Ever wonder what businesses do with your business cards when you drop them in a goldfish bowl for a drawing at a conference? They’re really not interested in giving you a free iPad. They just want a way to learn more about you and see if you’re a good fit for the brand. They’re going to take your card and send you information to see if there’s interest in opting in. I should know, I did this very thing after attending a blogging conference a couple of weekends ago.
Here’s the thing, though. As I was going through about 200 business cards, I noticed I couldn’t read a good portion of them. Now, I’m sure half the people who dropped cards in my bowl didn’t really care if I contacted them or not, but it stands to reason that if I couldn’t read the business cards other people couldn’t either. I’m all for creating an eye catching business card that doesn’t look like everyone else’s business card, but, please. I beg of you. Think about other people when designing your cards.
Fonts
I don’t have very good eyesight and have to wear glasses to read. Even with corrective lenses some fonts are extremely difficult to make out properly. I especially have issues when someone tries to make a card overly feminine. Using a light color like pink or baby blue, or a swirly font makes me squint and I’m sure I’m not the only one. When a font is too small it’s a given an old lady like me won’t be able see it at first glance, either. If I have to spend too much time trying to figure it out, I’ll probably move on. Here are colors to avoid when designing a business card: Everything but black. An exception is white on black, but it depends on the way it’s presented. If the information isn’t presented in a clear, concise manner I can guarantee your card is being tossed in the trash.
The colors! The colors!
What’s worse than a swirly pink font? A swirly pink font on a pink or blue background. Or gold on blue. Some colors just don’t lend well to each other. If there’s no great contrast the colors blend instead of compliment. Please think twice before having color on color for your business card. A good rule of thumb is if you’re squinting to read the card, others will be too.
How do I find you?
I was surprised by how many business cards only listed a Twitter handle or URL. It’s not easy to do business with 140 characters, and not everyone wants to search around for an email address. If you hand me a business card at a conference, I’m going to assume it’s because you hope I’ll contact you. However, how will I do that if you don’t make it easy? Not having an email address tells me you really aren’t interested in having me reach out to you. No one wants to jump through hoops to contact someone unless that someone is extremely important.
First Impressions
Your business card is like a first impression. It gives us a little of your personality and tells us about who you are and what you do. If I ask you for a card it means I’m interested in contacting you again. If you give me your card it means you’d like for me to contact you. So why would you make it so difficult. Please consider fonts and colors when choosing your design and make sure it’s easy for us to contact you if that’s what you want. People really do notice.
http://kommein.com/
Here’s the thing, though. As I was going through about 200 business cards, I noticed I couldn’t read a good portion of them. Now, I’m sure half the people who dropped cards in my bowl didn’t really care if I contacted them or not, but it stands to reason that if I couldn’t read the business cards other people couldn’t either. I’m all for creating an eye catching business card that doesn’t look like everyone else’s business card, but, please. I beg of you. Think about other people when designing your cards.
Fonts
I don’t have very good eyesight and have to wear glasses to read. Even with corrective lenses some fonts are extremely difficult to make out properly. I especially have issues when someone tries to make a card overly feminine. Using a light color like pink or baby blue, or a swirly font makes me squint and I’m sure I’m not the only one. When a font is too small it’s a given an old lady like me won’t be able see it at first glance, either. If I have to spend too much time trying to figure it out, I’ll probably move on. Here are colors to avoid when designing a business card: Everything but black. An exception is white on black, but it depends on the way it’s presented. If the information isn’t presented in a clear, concise manner I can guarantee your card is being tossed in the trash.
The colors! The colors!
What’s worse than a swirly pink font? A swirly pink font on a pink or blue background. Or gold on blue. Some colors just don’t lend well to each other. If there’s no great contrast the colors blend instead of compliment. Please think twice before having color on color for your business card. A good rule of thumb is if you’re squinting to read the card, others will be too.
How do I find you?
I was surprised by how many business cards only listed a Twitter handle or URL. It’s not easy to do business with 140 characters, and not everyone wants to search around for an email address. If you hand me a business card at a conference, I’m going to assume it’s because you hope I’ll contact you. However, how will I do that if you don’t make it easy? Not having an email address tells me you really aren’t interested in having me reach out to you. No one wants to jump through hoops to contact someone unless that someone is extremely important.
First Impressions
Your business card is like a first impression. It gives us a little of your personality and tells us about who you are and what you do. If I ask you for a card it means I’m interested in contacting you again. If you give me your card it means you’d like for me to contact you. So why would you make it so difficult. Please consider fonts and colors when choosing your design and make sure it’s easy for us to contact you if that’s what you want. People really do notice.
http://kommein.com/
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