Do you still need business cards?
Yes, especially in face-to-face contact: at a customer’s premises, at a trade fair, at a networking event, at the counter. A card is handed over faster than a number can be dictated, and it stays long after the conversation is over. It’s also a small piece of your brand that people can hold in their hands.
What belongs on the card
- Logo and business name, easy to read.
- Your name and role, if the card is a personal one.
- Website, short and without “https://”.
- Address, if customers come to you.
- One sentence about what you offer, if the name alone doesn’t explain it.
Less is more. Social media channels, opening hours and three phone numbers make the card full, but not better. Anything that changes often belongs on the website.
The QR code: used sensibly
Choose one destination, not several, and write next to it what happens, for example “Book an appointment”. Test the code with several phones before printing.
Format, paper and finishing
- Format: 85 × 55 mm is the usual size in Germany. It fits into any card holder and any wallet.
- Paper: A heavy paper feels high quality and doesn’t crease as easily. Matt looks calm and is easy to write on; gloss makes colours shine.
- Finishing: Embossing, hot foil or coloured edges stand out and stay in the memory. They’re worth it when they suit the brand, not as an end in themselves.
Design that matches your brand
Your business card should look like your website, your sign and your invoices: the same typeface, the same colours, the same logo. Only then will people recognise you everywhere. How to define this is covered in Corporate design.
The same goes for everything else you print, such as flyers.
Make sure there’s enough margin and spacing. Crowded cards look cheap, even on expensive paper. And check the font size on a printed proof, not just on screen.
What to watch out for when printing
- Add bleed. Colour areas and images that run to the edge need a few millimetres of overlap.
- Keep a safety margin. Don’t place text and logo too close to the trim edge.
- Colours in CMYK. Otherwise colours look different in print than on screen.
- Have it proofread. One wrong digit in the phone number makes the whole print run worthless.
On the phone as well
If you like, the printed card gets a digital sibling: your business card as a card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. You show the QR code, the other person scans it with their phone camera and has your name, number and website in their address book. The page on wallet cards shows how it looks.
What we do for you
We design business cards to match your logo and website and take care of printing through our partner printers. Business cards are included in the “Complete” package for €2,690, together with logo, website, flyer and loyalty card. Of course, they’re also available on their own. Find out more under Print design and Packages.