How to design a

business card
the ultimate guide
Business card design
by Awesome Designing for thuc
How to design a business card: the ultimate guide

These business multi-tools fulfill many of the professional’s

basic needs: advertising, brand recognition, call-to-action,
and of course contact information. When designed right,
these pocket-sized billboards can leave a lasting impression
and create life-long customers from passing strangers.

In this guide, we’ll run through everything you need to know

about business card design so you can tell your designer
exactly what you want. Business cards should above all be
personal, so this guide explains what your options are for the
card that’s most… you.

A simple yet whimsical business card design by Mad pepper.

How to design a business card: the ultimate guide

Before you start… .............................................................................................................................................................................. 1

Chapter 1
Know thyself ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Chapter 2
How to design a business card in 8 steps ............................................................................................... 3

Chapter 3
Advanced techniques ........................................................................................................................................................ 14

Chapter 4
Takeaway: a modern coat of arms . . ................................................................................................................. 16

Chapter 5
The final checklist ....................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Business card design
by Awesome Designing for thuc
Chapter 6
Ready for your perfect business card? ................................................................................................... 18
Before you start…

Whether you’re an individual freelancer, founder of a young

startup, or part of an established enterprise, there are two
crucial design components you need finalized before you
even begin thinking of business cards:

•• Finished logo
•• Brand color scheme

Logos and color schemes are the two most important visual
choices for branding. Not only will these elements play a big
part in creating your business card, they’ll also help influence
other areas like layout and identity.

We don’t have time to do these topics justice here, but refer

to our previous guides:

•• How to design a logo: the ultimate guide

•• Branding colors: everything you need to choose your
A clean and structured business card design by vanessarnaynard.
brand’s perfect pigments

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 1

Know thyself

There’s one other preliminary activity that makes the rest of

the business card design process run more smoothly. You
need to know what you want to communicate. What kind
of brand are you, as an individual or business? What do you
want your business card to say, not just with words, but with
the design?

This is also a topic worthy of its own discussion, so if you

want to dive deeper, here’s a shortlist of questions to ask
yourself for determining your personal brand identity.
Taking a few minutes of reflection about your personal
brand will help with some business card design questions
down the line, particularly when it comes to displaying your
personality.

An eye-catching business card design by Illustira.

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 2

How to design a business card in 8 steps

Once you have your logo, brand color scheme, and a good
idea of what you want your card to say about you, you’re
ready to start. Just follow the 8 steps below to determine
which business card design would work best for you.

1. Choose your shape

If you’ve already decided on a traditional rectangular
business card, you can skip ahead to the second step. If,
however, you want to learn about all your options, even
outside-the-box strategies, keep reading.

As printing techniques grow more advanced and affordable,

professionals have more room to explore alternative shapes.
The printing technique of die-cutting allows you to cut out
any shape you want and still print in bulk.

On the conservative end of the spectrum, you could simply

round the corners for a friendlier business card.

Business card by Rose” for The Poke Story.

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 3


Business card by Rose” for HERB.
But if you really want to be playful or stand-out, you can use
virtually any shape: animal mascots, outlines of products
your sell, or a shape that’s wholly original.
Business card by Stanojevic for Cireson.
You can even build your entire business card theme around
clever cutting. Cireson’s business card design uses shape
to really highlight the employee picture, giving them a more
personable and therefore approachable feel.
Whether or not to use creative shapes depends on the image
you want to convey. Special shapes make you seem more fun
and help you make an impression, but can have an adverse
effect on more formal industries. You’ll also want to keep in
mind logistics, such as how the card fits in a wallet.
99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 4

Business card by sashadesigns for STIR.
You may want to revisit the option of die-cutting after
finalizing your design in step 8. For example, some
companies such as STIR above like to die-cut areas of
their logo.
2. Choose your size
Your next decision is the size of the card. This mostly
depends on the standard of the country, so that’s a good
place to start. Even if you plan to stand out, you have to
know what everyone else is doing to go against it.
•• North American Standard: 3.5 × 2 in. (88.9 × 50.8 mm)
•• European Standard: 3.346 × 2.165 in. (85 × 55 mm)
•• Oceania Standard: 3.54 × 2.165 in. (90 × 55 mm)
No matter the size, you always want to consider three factors
when designing:
•• Bleed area: the outermost part of the card likely to
be removed.
•• Trim line: the target line for cutting cards.
•• Safety line: anything outside this line is subject to cutting
mistakes. Don’t let essential elements like text or logos fall
outside this line.
Bleed area, trim line, and safety line on a standard U.S./Canadian business
card, 3.5 × 2 in. (88.9 × 50.8 mm). Design by kendhie.
While these areas vary depending on the size and printer, a
safe bet is to set the trim line at 0.125 in. (3 mm) from the
edge. From there, set the safety line at 0.125 in. (3 mm) from
the trim line. That’s 0.250 in (6 mm) total from the edge of
the bleed area to the inside of the safety area.
99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 5
3. Add your logo and other graphics
Now we begin plotting the visual elements of your business
card design, first and foremost the logo. Your logo should
take center stage on your business card, although other
flourishes and secondary graphics can sometimes be
useful as well.

Don’t forget that you have two sides at your disposal.

One strategy is to dedicate one side of the business card
exclusively to the logo, while the other side showcases the
contact information of the person. However, it’s also good to
have the logo on both sides, so often you’ll see a smaller, out-
of-the-way logo on the side with contact information, as with
Omni (see right). Business card by pecas™ for Omni.

This is just one strategy of many, though, so feel free to

experiment with logo placement until you find one for
your tastes.

While minimalism is a popular choice for business cards,

if that empty space doesn’t suit you, you can fill it with
additional graphics. In an industry like children’s clothing,
Londees (see right) wants to take its cute theme as far as it
will go: they expand on their sheep mascot by placing sheep
doodles all over, and use a faded background to avoid clutter
(also notice the use of soft blue, a playful and somewhat kid-
friendly color). Even if your logo is simple or text only, any
related imagery serves the same ends.

Business card by Rose” for Londees Childrenswear.

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 6

Additional graphics work well for showing off your brand 4. Add necessary text
identity. Without explicitly saying it, you can communicate
your or your brand’s personality through visuals, including
colors. For example, if you want to seem casual or
approachable, a cute cartoon and some bright colors would
do the trick.

Omni business card by IRDESIGN

Business card by pecas™ for Wheel Dance.

What your business card actually says depends on you.
Work-from-home freelancers may have no need for a
Another increasingly popular trend is to instill interest and
postal address, while professions that consult face-to-face
curiosity by leaving a little mystery. Typically, brands place
require it. Or maybe it’s a strategic choice, such as drawing
a wordless visual with a URL on one side, and then all the
attention to your impressive social media following. The
necessary explanation (including brand name and employee’s
point is, different people benefit from different text on their
name) on the other.
business cards.

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 7

So the next step is for you to decide what to put on your Remember that business cards aren’t just about giving
business card. Below is a list of some common choices, so information but also retaining it. People may already know
you can decide which to include and exclude. your number, address, or URL, but keep your card handy in
case they forget it.
•• Name. A given. Every card needs a name.
•• Company name. Another given, except for personal
brands, in which case your personal name is your
company name.
•• Job title. For traditional cards, include your job title. This
also helps remind the holder of who you are, what you do,
and even how you met.
•• Phone number. Even if phone is not your preferred method
of communication, it is to some people.
•• Email. A business card staple; email is the new norm for
non-urgent business communications, partially because it
allows sending documents as attachments.
•• Website URL. Including your site URL is a non-aggressive
invitation for visits.
•• Social media. If social media is relevant to your field, or
you just want to show a bit of your personality, include
social media links.
•• Address. Necessary for drawing customers into your office
or store location.
•• QR code. While not as popular as years past, a QR code
is still a viable shortcut to transferring whatever data
you desire.
•• Slogan. Completely optional, a slogan helps with brand
identity and adds a little personality.

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 8

5. Choose your typography •• Font. We’ve already spoken at length about fonts and how
they influence your brand identity, so feel free to check
out The 5 types of fonts and how to use them for a more
in-depth treatment. Just remember to choose a font that
represents the personality you’re going for. A clean and
modern sans-serif, an individualistic and elegant script
or a classic and timeless serif font? Below are some
examples of what different font styles bring to the table.

A geometric business card design by HYPdesign.

Once you know what you want to say, you can choose how it
looks. While typography is always important, it’s especially Business card design by pecas™ for Pucked.
pertinent to business cards since you have to make text
completely legible and have only a small space to work with.

Let’s break up typography into three main categories:

•• Size. To maintain readability, you want all your text to be

at least 8 pts. However, you want your most important
elements (like your name) to stand out, so feel free to vary
the text sizes. Also consider empty space—you don’t want
to clutter your card, so leave your text small enough that
there’s plenty of breathing room around each element. Go Mint Consulting business card design by Arthean.

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 9

 Business card design by Jecakp for Conejo Construction.

•• Color. Here’s where a pre-existing brand color scheme

comes in handy. Staying on-brand, choose text colors that
go well with the background color of your card, which
should also be a brand color. Similar colors may look nice
together but can be hard to read, so experiment with
contrasts for legibility.

The golden rule for typography is to prioritize legibility over

all else. It doesn’t matter how artistic your font is if no one
Business card by DIYdesign for Two Hounds Trading Co.
can read what it says.

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 10

6. Consider special finishes
Now that you’re reaching the final stretch, it’s time to start
considering printers—especially what they can offer. Certain
printers offer special finishes that can go a long way in
making a lasting impression. See if any of these “special
effects” can benefit your business card design strategy.
•• Foil stamping. If you want something shiny and reflective
•• Embossing. This technique creates three-dimensional
reliefs, making certain areas “pop out.” Like spot UV
coating, you can use it to draw attention to specific
aspects of your card, even words.
•• Spot UV coating. A lot of cards have a sleek varnish to
Business card by sashadesigns for Whissel Realty.
•• Letterpressing. Rather than raising the paper, letterpress
printing pushes the paper down while inking it. The result
is something like an engravement, typically with special
ink to draw further attention. Especially useful for letters,
giving your words a heightened gravitas.
like tin foil, you can apply foil stamping to images or even
just parts of images. This also works for accenting text, if
you’ve chosen a bold enough typeface.
create a sheen and smooth texture. Spot UV coating is
the same thing, except only applied to certain areas. That
means you can apply a gloss on only your logo, specific
graphics, or even a word or phrase. Use it when you
want to accent certain areas over others, but be mindful
of how it affects the overall composition when only a
portion is shiny.
99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 11
7. Pick a designer
If you really want a stellar business card, it’s a good idea to
find a professional designer who can create the perfect card
for you. You can look for a local freelance designer or search
on a platform like 99designs for a designer with the right
style and experience. Make sure to check out their portfolio
to see if they’re a good fit for your brand.

Once you’ve found the right person, try to communicate

clearly what your business is all about and what style and
vibe you are looking for, so your designer can turn your vision
into reality.

This business card for Gary’s tutoring looks like an index card.
Business card design by green in blue.

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 12

8. Finalize your design
With all the elements in place and an accurate prediction
of your final color choices and special finishes, you can
reevaluate your design to make sure everything works.

First, examine the visual flow: how does your eye move when
looking at the card. What do you notice first? Last? A good
visual flow should start with the logo, then the name, and
then the secondary information, finishing on any secondary
images if they’re there. You can always change and optimize
the visual flows by changing an element’s size and location.

You also want to clear out as much clutter as you can. Is

all the information necessary? The fewer the remaining
elements, the more impact each makes.

Double-check to make sure you didn’t fall into any common

pitfalls. Is the text legible? Do the colors clash? Are any Business card by (VEER) for Murray’s Beverage.
elements too close to the edge?
Don’t forget to have your designer send you the finished
product as a vector file and a vector-based PDF. You want to
use vector images in case you need to change the size, and
PDFs are readable by practically every printer.

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 13

Advanced techniques

The eight steps are all you need to create a fully functional
business card, but if you want to go the extra mile, consider
these more advanced tips:

Stand out with a clever idea. If your industry allows some

whimsy, you can employ more experimental strategies for
separating yourself.

This could be something thematic, like Saleular’s iPhone

cards, or something more complex. For example:

•• scented inks
•• duplexing and triplexing (doubling or tripling the card’s
width to make it thicker)
•• using alternate materials (metal, plastic, rubber, etc.)
•• folded cards
•• transparent cards

Saleular business card by ivdsgn.

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 14

 •• Save money on colors. If you’re working on a budget,
don’t skimp on materials or the quantity. You can cut out
a chunk of the cost just by using only one or two colors.
The more colors you add, the more the price goes up, and
a smart designer will know how to make one or two colors
look just as good.

Business card by design_C.

That last trend we’re seeing a lot of lately, and for good
reason. There’s a lot you can do with a see-through card, like
Remote Pilot’s mock pilot scope.

•• Avoid borders. Borders may seem like a smart aesthetic

choice to frame the content of your card—and they are,
in theory—but the prevalence of cutting mistakes means
borders do more harm than good. Cutting every single
card perfectly in a bulk order is pretty much a fantasy, and
that’s why it’s best to design with bleed and safety areas.
With borders, tiny mistakes in cutting are exaggerated
and bring down the whole design.

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 15

Takeaway: a modern
coat of arms

Your card is more than just your contact information—it’s

a representation of you and your brand. Some people are
handed cards every day, so you need yours to both stand
out and paint you in a favorable light. Don’t cut corners with
designing your business card. Spend ample time coming up
with the perfect design and then find a skilled designer to
turn your vision into a reality.

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 16

The final checklist

So, you’ve made it to the end of the guide... but are you ready
to design your own business card? Run through this final
checklist to make sure you covered every corner.

Before the design: After the design:

…… Do you have a finished logo design? ……
…… Have you chosen your brand color scheme yet?
……
…… What is your brand’s personality?
……
…… What do you want your business card to say about you
and your brand?
……
…… What shape should your business card have?
…… What size should your business card have?
……
…… How do you want to integrate your logo?
…… What other graphics would you like to add? ……
…… What text do you want to put on your card and in which
typography? ……
…… Have you picked a designer?
Does the business card personality match your brand
personality?
Does your business card design have a good visual flow?
Does it contain all relevant information and of course
your logo?
Is the text legible? Do the colors clash? Are any elements
too close to the edge?
Does your business card differentiate itself enough from
the cards of your competitors?
Have you chosen a printer yet? Do you want a
special finish?
Do you have the proper deliverables such as a vector file
and a vector-based PDF?

…… Does your design brief cover everything the designer

needs to know?

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 17

Ready for your perfect
business card?

Are you ready to get started creating your perfect

business card? Work with one of our talented designers
to create an amazing card for your brand.

Get your business card design

99designs | How to design a business card: the ultimate guide 18