{"id":20404,"date":"2019-07-17T16:25:43","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T20:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.customink.com\/?p=20404"},"modified":"2021-03-29T16:25:04","modified_gmt":"2021-03-29T20:25:04","slug":"business-card-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.customink.com\/blog\/business-card-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Common Business Card Mistakes & How to Avoid Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"customIn this digital age, there\u2019s still one thing that\u2019s really handy to have on paper: your business contact information. Whether you\u2019re meeting with potential clients, at a networking event, or just want to throw it in a fishbowl to enter to win free sandwiches for the office, a business card is an essential must-have for every wallet. Now that we\u2019ve established that you need one, let\u2019s make sure that you do it right. Here are ten common business card mistakes and how to avoid them.<\/span><\/p>\n

1 Outdated style<\/span><\/h2>\n

The first thing someone sees when you hand them your business card is the design. If it\u2019s dated, they\u2019ll think you haven\u2019t evolved with the times. What\u2019s dated, you might be asking? Well, if you have to ask, it probably is. Look at the colors (or lack of colors), your typeset, and your layout. Would you order this business card today? If the answer is no, it\u2019s time for a change. You can get a head start with our <\/span>modern templates<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

2 Outdated information<\/span><\/h2>\n

Even worse than an outdated look is outdated information. Has your phone number, email address, URL, or name changed? Did you even have a URL when you got this card? No one wants to wait for you to find a pen so that you can quickly scrawl your \u201creal\u201d info on the back of an old, dirty, dogeared card you fished out of the bottom of your bag.<\/span><\/p>\n

3 Typos<\/span><\/h2>\n

Proofreading your own work is nearly impossible. Make sure you get a friend to have a quick look so that you don\u2019t breathlessly tear open your package of fancy new business cards just to find that you transposed two digits in your phone number, misspelled your first name, or worse, handed it out to a lot of potential clients only to discover it\u2019s wrong after the fact. It happens.<\/span><\/p>\n

4 Font too small or too hard to read<\/span><\/h2>\n

The entire point of a business card is to make it easy for people to contact you. If they can\u2019t read the content, you might as well be handing them a gum wrapper. And no, you can\u2019t just make the type smaller. You need to edit. Your best bet is to <\/span>start with a template<\/span><\/a> and keep the ratios the same. Also, pay attention to the font because some of the more fanciful fonts are seriously difficult to read. Try to keep it clean and legible with just the most essential information and you\u2019ll be fine.<\/span><\/p>\n

5 Too many different fonts<\/span><\/h2>\n

You can also make a wrong turn mixing and matching too many fonts. Unless you work for a circus, you don\u2019t want it to look like you do. Combining two styles can help make certain information stand out, but we don\u2019t advise that you go much beyond that.<\/span><\/p>\n

6 Too many different colors<\/span><\/h2>\n

The same advice for fonts goes for colors. Find a cool color combination or <\/span>get a template<\/span><\/a> that does it for you, but don\u2019t try to take it too far or no one will actually be able to pay attention to your contact information, which is the whole point of the card.<\/span><\/p>\n

7 No contact information<\/span><\/h2>\n

You have to have it, or else why are you giving someone a business card? At the very minimum, you want to make sure to include your first and last name and your email address. Other details that would be great to have (but you might choose not to share for personal reasons) are your job title, desk and mobile phone numbers, mailing address, and social media accounts. Look at your peers\u2019 cards and think about how people contact you to figure out what works best for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

8 Not including your URL<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you have a website, you should include it on the card. If you don\u2019t have one, consider getting one. You can set up a simple site for a small monthly fee (or even free!) and give people a chance to see a portfolio of your work, your resume, or anything else you might not be able to share on a business card.<\/span><\/p>\n

9 TMI (or TLI) too much or too little information<\/span><\/h2>\n

Once you figure out what you want to include, lay it all out and see how it looks. Then take a break. Come back and look again. Do you feel like this is the right amount of information? Is it necessary? Are you missing anything?<\/span><\/p>\n

10 Boring<\/span><\/h2>\n

Experiment with the above advice and see what works for you, but whatever you do, do what you can to make sure it isn\u2019t boring. After all, an exciting business card is much more likely to make people feel good about contacting you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get more ideas here<\/a> or try one of our easy-to-use business card templates today!<\/span><\/p>\n