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5 Bad Business Cards and How to Avoid Them – Professional Business Card Printers Weigh In

Recently updated on November 6th, 2018 at 03:33 pm

Let’s be honest for a minute. Are your business cards a total embarrassment? The answer may surprise you. At NextDayFlyers, we pride ourselves on being the Web’s premier business card printers, and as such, we have seen more terrible business card designs than we care to acknowledge. But there is hope. Choosing the best business card design for plastic, metallic, or foil will not only highlight the print material but also the content of the business card it self. The way to design a better business card isn’t by looking at good examples, but by looking at bad examples, and understanding what makes them such visual eyesores.

 


Too Crowded

If your business card reads like a Charles Dickens novel, it’s probably time to trim the fat. We don’t need five email addresses, three phone numbers, and links to your favorite Pinterest recipes. The purpose of a business card is to provide clients, customers, associates, colleagues, and other assorted acquaintances with the most fundamental contact information. If you need to switch to 3pt type just to make room for your XBox Live profile, it’s time to step back and re-examine your life.

The takeaway: Keep it succinct, and stick to the most essential information.

 


Too Boring

Perhaps less forgivable than the over-bloated business card is the overly insipid business card. Business card printers receive these types of requests all the time from well-meaning professionals who simply don’t understand the power of a well-designed card. First impressions are extremely important, and if you present people with a dull Times New Roman presentation on a purely white background, you should expect them to read it in a Ben Stein voice.

The takeaway: It’s okay to keep it simple, but try to incorporate at least a little bit of personality and color.

 


Too Hideous

Hopefully this one goes without saying, but given the number of horrendous business cards we’ve seen, it’s important to emphasize this point. Ugly business cards are bad business cards. Clashing color combinations, cheesy clipart, bright gradients…these are things you’ll want to avoid. And if you ever feel the urge to use Comic Sans as the primary font for your business card, please seek medical attention at once. You don’t have to suffer in silence any longer.

The takeaway: If you think your business card might be a little too gaudy, we can assure you that it’s way too gaudy.

 


Too Inappropriate

Yes, of course you want to use your business card as an outlet to showcase your wonderful personality, but perhaps there are certain aspects of your personality best concealed within the deep recesses of your mind. For instance, if you work as a partner in a family law firm, you might not want to model your business card after the Jack Daniels logo. Yes, your slacker friends will think it’s totally awesome, but chances are, those boneheads can’t afford your services anyway, so let’s keep it professional.

The takeaway: If you think your business card might be a little too “real” for some people to handle, it’s time to scale it back. Unless you specifically work in a counter-culture business, you’ll want to keep it professional.

 


Too Obnoxious

There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and if you haven’t figured out where that line is, you probably fall into the latter category. There’s nothing wrong with using your business card as a persuasive marketing tool to get people excited about your service, but the trick is learning to convey this excitement without coming off as a total d-bag. Helpful hint: You may want to avoid describing yourself with words like “guru,” “ninja,” or “rock star.” Helpful hint #2: Just try to imagine what Kanye West would do, and then do the opposite.

The takeaway: Sell, but don’t oversell.

 

NextDayFlyers: Your Premier Business Card Printers

If you’re concerned that your business cards aren’t conveying the right message, NextDayFlyers is here to help. We offer stylish business cards in a wide array of elegant styles that are sure to keep you out of the Bad Business Card Club. Explore the full range of options, and see why we’re not your average business card printers.

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