Clean, crisp, readable, rememberable.

I also had a reason discussion with someone who didn’t like the size of my card (I opted for a wider but shorter height wise size). Explaining it bugged them loads.

Mine are: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachinglis/40448251/

I think a lot of times “conventions” are a lot like standards.  For business cards, using conventional placement for information or conventional design helps people recognize the data easily.

Ultimately, this has to be derived from the brand.  If the company is all about edgy-ness and breaking conventions, then a conventional business card will not serve them.  But if the client is all about professionalism and excellent execution in a tough market, then a more “conventional” business card might be exactly what fits.

It’s hard to make a blanket statement.

I’m asking myself the same thing as in the process of making some. Some pretty far-out examples I’ve seen have been trapezoid shaped, printed to look like an old (large) cinema ticket, hand printed with a rubber stamp, etc. My old one had a 2/3 fold, so that it could stand on a surface, but was still thin enough to use ‘as normal’ in a wallet.

Like you say, depends on your business and what you want to convey. A friends company have standard, above-average looking ones but play around with titles, calling designers ‘painters’ and developers ‘builders’ and so on.

One thing I’ve seen that I quite like (and very few seem to have) is a drawing or photo.

I stumbled on this use for business cards last week via Digg.

The article is a bit pretentious, but I think the cartoons are an interesting idea.

I think there’s something to be said for adhering to the size standards (of your country).

While novel sizes--or shapes, like circles--can be more exciting or ‘memorable’, if it doesn’t fit into a card holder or wallet, it’s likely to get lost.

As to the design, I think proper heirarchy of elements is more important than positioning, although positioning certainly adds weight to the heirarchy.

I’ve always subscribed to the idea that business cards are quick first impressions—they should adhere to your branding standards, clearly define your contact information, and grab the users attention in a few brief seconds… much like a web page.

For smaller companies on a budget, I typically advise using it as an opportunity to pitch a little more marketing on the back or front, so it becomes a little more useful than the standard card and cost effective - large companies can get away with more sparse designs since bcards aren’t so much a hard marketing tool as they are a means to spread who to call/email/fax.

I have other theories on print quality vs processes, but that’s coming from an old print designer who knows how to run those machines, and isn’t web design discussion:)

I believe a business card should (at the very least) have 3 elements on it (in order of importance):

1) Contact Information
2) Company Name
3) Visual identifier for the company (logo or something very strongly connected to your company)

What makes a successful business card, in my opinion, is the availability/readability of the contact information. This is the critical portion of any business card. People dig through their rolodexes looking for a person’s/company’s number, email, mailing address, etc. Not just for the card with the lenticular printing on the back.

Regardless how flashy or clever your card is, if contact information is not readily available, or quickly processed, the card failed. What does it matter if someone remembered some neat trick the card does or how nice it looked if they find a hint of difficulty acquiring your information from it.

Of course, this is all my opinion. I haven’t performed studies on this or anything.

I’m going through the same process right now.  To me, it seems like the contact information should be limited to the minimum necessary to make contact.  A card can get pretty crowded with all the email addresses, IM accounts, phone/fax/cell numbers you have available.  Leave some room for fun drawings!

I’ve done a couple of designs for business cards and find that the best ones that extend the company’s brand/image, so that in a pile of business cards, it’s easy/easier to distinguish between different companies quickly.

I found a really good book, which shows some ‘good’ designs. It’s great for inspiration if nothing else.

One of the best cards I’ve seen in a very long time, which is a reflection of the nature of the holder’s business as well as amazingly clever, is the lockpick card. You can see it at: http://www.jenimattson.com/pages/identity/melvin.shtml

Kudos to the designer. I think this is just a fabulous business card imho. :)

In my opinion, one of the best business card designs is this one for Scott Hansen. http://qwerty.us/visual.htm

1. It shows the logo.
2. It shows the professional.
3. It states what he does.
4. It states his tagline -"Designing Breathing Spaces.”
5. It contains his contact information.
6. Its memorable.
7. And I designed it. (grin)

I can only think of that memorable scene in American Psycho where they compare cards.

David Van Patten: [re: business card] Nice color.
Patrick Bateman: That’s ‘Bone’.

One of the most memorable business cards for me, was Kelly Goto’s card of gotomedia (http://www.gotomedia.com/).  Design resembled a tube ticket, complete with magnetic strip.  Nice.

As all designable things, a business card must serve to the purpose it’s meant to (had a name and some data written on it).
If you can add something, a witty idea or an extra funcionality, for example, it’s fine.
I just remembered that Simpsons’ episode in which someone (a lawyer, i think) gaves Homer an business card which becomes a sponge when wet.

If design is your business then a good looking business card is important. Our business cards aren’t particularly ground-breaking but people often compliment them when they are handed over. 

Business cards are obviously an extension of your business into someone else’s world so they need to carry your brand with them. And by brand I mean values as well as logo. So if you’re an uber-creative design agency the card probably needs to break a few rules too. Although it should also serve it primary purpose too - that of providing contact details.

Something I never realised until I actually started using business cards is that they need enough space on them somewhere for adding notes… that might be someone else’s email address, a url that the person you’re giving the card to might be interested in, perhaps your IM login, whatever. It’s UX for print.

A photo is also good. How many times have you gone through your wallet, found a stray business card and not been able to remember who that person was? A visual reminder is incredibly handy.

Then there’s the design...!

’a photo is always good?’
?only if you are good looking. I recently designed the corporate identity for a small makeup company. After completion they insisted on their photos being added to their cards. Unfortunalty the majority of the staff were not as beautiful as their product, which dragged the whole identity down.

In my opinion, most business cards are rather dull. They have a logo and some contact information and are generally pretty bland and much like all the other business cards around.

I think photos/images are really important as it can turn a business card into a little work of art. Even if there is not a photo strictly associated with a business, one can be used that fits in with the feeling of the company and which conveys the message clearly or creates and impression.

Also, one thing I heard a while ago at a small business convention was “put what you do on your card” (or something to that effect). It’s true. How many cards do you see that don’t actually say what they do.... Amongst a slew of other cards in a card wallet six months later, most people will have forgotten what the card was for or what services they offered.

It’s funny but I’ve been wanting to make little mini brochure business cards for a while and am working on a couple with some of my clients now when, just yesterday, Before & After put out a PDF article on mini business card-sized brochures ([url=http://www.bamagazine.com]http://www.bamagazine.com[/url]).

You can also see my little folding business cards (which have become immensely popular as a format as a result of these cards where I live) on my website at [url=http://www.luciddesign.co.nz]http://www.luciddesign.co.nz[/url] - You might need to refresh or click around a couple of times as the images are loaded randomly.

Good discussion topic by the way, Mark.

P.S. Mark, Live Preview doesn’t seem to work on Safari.

I’ve always been fond of the business cards that the guys at Bright Corner designed.  Memorable, unique, and allows for that critical space to writeon.

http://www.garrettdimon.com/archives/down-with-titles

It’s hard to explain what makes a good business card. The very first thing that comes to mind is that it has to look professional and that it must reflect the company image. Try to go for clearness and other then that play with some graphical elements like I did on mine with the speech bubble thingie. But it all depends on what kind of business you are dealing with, there isn’t a one trick fits all approach I think.

My 2?

A good business card is a card that reflect well the corporate identity of the company while giving quick and easy access of the contact informations.

The first goal of a business card is to give someone informations about yourself or your business so that he can contact you back when he’ll need it.

So a good business card should anwser at least those questions:

1 - who the hell gave me that business card (person or business)
2 - what kind of services can I expect to find from that business
3 - how can i contact them

The rest is just about creativity and should be evaluated on a case per case basis.

But still, there is some good and bad ideas when creating a business card.

BAD
- non standard formats: clients tend to trash them more quickly since most of them won’t fit in their wallet or where they usually put them.
- your special of the month: putting sales informations is generally a very bad idea since the prices or stocks tend to changes AND it is way beyond the utility of a business card. The one who should be selling is the one that gives the card and gets the calls, not the business card.
- extravagant and flashy designs:
Ok, in some situation it can be good (like if your corporate identity is too), but most of the time, visuals effect compete with the information.

GOOD
- rounded corners looks good longer.
- mat laminage don’t tend to leave
fat fingerprints.
- A clever design with quality materials often reflect an healty and serious company.
- To much information: if you have to much to say, make a web site and put the url on your card, if the client really want more informations, he will find it.. or call you.

cheers

It’s simple as these 2 words

effective communication

Useful inspiration:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856693864
(i own this book it’s great. Tip never buy from Magma as it’s ?19.95 there and only ?13.16 in Amazon)

http://www.method.com
work > brand and identity

Whatever you design for a business card must be thought out for future applications as it has to be used in a consistent manner on other media, be it print or digiatl.

Alot so called ‘designers’ forget this but heh that’s the problem nowadays as anyone who can create a website automatically thinks they can design for print and sad though it may be the examples in this thread show this inability.

......

Like so many things around in live to make a business card is a matter of SIZE. Someone talk me once that any design the will look good if you blow it up to A1 and step back a few steps.
The thing with business cards is how small and restricted space you got to say quiet a few things.
To me function is form so the most impotant things would be to DELIVER THE MESSAGE.
Forget about flashy, bashy, mashy expirable design. Rely on type.
For many of us doing web design size is the challenge. 1px can make a difference. A business card looks like a football ground to me since I’m in this industry and it’s problaby one of the most fun projects you can get.
NO?

PS: Ahh about the blog on Gill Sans.... sorry to get back to this… is not how many ties you could have in ours days but about how many you ties you NEED in our days.

When was Gill Sans a tie?

Is Futura a sock then?

Yes, that’s right Markboulton!

I was referring to that quote and It was just to comment that the typefaces market is overload with sometimes not-so-nice, not-readables-at-all typefaces.... and who need them when we got Gill Sans

I wonder if there is out there any typeface call Heavy Oblique Sock ... or Tie New Roman ....

:-{

To do it right today, it must look Web 2.0! :)

I find the best cards are those that simply stand out - usually those are bold but simple.