes they seem superfluous and unnecessary. Sometimes, however, the stars align and the cutout comes into existence (or is it out of existence?) and it transforms what could have been a fairly ordinary business card into something much more, well, extraordinary.

This card, from a little place called …In A Bottle, uses a cutout to express exactly that. The whole site is called Message in a Bottle and I have to say, the business card chronicles that perfectly. The cutout, as you can tell by glancing above, is a cutout of a wine bottle and it’s used to show quite simply and effectively that the woman’s moniker is that exact message coming out of the cutout bottle. In a short word: Genius. I’m inclined to believe that cutouts on business cards can often be overused, but when they are used properly they seriously elevate a business card into a different level of creative. This is one of those cases and it makes us love it.

So, a tip from us to you on this fine Friday: Think carefully when designing your business card, if the cutout fits and helps launch your card into the stratosphere of cool, by all means do it. If, however, you have to force it on there or try very hard to find a reason for it, think twice, it’s entirely ok to leave it out. On that note, we’d absolutely love if some of you would start sending in some of YOUR business cards to us. We love seeing what you’re up to, and we’d love to feature some on our site! Send in those business cards!

Possibly Related Posts:

A Positive Out of a Negative: A Photographers Business Card

Tyler Knott Gregson — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:48:31 +0000

Welcome back to the world of the working, the living and the non-holiday celebrating…at least for a day or two until New Year’s Eve strikes! I hope this finds each and every one of you filled up with food, love and a great deal of holiday cheer! That said, back to business!

Today we stumbled on one of the coolest ideas ever put into practice and being a photographer, I can particularly appreciate not only that idea, but the method that was employed to actually make this work. The photographer in question, Jelle Akkernan, actually snapped a photo of his information, everything he needed to convey his business, what they do, where they do it and how to contact him and then developed the film of that photo to use as little business cards. One photo snapped, a bunch of film developed and viola, you’re left with tons of business cards ready to be handed out at your whim. What’s even more impressive, is that because they are printed on film, they are completely water resistant and won’t bleed or smudge or anything else. And they are cheap. Can’t do much better than that, now can you?

Remember, it’s not always the most expensive business card, using the most expensive paper and the most elaborate design that takes the cake. Sometimes a little creativity, a little do-it-yourself ingenuity and a little elbow grease and you’re left with a business card that everyone will want, everyone will think is amazingly creative, and everyone will talk about and pass around. In the world of business cards, that’s what we call perfect.

Possibly Related Posts:

Letterpressed Business Card Looks To Impress

Tyler Knott Gregson — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:19:38 +0000

Going with a plain white business card can be an extremely tricky thing to do. We’ve all seen the hundreds of thousands of plain white business cards that do little to impress, little to impart any sense of style and little to make you actually want to hang on to it. If, however, that plain white business card has a bit of flair on it, and perhaps some letterpressing like the amazingly detail oriented business card we found today, well that’s another story.

That’s right, if you’re going to go plain white, there ARE things you can do to make your card stand out from the pack and end up being kept a lot more often than not. The business card above chose to add some picture perfect letterpressing that includes embossed icons of their main logo. The entire top 3/4 of the business card is this effect and it absolutely works. On top of that, the use of only two colors in their fonts make it work even better, and pop even more.

So what lesson can we take from this? If you’re going to stick with a plain white business card, first make sure the paper is of top quality. Second, if you want to try dabbling in letterpressed cards, do, but if it’s a bit out of your price range or style, think about going with a watermarked image, whitewashed background, or something similar to show that while the card is white, there is some depth to the background.

Sometimes it’s the simplest, smallest additions that make the biggest, boldest improvements. The simple letterpressing on this business card elevates it from plain to perfect.

Possibly Related Posts:

Business Card Blunders: Top 5 Common Mistakes To Avoid

Tyler Knott Gregson — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:18:28 +0000

It’s Friday, we’re tired, we’re ready for the weekend and if you’re within one-hundred miles of my location, you’re freezing. That said, when all those factors combine it’s extremely easy to make mistakes and in the world of business cards, that’s an extremely easy thing to do. The good news is, if you’re aware of the mistakes that are always being made, you’re going to be much more equipped to actually avoid those. The bad news is, these top 5 business card blunders are beyond common, and they are made almost every day by someone designing their own business cards.

Just how common are these business card blunders? How about common enough that Entrepreneur Magazine actually published this article. Think they are trying to give people a head’s up about avoiding the pitfalls of poor design? We think so, and we wholeheartedly agree. You Can avoid these issues and it’s not hard to do. Check out the Top 5 Business Card Blunders, according to Entrepreneur Magazine:

“Choosing low-quality paper stock. Inexpensive paper stock may save you money, but it often leaves you with a card that feels cheap. Touch is an important sense and plays a role in memory recall. How you appeal to this sense depends on your company’s image. For example, B2B companies wanting to convey reliability should use a substantial, mid-weight stock.
Using a design template that does not match the logo. Assuming you want a business card to be taken seriously and help brand your company, you need a design that works with your logo. In other words, be extremely careful with template-based designs. If the templates weren’t developed specifically to match your logo–and most aren’t–they probably won’t. Many entrepreneurs fall in love with an over-designed template that distracts from their logo, or one that features an unrelated photograph. Photographs work well in marketing brochures, but if they appear on a business card, they will distract from your logo.
Adding too much color to the card. When you want to get someone’s attention, do you scream? Probably not, if you want to avoid scaring them. So why scare potential customers with a super-bright, rainbow-colored card? Color is your biggest asset in branding your company. Research indicates that color is the most important factor in memory recall. Tie your business to one or two specific colors; this color should also appear in your logo.
Making the card too unique. You want your card to stand out, certainly, but not so much that its difference makes people uncomfortable. Complex dye-cuts, extremely oversized cards, and odd card stocks (like metal) should be used only by companies engaged in highly customized or creative endeavors. Custom embossing, rounded corners, or varnishes are better touches for most companies. While it’s tempting to create an oversized card, keep in mind that many people still use Rolodexes or tuck cards into their wallets–both difficult to do with unusually sized cards. Function overrides form.
Making the logo gigantic. In general, the bigger the company, the smaller its logo appears on business cards. If you want to look like a Fortune 500, size your logo appropriately. Instead of enlarging your logo for emphasis, employ white space to bring attention to it.”

See! Easy to spot, easy to avoid, easy to steer clear of. A helpful tip is to use templates provided by the company you’re ordering your business cards from. In general they provide a way to make a spot-on business card that avoids the mistakes and gives you some great results. Check out the ones over at OvernightPrints.com, they have some spectacular, mistake-free templates that will get you on the right track!

Possibly Related Posts:

A Business Card & A Comb: Two Birds with One Stone

Tyler Knott Gregson — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:53:34 +0000

Say you own a barbershop, salon or some form of hair care institution…what do you think would be the perfect way, in a business card, to portray not only who you are and what you do, but portray it in a cool way?! Well, I think we’ve officially answered that question this fine Wednesday because the cool people behind the Bolt Barbers Barbershop have figured it out, and figured it out exactly.

From the hilarious and adorable monkeys on the front, to the perfectly chosen fonts and colors on the reverse side, to the most obvious, and best part of the card, the sharpened cut outs that act not only as the monkey’s hair but could also be used as an impromptu comb of your own once you’ve got your hands on the business card. That’s right, a business card that actually DOES what the business being advertised on it can do for you. Impressive? We think so. Taking one look at the card, you most likely will too.

We’ve said it a lot on this site, and we’ll say it again this fine Wednesday: The moment your business card matches up with what your actual business does and specializes in, you’ve found something special. Whether it is having a ruler on the back of a contractors business card or a comb on the back of a barber shops, when the two meet in the middle, business card magic happens.

Take that into account the next time you’re throwing around ideas for your newest and greatest cards…make them meet in the middle, see the results. Smile.

Possibly Related Posts:

The Inkless Business Card: Embossing For Style

Tyler Knott Gregson — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:37:15 +0000

Welcome back fellow workers, Monday has come again. Today we’ve got something a bit different when it comes to legendary and interesting business card design: a business card that uses no ink. Yes, you heard right, a business card that gives out all the pertinent and important information without using a single drop of ink. How, you say? Simple, embossing.

That, my friends, is exactly what Lisa Ano did on these business cards and the effect is, without a doubt, spectacular. Not only does it show off just how high-quality the paper that she chose for her business cards is, but it also shows off how perfectly she chose the color and the correct embossing. They come together to create a completely unique, completely simple and powerful card that I can almost guarantee will never be thrown away, and always passed around. Inkless too, so think about the cost savings as well as environmental benefits!?

So, when designing your next batch of supplementary business cards, why not try to toss a few inkless ones into the mix. It might cost a bit more, but for sheer Impress Value alone you will easily pay them off. They might not be the easiest or most practical, but if you’re amassing a business card army, they are certainly soldiers you’d want in the mix. Now remember, the holidays are upon us, if you need a great gift idea and don’t know where to turn, why not head over to OvernightPrints.com and check out some of the amazing holiday sales going on right now!

Possibly Related Posts:

Business Card Tip: Sometimes A Single World Will Do

Tyler Knott Gregson — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:39:23 +0000

We’ve covered just about every possible tip on this blog up to this point. From complex to simple, expensive to dirt cheap, home made to ornate and over-the-top, we’ve covered just about everything, and every time a new idea does come to light we’ll be on it, rest assured. Saying that, one idea we’ve offered before, but we’re really going to drive home today, is that sometimes simple IS the best way to go, sometimes simple IS everything.

That’s the philosophy the brains behind this business card took as they took simple and then went even simpler. Yeah, it’s hard to get any more non-complex than putting a single word on the front of your business cards. The crazy thing is, look at it, it works perfectly! The blackish-gray background, great quality card stock paper and elegant script combine to make this One-Word-Wonder a pretty darn powerful business card. It doesn’t need email addresses, phone numbers, websites or contact information, it just needs it’s company name, that’s it and that’s all. While I’m sure the back has a bit more information, the front says it all, and we love it.

Think about this the next time you design a set of business cards…is there anything you could do to simplify your card? Is there information on there you just don’t need? Sometimes less is more and when it comes to making a very strong first impression, less can be exactly all you need.

Possibly Related Posts:

The Business Card Stamp: DIY Business Cards!

Tyler Knott Gregson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:27:10 +0000

Welcome back! It’s officially Cyber-Monday, another of the biggest shopping days of the year so today we’re going to offer you a helpful little business card tip that might just save you some bucks! As we’ve pointed out, we firmly believe that the single best business card strategy to help market your business, whatever that business may be, is to have a few different cards to hand out to different people, an arsenal if you will. We stand by that and today’s tip should help you add yet another simple, effective and just plain cool, card to your list.

The owners of this awesome little business card did a very smart thing: They made it themselves. While the up-front cost on this idea might be a little big higher, once you have the initial cost covered you can make your own business cards over, and over, and over again. This business card looks to be simple card-stock paper in black with a brilliant stamp created to take care of all the information actually on the card. Depending on the price of having a stamp custom made, the card stock paper you choose, and the kind of ink you choose, these are your only costs for making your own business cards! The cool thing, to me, is that each card will have its own separate look and feel, making each one completely unique based on how the stamp was pushed, the amount of ink used and even the shape and cut of the card stock you choose to use. How cool!

So, why not check out prices of custom-made stamps online or in your local community? Think of the possibilities for getting wildly creative you can come up with! A simple stamp and you’re able to make just about anything that can hold ink, a custom made business card. Perfect.

Possibly Related Posts:

Business Cards That Travel Like You Do!

Tyler Knott Gregson — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:13:23 +0000

One day until Thanksgiving! Hopefully by now you are already where you need to be to celebrate the holiday with your friends and family. If not, you’re probably one of the millions that make the day before Thanksgiving one of the busiest travel days of the year. So, in honor of today, and in hopes that each and every one of you find your way home swiftly and safely, the business card we found today is one that wants to travel as much as you do.

Check out the craftsmanship, the creativity and the absolute Wow factor of today’s business card! Not only does the card display all of the information you’d need about the business in question, it does so in a manner in which anyone, anywhere would be proud to display it on your desk. Imagine the looks, the comments, the surprise you’d have when you gave this little baby away. Yep, it’s a business card airplane and yes it’s just about the coolest thing we’ve seen in a long time.

While technically this business card actually looks like multiple, and it actually appears that this was custom made to be an airplane, we can’t help but marvel and wish that our business cards could magically transform into some other mode of transportation. I’m envisioning an entire line of business cards shaped like planes, trains, cars, buses, taxi cabs, you name it. If it teaches us one thing this fine Travel Wednesday it’s the age old rule we’ve mentioned on here many, many times: Fit your business card to your business and you’re ahead of the game. When the two meet in the middle, you’ll blow people away!

Now, have an amazing Thanskgiving Holiday and we’ll see you back here bright and early Monday Morning! From all of us here at Business Cards Land:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Possibly Related Posts:

Monday Business Card Tip: Go Au Natural

Tyler Knott Gregson — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:12:27 +0000

It’s Monday, again, but this week Monday actually feels a bit like a Wednesday for many of you out there, as Thanksgiving is Thursday and if you’re lucky you get Black Friday off too! So, saying that, here’s hoping that you’re one of those few that do get the days off! Now, on to business…cards.

The card we stumbled on this fine Monday follows a bit of a different path from many of the cards we feature on this blog. Instead of going high-tech, very modern and smooth, or ultra-designed, they opted to go much more natural, dare we say Au Natural. No, they aren’t nude business cards, but they do feature a very pleasing, very natural design of water droplets on an awesome color palette. All of this is set off and finished by a very simple square designed logo stating the companies name.

In the fast paced world of business, sometimes the best way to really make a strong impression is to get as far away from that as humanly possible. By stepping away from the dark colors, gothic fonts, straight lines and structure, you’re stepping away from the hustle and bustle of the business world and if we’re honest, who doesn’t need that each and every day at some point? So, to add to your business card arsenal, why not try your hand at some other natural designed, or at least natural inspired business cards? Water, oceans, trees, whatever you can find to relate back to you, to your business, and away from corporate.

Try it, design a few business cards today, you’ll be impressed and surprised to see how people’s attitudes change just by handing one to them. What do you have to lose?!

Possibly Related Posts: