Business Card Design

If you didn't know this about me already, in my other life I am the art director at a mega-company that shall not be named --to protect the innocent. I've also been a graphic designer nearly all my adult life. (that equals to a very long time)

I know a lot about promotional collateral. But even I was hesitant on where to spend my promotional dollars. After much consideration, I decided on the business card.

Only yesterday, I had lunch with a (NY pubbed) author and I asked her where she invested her promotion dollars. She said business cards were the only things she'd spent money on so far. She didn't think postcards, bookmarks and brochures brought her as much mileage as the humble little business card.

I have to agree. Here's why.

I am not fussy about what holds my place in a book. It could be a piece of toilet paper for all I care. If you look at the slew of books I read on any given day, most of my "bookmarks" are business cards. They're small, portable and unobtrusive, and I will readily give them to strangers before I shove a bookmark in their hands.

Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE bookmarks. I collect them for their aesthetic value alone. Some of them are really gorgeous. But I don't need them--and rarely use them. Judging by the books I've seen in other people's possession, I'm not alone.

The whole purpose of promotion and networking is to get people to refer to whatever trinket or card you give them. No matter where you decide to spend money, always have that in the back of your mind. How often will people see your advertisement? This is why business card magnets are so effective. I constantly see those magnets on my fridge. And I use them too.

Regular business cards are stored in a very nice BC album. If I have your business card I can find you at a glance. Bookmarks, on the other hand, are usually in a box hiding in my closet. Sometimes when I need inspiration, I go through them.

Those are my reasons for banking on business cards. Now let me tell you what to put on them.

Layout: If you have a book to promote, use your book cover as the main art. People tend to be very visual. I might not remember your name, but I will remember a cover and will look for it on that basis.

I like art. I will be drawn to a card with art faster and retain it to memory longer than a plain card. So if you don't have cover art, think about color and graphics. Think about branding. What does your card say about you?

Steer away from cutesy clip art. Go for something more original and memorable. Do you write mystery or suspense? Black and silver looks stunning. Horror? I know your gut instinct is probably blood splatters, but consider something creepier. Like maybe one eye with the silhouette of a knife as the pupil. Romance runs the gamut between sweet to erotic. The key is to know your audience. Who are you trying to reach?

Fonts: I've said this before. Don't get fancy with your fonts. You can get away with a "display" font as your main heading (usually your name) but keep the rest of it simple and easy to read. You don't want people to get out their reading glasses.

Color: Complementary, please. Just because lilac and neon green are your favorite colors doesn't mean it belongs on your card. Think about what you're selling, not what you like.

Blurb: If you have room, add your catchphrase. If you don't have a tagline, go back to your brand. What is it that you write? What is the tone or atmosphere of your style of writing?

And if you don't have a brand, at the very least list the kind of writing you do. On my generic (good for all reasons) business cards it says:

SF • Fantasy • Paranormal
Freelance Writing • Print & Web
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Information: In this day and age you have to be careful what kind of info you give to strangers. If you must give out a physical address, use a PO box. Use a cell phone number as opposed to a house phone, otherwise people can find your physical address through sites like Reverse Lookup.

Email addresses pose a different problem. I've had to change my provider once already--along with the extension to my email address. To get around this, consider getting a Yahoo or Google email account. It'll follow you anywhere regardless of who your provider is.

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