| It's the trade show of the year, and you're | | | | your business card.4. Use a highlight color |
| poised to meet, greet and network up a storm | | | | sparingly. Make sure colored elements |
| because the precise buyers for your product | | | | highlights the one main message you want to |
| or services are here. Business card? Check. | | | | convey.5. Be sure the highlight color you |
| Sales brochures? Check. Product samples, | | | | choose is appropriate to your business. For |
| informational literature, or other | | | | example, using green on a lawn care business |
| appropriate peripherals? Check.But wait. | | | | card would be far more appropriate than say |
| Let's go back to item #1 - both in the list | | | | red or orange.6. Limit your selection of type |
| above and the all-important first step in | | | | fonts to no more than two, which may also |
| creating a strong, lasting and favorable | | | | include their "families." For example, a font |
| impression. In other words, what you looked | | | | family includes styles such as bold, italic, |
| like or said may not be remembered when | | | | or bold italic versions.7. Format text to be |
| potential customers are back home, but your | | | | smaller, more compact, and more professional |
| business card will be in the pile he'll sift | | | | looking.8. Choose appropriate fonts for your |
| through to separate the wheat from the chaff; | | | | business, avoiding trendy, or overly |
| the business she'll want to follow up | | | | embellished versions.9. Avoid using all |
| on.What's your card saying about you? Here | | | | capital letters because they are more |
| are some of the most common mistakes you've | | | | difficult to read, and look |
| no doubt seen and reacted to negatively. | | | | unprofessional.10. Use a grid to align text |
| Tossing the card into the wastebasket is | | | | and objects to each other.11. Don't use |
| inevitable.Paper too thin. Card is wimpy and | | | | illustrations that are too detailed or |
| bends or crumples in your hand or briefcase. | | | | delicate, as they may look muddy when printed |
| And screams cheap. Might be an indicator of | | | | at a small size.12. Stay away from |
| your other business practices and | | | | amateur-looking or dated clip art (unless you |
| products.Pre-printed perforated cards you run | | | | are going for the "retro" look). Find good |
| through your computer printer. More cheap | | | | quality resources.13. Select a beefy cover |
| impressions, plus your card may look like | | | | stock for your paper. Sometimes 80# cover is |
| dozens of others because of the limited | | | | not enough. You can get a free swatch book |
| preprinted designs available.There's much | | | | from your printer or paper representative. |
| more. Boring. Bad choice of type face and | | | | The swatch book will give you the opportunity |
| size. Too much or too little information. No | | | | to examine and feel the various sheets for |
| focal point, muddy graphics -- the list goes | | | | finish, thickness, stiffness, opacity |
| on.Your business card is often the first -- | | | | (translucence), and color.Impress your |
| and perhaps only -- impression prospective | | | | clients with your cards as though your |
| clients may see. Will it encourage them to | | | | business depended on it! Cards are small in |
| find out more about you and your business? | | | | size but huge in importance to your business |
| Having a good logo design and a clean layout | | | | success. Start employing these design tips to |
| leaves them with a favorable first impression | | | | ensure your cards are doing the biggest |
| that you're a credible professional | | | | possible job for you.Copyright 2005 Karen |
| businessperson.Following are 13 easy ways for | | | | SaundersKaren Saunders is the author of the |
| you to do what the professional designers do; | | | | book, "Turn Eye Appeal into Buy Appeal: How |
| insider secrets about business cards that go | | | | to easily transform your marketing pieces |
| right to your first impression and bottom | | | | into dazzling, persuasive sales tools!" Karen |
| line.1. Create a focal point or central place | | | | has helped thousands of small businesses to |
| that draws a reader's eye.2. Allow white | | | | increase their sales over the past 16 years |
| space to help balance the layout. Don't fill | | | | using her award-winning marketing design |
| up the card with text.3. Use a clear, strong | | | | strategies. |
| logo that looks good when reduced in size on | | | | |