Creative Business Card Design Ideas

Whether stuck in a homeowner's kitchen drawer or neatly filed in a business executive's Rolodex, just about everyone has a collection of business cards. As one of the simplest and most endearing forms of advertising, the business card must pack a powerful punch in a small space. All great business card layouts should include important contact information and incorporate a clean, easy-to-read design, so it can be difficult to make your card stand out from the competition. Here are a few creative business card design ideas sure to spark your creativity and help you design hot business cards that'll leave a professional and lasting impression on potential clients.

Turn it up

Great business card design isn't limited to horizontal layouts. Often, a vertical layout is enough to make your business stand out, because it suggests a creativity and professionalism that set you apart from your competition. Consider using a photo or logo at the top that fades away to the business card's background and text, or place the text on top with a definite line or color contrast between text, the logo and tagline. You could also experiment with a line or a wave, diagonally cutting across the business card, or use the traditional horizontal business card design elements and simply re-order them to look great in a vertical layout.

Get it into shape

Straying from the traditional square-cornered rectangle makes your company stand out to potential clients before they even take a look at the information on your business card. One innovative business card design idea is to use a die-cut card. One, two, three or four rounded corners are popular; as is a tabbed shape with notches designed for fitting in a Rolodex. If you want to get really extreme, you can use a shape that relates to your business. For example, a wrench- or hammer-shaped business card for a contractor or a cow-shaped business card for a farmer would capture a potential client's attention.

Make it useful

One way to ensure your business card will stay in the collective wallets, purses, Rolodexes and kitchen drawers of prospective customers is to make it useful beyond your contact information. The back side of the business card is a great place for putting value-added charts, diagrams, schedules and other information. A mortgage company, for example, might include a chart that depicts mortgage payments relative to a home's value and current interest rates. Radio and television stations, golf courses, bowling alleys, bands and other businesses could benefit from a list of events, or a schedule of a local sports team whose games are broadcast on their station or viewed at their facilities. The information doesn't have to be completely tied in to the business either - a car insurance company could increase brand recognition by listing popular attractions within driving distance.

Break the rules with elegance

You don't want to go overboard when it comes to the actual graphic design and layout of your business card, but that doesn't mean you can't have a little fun and be original. Think of all the color combinations, patterns, photos, layout orders and shapes that you can use in your ]]>creative business card design]]>. It's a good idea to browse around to find inspiration from designs you already like, and then go back to the drawing board and experiment. Do you want to be bold or subtle? What shapes, colors and patterns look great with your text, logo and photos? If you create a business card you love, show it to others around the office, and even friends, family and loyal customers to get their input. No matter what design rules you find online, remember that they're made to be broken. If it looks great, keep it!