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Updated: Aug 17, 2022, 2:00pm
The advent of the 21st century meant the beginning of the digital address book and the beginning of the end for the Rolodex. Now, social media, online advertising and email have replaced Yellow Pages, radio ads and word of mouth as the primary means of business promotion. But despite the near-ubiquitous prevalence of the new digital promotion tactics, plenty of business is still conducted with business cards.
Designing the perfect business card may seem difficult, but we’ve rounded up ten excellent business card designs of 2022 to give you some inspiration.
Branding World
This sommelier, or “sommelière” in the traditional French, went for a simple yet elegant business card. Though the card itself is your standard size and shape with a single color font, design studio Branding World added a unique, industry-specific touch by intentionally staining each business card with real wine from the bottom of a real wine glass. Simple, unique and specific, these cards are designed to catch the eye—and possibly the nose, too.
Leo Burnett
This fitness trainer’s business card shows her customers exactly what the results of her personal training program will be. With a foldable perforated edge, potential customers get to literally “lose the flab” of this business card, giving them a memorable, interactive experience. This unique experience stands out from the competition and is much less likely to be thrown out or forgotten by a future customer.
Sam Dallyn (via Behance)
This bold color card keeps the info small and the brand big. Clearly designed to catch an eye across the room, the bright pops of color combined with retro color palettes will certainly trigger nostalgia and charm among certain demographics. The typeface is bold and unique to the point of being memorable, and this photographer and creative director’s brand remains consistent across her website and social media.
Schwimmer Pool Service (via Creative Criminals)
This pool cleaning company knows exactly how to get its customers in the door. Assuming, that is, that your pool is in need of cleaning. With a business card made out of pH testing paper, potential customers can dip this card into a pool and see if the pool’s pH balance is in need of service. Not only is the card memorable and interactive, it actually tells customers when it is time to call the business in question.
Studio Emmi
This graphic designer’s business card is simple, charming and stands out in a crowd. Vying for “most minimalist business card,” this college-ruled lined notebook paper-inspired card keeps the info short and sweet with a name, title, email, website and phone number. Guaranteed to instill recipients with nostalgia for school days, this graphic designer will surely receive calls for work.
Fabio Milito
A business card, a functional comb and a musical instrument, this salon’s innovative branding is as unique as it is usable. Designer Fabio Milito perfectly encapsulates the brand of this “rock ’n’ roll hair salon” by designing this plastic business card in such a way that customers can slide their fingers down the comb’s teeth to play a classic rock song. While it may seem gimmicky, this lightweight plastic business card will still comfortably slide into a wallet or fit in a standard business card holder.
Jessica Bou
This minimalist, modern business card stands out (literally) among competition using embossing and raised patterns to create wave-like oscillations. Designed to look like a topographic map for showing elevation changes, the raised pattern catches the eye and balances the large amount of negative space on the card. Raised patterns are especially good for designers, architects, artists and, of course, cartographers.
McCann Canada
This roofing company’s business card is on-brand, unique and foldable—turning from a 2D card into a 3D slate-tiled, pitched roof. The typography of the card is clean and minimalist, with a single block of neatly justified text. The inside of the card also features Andrew Murray Roofing’s simple, text-less logo, which fits in well with the monochromatic, minimalist style. The simple fold turning the card into a three-dimensional roof keeps the folding-business-card effect from feeling too gimmicky while still elevating the experience for potential customers.
William Chyr (via Twitter)
Designed to promote a video game of the same name, these business cards are actually plantable. The paper is made from recycled materials that decompose quickly into compost so seeds embedded within the paper can grow. Planting the business card with soil below and watering the paper till it’s moist will allow the seeds to sprout and grow roots into the soil. While this business card is not exactly designed to last—at least not in its original form—customers are guaranteed to remember where their plant came from. Hopefully, they write down your contact info before it grows away.
Micha Kaufman (via Flickr)
Known as a great site to hire an affordable designer for your business card, the Fiverr CEO actually created his business card out of a recycled piece of cardboard, stamped with the key contact information and wrapped in a sticker label with the brand logo. This business card is as eye-catching as it is eco-friendly while also befitting the company’s hire-it-out-yourself attitude toward design.
If our favorite ten business cards of 2022 still leave you wanting more, here are a few more ideas to help with the inspiration you seek.
Crafting a Green World
If cardboard, plantable paper or plastic weren’t enough, consider using other nontraditional materials for your business cards. Many business card design companies offer lightweight metal or wood options. Both of these are sure to last longer and feel better in the hands of a potential client.
Business cards can also be made from recycled fabric, broken pottery or even cookies. Who doesn’t want a free cookie once in a while? Just make sure your prospective customer has another way of remembering your info once digested.
QR Code Generator
In a digital world of websites, email and contact apps, paper business cards can seem outdated. You can, however, use the paper to take your prospective customers right to your online platform. Thanks to the pandemic, QR codes have become ubiquitous; a barcode any smartphone can scan will take clients right to your website.
NFC, or near-field communication, is another possible addition to smart business cards, offering the same functionality as a QR code without the square. Most smartphones released after 2017 have built-in NFC scanners that can detect NFC tags. These NFC tags can easily be embedded in standard business cards. Once picked up by a prospective customer’s phone, an NFC tag can take future customers or clients straight to your website.
WebFX
The line between functional business cards and hilarious gimmicks can be a tough one to find, but even the silliest of business cards can still get the job done. Functional business cards can have serious longevity if your customers can actually use them. Even business cards that aren’t actually cards—for instance, combs, toothbrushes or pens with contact information printed on them—are more likely to be kept around much longer. A less-functional gimmick may be fun for a moment, but may be quickly forgotten.
Consider printing your business card with a to-scale ruler on it so when your customer needs to measure something, they have to look right at your name and phone number. Better yet: print your business card information onto a handy bicycle multi-tool, guaranteeing your prospective client will be silently thanking you from the side of the road.
Ensure your business cards are flawless by double-, triple- and quadruple-checking before sending to print. The chances are you will want or need to order 100 to 200 cards (if not many more) and any error means you’ll have to start over.
Make sure not to use garish colors or use difficult-to-read text and hard-to-look-at designs. To make your card stand out and remain legible, print the main text in either black, dark blue or gray if it is on a white or light background and in white if it is on a black or dark background.
Be sure to include multiple methods of contact on any card. For example, include both a telephone number and an email address. Avoid including too much information such as fax numbers, multiple emails, phone numbers or social media links unless it’s important to how you do business. You should only include your business address if you have a brick-and-mortar store your customers can visit or mail items to for your service. Few customers will ever try to contact you by mail.
Make sure you always have your business cards on hand, no matter what industry you work in. Conversations struck up on the treadmill, at the coffee counter or even on public transit may lead to business opportunities. Make sure you always have a stack of cards in your car, wallet, briefcase or purse.
You may appear pushy or forward if you give your business card out too early in a conversation. You should instead wait until the end of a conversation after you have already built a rapport with your potential customer. Never just hand someone your card or force them to take it. Instead, ask “May I give you my card?”
The best business card for you is the one that best represents who you are and what you do. Gimmicks can be fun, but unless carefully designed to match your brand, they may just come off tacky or immature. Always focus first and foremost on high-quality prints of well-designed, aesthetically pleasing cards. Simpler and cleaner often appear more professional.
An effective business card targets your audience and industry, is eye-catching without being hard to read and includes all the necessary information without too much clutter. Well-designed business cards will be unique, aesthetically pleasing and will communicate what you do effectively.
A business card should contain only the necessary information about you, your company and at least two ways to contact your business. Any other information should be kept to a minimum or removed entirely.
In this day and age, double-sided business cards give any business a leg-up by being more eye-catching and also easily findable amongst a large stack. Most printing companies make double-sided business cards fairly affordable.
Chauncey grew up on a farm in rural northern California. At 18 he ran away and saw the world with a backpack and a credit card, discovering that the true value of any point or mile is the experience it facilitates. He remains most at home on a tractor, but has learned that opportunity is where he finds it and discomfort is more interesting than complacency.
Kelly is an SMB Editor specializing in starting and marketing new ventures. Before joining the team, she was a Content Producer at Fit Small Business where she served as an editor and strategist covering small business marketing content. She is a former Google Tech Entrepreneur and she holds an MSc in International Marketing from Edinburgh Napier University. Additionally, she manages a column at Inc. Magazine.
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