Business cards create both an instant and lasting impression.  A smart looking business card can speak volumes about who you are and what kind of business you like to do, and designed in the right way can convey a potent sense of character.  Simultaneously, a lack lustre business card can make you totally forgettable.  Your business card is what a potential client or customer will go back to; it is all they’ll have to remind them of you, so it is imperative that you get it right.  This article will give examples of some of the most innovative business cards out there to get your creative juices flowing so you can create a card worth hanging on to.

MODhair, Rome

MODhair is a rock n’ roll hair salon in Rome.  They needed a business card (above) which would instantly evoke their musical, edgy theme whilst still communicating their business as a hair salon.  The result was a business card designed in the shape of a comb.  The teeth have varying strips of plastic down their lengths so that when you brush along the edge of the comb with your thumb it plays a classic rock theme.  The card is made from black PVC with hot foil silver.

Bang Your Own Drum Stationery, UK

This business card design aimed to make Bang Your Own Drum’s name stick in the mind whilst also reminding customers that they sold stationery.  The card is bright yellow with a semi-translucent circle which acts as a drum skin.  The card comes with a drumstick pencil so you can literally bang your own drum.

Lego

At Lego they don’t use business cards as such; rather they take pride in their own products by using a lego person with each employees name on the front and details on the back as a business card.  The lego cards are designed to bear a resemblance to each individual employee.  It’s a pretty cool design!

Lush Lawn, Michigan

The lush lawn property enhancement business card doubles up as a seed packet to advertise their services providing lawn maintenance.  The brown packet is embossed printing and opens up to hold real life grass seeds inside.

Word Search, Graphic Designer, Brooklyn

Jose Antonio Contreras designed his business card to advertise his services as a graphic designer with a word search puzzle on the front and clues to solve the puzzle on the back using a duplex printing technique.  Cleverly, the clues are his details.

These five designs are just a sample of some really creative business card designs.  It is hoped that they’ve gone some way to demonstrate just how much personality the humble business card can have when designed with enough imagination and playfulness.  So if you have a clear sense of your brand identity, then make sure you come up with a creative and smartly designed business card which will immediately and lucidly communicate that to the people who matter.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well we challenge anyone to behold these orders of service and say they are not beautiful! Swash & Fold, a boutique design agency, were asked to produce some orders of service for Lisa & John, the brief was simple “summery and laid-back”.

Now we’re sure you’ll agree that the work of Swash & Fold is pretty darn gorgeous but there is no point in amazing design if you’re going to print on dreadful materials!

We feel that our print and hand finished work really sets them off and of course we wish Lisa & John all the best for their special day.

How thrilled were the team here at Purely Digital when we spotted the gorgeous and talented Emile Heskey sporting a great fashion accessory. Here he is modelling one of our own printed creations – a pass to the Amber Lounge Fashion Show in Monaco.

And I think we can all agree he wears it well. Other famous celebs who were also at the illustrious do (and also seen wearing our handiwork!) include Vanessa Hudgens (of High School Musical Fame) and socialite Kim Kardashian. But Emile is a firm favourite in our office.

A brand logo is the epitome of a visual company image. A successful logo will be implemented in the mind of the customer and create an awareness of the product and familiarity with the service offered. Creating brand consistency is an important method of bringing in a higher volume of sales and is very useful when expanding the business to a wider range of products or customers, which is easily created when using the brand logo effectively. Digital printing services can help to produce the desired image across a range of products in a professional manner that boosts the overall credibility of the company.

To begin with, a business card is a simple but effective product that many businesses employ as a means of spreading the word and making the company memorable. To create a professional look, a printing service can offer foil print or embossed printing so that the lettering stands out and catches the eye. This can be done with bold, bright colours or can be striking with perhaps black and gold or simply black and white. These digital business cards may also be created with either embossing or foil printing for the logo itself, depending upon the intricacy of the design. Again, this adds to the individuality of the business and creates brand consistency.

As well as business cards, foil or embossed printing can also be used for other products that are relevant to the company. For example, letterheads, invitations and other corporate material can be printed with the same design as the business cards, and can also be printed with the logo. This will implement the brand identity by carrying a consistent image among a range of materials, which is especially important for the business to business environment if, for example, you are hoping to expand the business.

Digital printing can also be used for business to consumer purposes. Although the primary product is likely to include the brand logo, it can also be useful to expand the business to secondary products that have the main purpose of displaying the company logo. Often these are loosely connected and cheaply acquired, for example clothes or bags. The exact product chosen may depend upon the target market and the primary product being sold, for example printed tea towels may be more likely to appeal to an older target market, whereas printed teddy bears could appeal to children. This can also be used for businesses that offer a service rather than a product, for example printed bags being sold with the logo of a nightclub, or simple T-shirts that display the logo of an exercise gym. Whatever the product, this is a cheap and simple solution that can increase brand consistency and help to boost sales figures on a long term basis.

For self-employed workers in business, the ability to print a small number of products without incurring unnecessary costs is a key method of saving money at the start of a venture and bringing in more profit as interest rises among potential customers. New technology developments within the industry of digital printing services means that a range of products can be printed rather than merely paper based ventures, including bags and clothes. This ability to create related products for promotional purposes means that it may appeal to a range of self-employed individuals in a number of industries.

Print on demand services are often useful for those that require some form of self-publishing. Often this especially appeals to authors looking to publish their work initially on a small scale. Using printing on demand means that there is almost zero chance of buying too much material and creating a financial loss by underselling or wasting material, so using a smaller scale initially can increase the profit margin and generate a higher profit overall.

Starting up a small magazine can be suited to on demand printing. Although it may be useful to eventually invest in personal printing equipment, the initial start-up cost can be significantly reduced by using the on demand service, and this in turn may help to increase the emergence of potential start-ups with limited funds within the present financial climate. As with a self-published author, it can be in their financial interests to begin on a small scale to give potential readers a chance to develop an awareness of the magazine so that you have a large enough following to eventually create a higher turnover with a loyal readership.

As well as writers, printing can be useful for visual artists such as photographers. As photographers often sell a specific quantity of prints to their customer, printing on demand is perfectly suited to the small number of products required. As well as this, the on demand services frequently offer a one-off printing job, which means that individual pieces such as portraits or a print of a painting can be produced effectively and conveniently for both the artist and the customer.

If printing is not the integral aspect of the business, an alternative use is to form a secondary income for larger businesses. This can be done by way of creating different products that display the logo of the company. These are often cheaply acquired, such as T-shirts or tea towels, but bring in a high profit and help to increase customer familiarity and awareness of the brand. This can be suited to any business that sells a product with a brand logo, therefore working with a print on demand company can help to create an effective promotional tool that increases both sales and profit.