A business card plays an important role in conveying the professionalism, distinctiveness and brand image of a business owner. There are plenty of creative design ideas that a graphic design professional can implement when it comes to corporate identity design.

A graphic design company can experiment with the latest design trends and styles in making business cards but at times it is prudent not to follow the popular trends blindly. There is no fixed formula for coming out with a stunning looking business card but the designers need to balance creativity with client needs.

When the majority of the designers are resorting to rounded corners it makes sense to opt for the usual rectangle design as it will stand out. Just because the majority of designers are using metallic ink it would not be ideal to do so for a professional making the card for a company that sells IT products. However, for a jeweler making silver jewelry, a silver ink plated business card is quite suitable.

A majority of designers tend to overlook the backside of a business card but this can be utilised for adding some extra information. The back part can be used for tips related to products, offers and promotions. The size of a business card also deserves attention. The card holders used by people can accommodate standard sized cards. While various sizes are followed in various continents for business cards, it is practical to adhere to the dimension of a standard credit card. A nicely crafted card that does not follow standard sizes may disappoint a lot of users.

The business owners can have cutting technique applied in the business cards to give them the distinctive edge. The shape of the hole can be anything the designer wants. It would be best to send the files for print in either Adobe Illustrator or InDesign format as they offer pixel precise control. The resolution of 300 PPI and CMYK colour mode should be selected for printing the card to get the desired quality output. In InDesign the documents are created at a resolution of 300 PPI by default but the designers using Illustrator will have to set the resolution manually. The images and graphics also need to be in same colour mode and resolution. The artwork needs to have adequate Bleed area, close to 3 mm.

Before choosing a printer for business card printing, its credentials need to be checked. The graphic designers need to ensure that the printer is capable of handling custom colours outside the standard CMYK palette and spot colours. The designers can also toy with creative ideas like Spot UV Coating, Letter pressing and embossing. At times, the graphic designers can resort to special inks for using in business cards. There are a number of fluorescent, pearlized or metallic inks to pick from. Some designers also use Duplexing technique where two sheets of paper are stacked together. Materials like wood, metal and plastic with various textures can be used in lieu of paper for designing business cards.