You already know that business cards are a must for any business. Before you order yours, however, you should carefully consider the message you want to convey and make sure the design matches your intentions. This is only possible if you know the psychology of business cards and other marketing materials. When your potential clients receive a card, their first impression will be determined by a few key elements:
- The quality of the paper
- The choice of colors
- The use of white space
- The choice of font
While tastes concerning paper differ (some people prefer glossy whereas others enjoy embossed paper, rugged grain or metallic sheen), the other elements should not depend on your personal preferences. They should reflect your professional or corporate image and speak of your mission and values.
These being said, here are three useful tips to help you prepare a set of business cards which offer the true image of your business or professional stance.
Be Generous with the Use of White Space
Nobody likes to decipher lots of text and graphics crammed together on a small piece of cardboard. Crammed text makes it difficult to focus the attention of the reader on the key elements (contact details) of the business card. More than that, it makes the card look as if you were trying to squeeze a leaflet into it for a more affordable price.
White space is extremely important when you want to catch people’s attention. There is even a psychological rule: if you offer people several items to choose from, it will take them longer to make a decision, and some will leave without making any choice.
Stick to the essentials on your business cards: name, position, company name, contact details (phone, website and email are sufficient these days). You can use the flip side of the card to print a short, catchy motto and the website and social media pages of your business.
Never Neglect the Importance of Colors in the Psychology of Business Cards
Colors are very powerful in conveying emotions and altering one’s mood or state of mind. When you pick your colors, not just for your business cards but also for your logo and corporate identity, remember the true meaning behind each color and make the right choice.
Red, yellow and orange appeal to emotions and convey messages related to passion, dynamics, optimism, joy and youth. In other contexts, they can be interpreted as signs of warning, danger, jealousy, weakness and cowardice.
Green, blue and brown are colors which appeal to the logical part of the human thinking, signifying strength, dependability, control, nature, integrity and wisdom.
White, silver, black and purple are associated with royalty, luxury, premium quality and high-end products and services in general.
Choose the Right Font
The ideal option is to work with an experienced design company and create or choose a unique font, one that represents your business and can become your recognizable trademark.
However, you can also test available fonts yourself and see if you can find something you like. Prepare a batch of cards in the variety of fonts you found appealing and ask your trusted friends and close business associates to give you their opinion.
Remember that you should coordinate the psychology of business cards with the actual values, business mission and goals of your company. Instead of risking to distort your prospects’ first impression with a false image, it is better to work with business design and printing professionals who can help you make the right decision and turn it into reality.
