How to Make a Business Card

Except for the gunk on the scanner and the CIA black highlighter, that above is what my business card looks like, as of today anyway. I’m no expert on business card design strategy, though I bet the Net has plenty of self-help articles besides this one(!) that’ll tell you all about it and all about what I’ve done “wrong.” The only research I did was to lift one of each business card on display at the Fuzzy’s Taco Shop down the street; then I looked at those cards, figured out what I liked, what I didn’t. I arrived at a few points of wisdom that work for me, and now I’ll broadcast them as if they were absolute truths:

• You should be able to write on the back side of the card (people will want to jot down notes to jog their memories of receiving it); and, if you want to get the front side laminated, make it a thin lamination so the card doesn’t feel imposingly unusual or outlandish. (Mine isn’t laminated on either side.)
• Keep It Simple, Stupid. Looking at the card, I want to discern immediately what’s up. This is because I process billions of business cards per day, obviously.
• Why should I strain to read your card? Increase font size!
• Keep it mostly white to avoid appearing cutesy. Unless being ephemeral is your thing, I guess.
• Be traditional and fairly formal so that your card can be used in a wide variety of circumstances: flexible. However, put a charming thing or two on it — such as a tagline — so that you don’t seem impersonal. Because of the Net, I think freelance biz depends on a personal touch even more than before.

I had 200 cards made at Staples down the other side of the street for just under $40, if I recall correctly. Easier to have a small quantity now (since people do ask me for them) and figure out the hypothetical perfect design later. For designing Staples set me at a touchscreen computer that was easy enough, and you can bring a JPG there if you want for a logo.

The best business card I saw at Fuzzy’s, by the way, was a woman advertising her services as an Experimental Physicist. As opposed to a Theoretical Physicist, of course.

P.S., as an editor I can fix up your AD/PR or flier or whatnot, and as a tutor I teach Latin, humanities courses (depending), and study skills.

Except for the gunk on the scanner and the CIA black highlighter, that above is what my business card looks like, as of today anyway. I'm no expert on business card design strategy, though I bet the Net has plenty of self-help articles besides this one(!) that'll tell you all about it and all ...