The value of a physical business card in a digital world goes far beyond the idea of a simple take home object…
Many people seem to have lost their faith in the value of a business card.
After all, what really is the point of giving someone one more thing to clutter up their junk drawer, when they could just find you via your website, or in the case of a personal introduction, input your contact information immediately into their phone?
In the design world, you hear over and over again how print is dead, everyone is moving to digital, and darn it, you should too! Well, I’m not saying that you should ditch your website, or stop running ads on Facebook. I’m just saying that in a world where everything beautiful is locked behind a glass screen, handing someone a unique card that they can physically touch can help turn your first meeting into a lasting impression.
Not just any business card will do this, however, gone are the days where slapping your business name and contact info on an instant print cheap stock white card will cut it. Those offerings will not make it any further than the nearest trash can. But, if you can create something that is nice to touch, and different to look at, people will keep your card simply because they have never seen anything like it before.
I once designed business cards for a premium yoga apparel company and had them printed on clear plastic. When those were displayed at events, people often came and ask for a card who had zero interest in yoga, simply because they thought it was one of the coolest things that they had ever seen.
As a designer and branding expert, my own premium cards have brought me, countless customers, due to their wow factor. I’ve had people jog out of a building after receiving my card at a business event, just to beg me to create something that impactful for them!
The vast number of awesome print options now available would boggle your mind. You can get cards designed on wood, leather, plastic, you name it. And not just printed, but foiled, embossed, de-bossed… Can anyone say #luxbusinesscards?
The business card has once again become a thing of pride, elegance, and creativity. With it, you can express the first impressions that you want people to have of your company. So when people tell me that print is dead, I beg to differ. I believe that only sloppy print is dead, and in today’s digital world, your soft touch black suede business card might be more important than ever.
