11/12/2007
Business Card Blunders--Mistakes that could ruin your branding efforts
by Cozetta Jones, Graduate Assistant, UALR Lead Center
The cardinal rule to creating a good business card is to ensure that it reflects your company's image. From a branding perspective, this means it should match the look and feel of your logo. Yes, you want your card to be unique. Yes, you want people to remember you by it. But if you break the cardinal rule in pursuit of uniqueness, all people will remember seeing is an unusual business card. They won't remember your brand or its attributes.
According to John Williams, contributing writer for Entrepreneur.com, here are the top five blunders new companies make when creating their business cards:
•Choosing low-quality paper stock. Inexpensive paper stock may save you money, but it often leaves you with a card that feels cheap.
•Using a design template that does not match the logo. If the templates weren’t developed specifically to match your logo—and most aren’t—they probably won’t.
•Adding too much color to the card. 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.
•Making the logo gigantic. Instead of enlarging your logo for emphasis, employ white space to bring attention to it.
If you're looking to make a lasting impression, don't cheapen your first impression. Build a better business card and you'll build a better business.
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