In June 2022 in Melbourne the printing industry gathered to hand out it’s annual awards for excellence in print production.
Posterboy Printing was lucky enough to walk away with an award for one of our business card designs
How I designed an award-winning business card.
At the 2022 Australian Print Creativity awards, I won an award for my current business card. I change my cards frequently to keep them fresh and am not afraid of spending money on them. Considering my average invoice and lifetime customer value, spending $1 – $2 per card makes sense. I want to make the most out of those face-to-face encounters, so I invest in my cards.
A business card is a must-have sales tool for anyone in business. Potential prospects, or suppliers, will often ask for a card when we meet them in the real world. It might be a meeting or a networking event. There is a brief but distinct ceremony we all perform on receipt of someone’s card. We take the card, say thank you, and quickly appraise it. It is that moment of appraisal that I think about when designing a card. Because that moment is a decision point, where you decide what to do next, it is a moment that thoughtful design can turn to the giver’s advantage.
There is a certain degree of rejection at play at this moment. The card is, after all, a physical manifestation of the giver’s decision-making skills, career and business. That might seem a lot of meaning to put into a few grams of paper, but it is true. When you have left the building, your business card will be your physical representative in the room. So when we hand over the card, a tiny part of us is scared that the card will be laughed at or rejected. Most people want their cards to be acknowledged with a glance and then stored for them to be deemed worthy.
But there is another way we can influence this moment, another outcome we can aim for: comment and discussion. I want people to look at my card, then look at it again, and then comment on it. For the card itself to become a discussion piece. The discussion will be predictable, and thoughtful preparation for this predictable response can allow us to segue seamlessly into a conversation of our choosing. Creating instant rapport during the conversation and attaching memories to it when you are no longer in the room.
I had all of this in mind when I looked at designing my business card.
I considered by 6 Principles of Print Design as I approached it.
Surprise – I like to keep to the standard business card dimensions as there is a lot of distributed infrastructure around that size, wallets, cases, boxes etc. But within those dimensions, there is space for change in the shape.
Most business cards are 400gsm, so there is also space for change in the materials.
Value – Business cards are quite small, so I didn’t see much opportunity to add value through content like a calendar. But there is some possibility for value usage. Perhaps I could make the shape useful, like a bottle opener.
Creating value through the materials is a possibility.
Experience – Business cards are a tactile form of print that will be held. There is an opportunity to fascinate the fingers through materials and shapes.
Connect – A business card must have contact details on it, so making it a connection tool is almost a given. Given its small size, a QR code may or may not be practical.
Preparation – The preparation question is really about which phone number or email to put on. Since I change my card frequently, I could set up a new email account for each kind and track emails generated by each card.
Clarity – Keep it clear and straightforward. Details, branding, that’s it.
Principles Assessment
The principles assessment gives me a clear way forward. Materials and shape came up a few times, so they need to be a focus. An unusual stock and unique shape will add interest and value. A unique email address will add tracking data. The artwork needs to focus on details and branding only.
Material
Flatbed printing involves printing directly onto a rigid material. It has made it possible to print onto all kinds of unusual material. Table cutters and laser cutters often support flatbeds. Both of these technologies can cut shapes out of the middle of a sheet without the limitations of guillotines which can only cut straight lines. Laser and table cutters can cut any shape.
I found an excellent supplier who was able to print my design onto a 2mm eucalypt timber sheet. The timber is a lovely colour, dark enough to contrast with white text.
Shape
Next, I looked at the shape. Using a laser cutter meant that it could be any shape so long as I kept the final dimensions within the standard business card size. The limitations to keep in mind are the material properties rather than the machine’s capability. To this end, I used the icon shape from the Posterboy logo. The logo icon has hands on the sides, but I decided to leave them out as they made the final primary panel size too skinny for my taste. I was worried the hair would snap off too easily, so I rounded the corners and made it thicker.
Orientation
I switched the orientation between the two sides to create a moment where the holder needs to reorient the card in their hand to read it. A simple tactic aimed at the moment of appraisal to influence the decision from storage and towards comment.
Response
The cards create instant rapport, and people almost always comment on them. The conversation can be easily guided directly towards print and making truly engaging printed pieces. I approached the design of these cards thoughtfully through the lens of the Principles of Print Design. The recent national print creativity awards recognised the piece and awarded it a silver medal.
