Present the right information the right way
Generally, business cards should include the following
information:
- Company name
- Individual name
- Individual job title
- Postal address
- Phone number(s)
- E-mail address
- Company URL
Less contact information is usually better than
too much. If you are the owner of a single-person
company, a job title is probably not necessary. You
may also have a fax machine, but these are going
the way of carbon copies. Multiple phone numbers
can also be confusing to recipients of the card—especially if you are including both office and cell
phone numbers.
The company’s web address could also be
optional. If you have a content-rich website with lots
of great information about the company and its products
and services, then of course put the URL on the
card. If your site is a modest two-pager with minimal
content, you may want to forgo the web information.
You also have latitude in how you present the
information. 123 West Forty Second Street, New
York, New York 10010, can also be displayed as 123
W 42nd NY, NY 10010.
Stand out & fit in
Since type is the most important graphical element
on a business card, choose yours carefully. Setting
the card in Berkeley Oldstyle will make a very different
impression than setting it in Gigi. You can
use a classic like Helvetica (if it’s cool enough for
the Apple iPhone, it’s probably OK for a business
card), a fancy script like ITC Edwardian, a whimsical
design like Tyke or a sophisticated typeface
like Centaur. Each design carries its own personality
and can instill a strong fl avor. Be careful to
choose a typeface that accurately refl ects you and
the company.
Except perhaps for Helvetica, avoid system fonts
and overly popular typefaces. Times New Roman
is a great serif typeface, but it is not going to say
much about you or the company—and it is clearly
not very memorable. Typefaces like Papyrus, Tekton
and Cezanne should also be given a wide berth. Yes,
they are distinctive but, because they are used so
much, their ability to separate your card from others
is limited. Typefaces like these also tend to fall from
fashion and, when they do, content set in these faces
will look about as hip as Ocean Pacific T-shirts or
parachute pants. The choice of typeface can help the
business card stand out from the rest—just be sure it
stands out in a positive way.
The shape of the card and what it is made of
can also separate yours from the 2 x 3½-in. masses.
The potential problem with odd-shaped cards, however,
is they may not be compatible with most business
card holders. While folded cards may also give
you more real estate, remember that if the card is
folded in a cardholder, you can lose the advantage
of that additional space. If you expect the card to
have a long shelf life, you need to be sure it will fit
on the shelf.
Speak clearly
A business card should speak clearly and announce
who you are and how you can be contacted. When
you are not around, it should be a silent ambassador—a reminder of the products and services of
the company.
Typographically, this means the information on
the card should be easy to read. If it is too small, is
overly decorative or is oddly composed, the clients
may not take the trouble to contact you. If you use a
very fancy typeface for the company name, you may
want to consider using something slightly more traditional
for the contact information.
If the type is set at a small size, a little extra letter
and line spacing can improve readability. You may
also want to consider using a sans serif typeface for
contact information because sans serif numbers are
the most legible.
Take advantage of the real estate
There is a back to business cards. Typically these are
left blank. Consider using the back of the card to
provide information about products and services or
to share the company philosophy.
Design for the long haul
Business cards should have “legs.” The business
card (and stationery) becomes the brand—especially
if there is no company logo. They should be
something that accurately and positively represent
the company.
Quality card stock can make a big impact.
Heavy paper is always the best—and it helps make
a strong, affirmative statement about the company.
Other material, like textured paper, transparent
plastic or thin metal, can also make an immediate
and lasting impression. Just be sure the choice is
appropriate and in harmony with the paper used
for the letterhead.
If the company has a logo, incorporate it into
the design of the business card. If you are currently
traveling through life logoless, consider adding a bit
of appropriate clip art, a dingbat or a typographic
ornament to the card. It will help to make it more
memorable, easier to find in a stack of similar-sized
cards, and—if you choose the right image—tell the
client a little more about your company.
FIVE TIPS FOR DESIGNING GREAT
STATIONERY
Good letterhead design is like the frame around a
picture; it improves the presentation without becoming
the focus of attention. A few guidelines will
ensure the letterhead accomplishes this goal with
grace and style.
1. Focus the reader
2. Consider the total typographic mix
3. Sweat the details
4. Make a quality statement
5. Don’t forget the wrapper
Focus the reader
In addition to providing the name, address, phone
number and other contact information, a letterhead
should also help the reader focus on the content of
the letter.
While the logo, company name and contact
information can be virtually anywhere on the edges
of the page, consider putting the logo and organization
name at the top left of the page and the contact
information at the bottom. This will serve to introduce
the reader to the company and provide an easy
lead-in to the content of the letter. Putting contact
information in a subordinate position at the bottom
of the page will also help balance the page for both
short and long correspondence.
Logos can also be centered at the top of the
page or aligned to a right margin. You may want
to consider placing them in an asymmetrical grid
where the logo and contact information are within
a vertical band along the left side of the sheet. Just
keep in mind that the most important part of the
letterhead is, well, the letter. The correspondence
should be the predominant information. Logos
should be large enough to be noticed—but not so
large that they overwhelm.
Placement of contact information usually
depends on logo placement. As with business cards,
there is a lot of latitude in the arrangement of this
information. Just keep in mind that it—like the logo
or company name—should provide information
while not overpowering the correspondence.
Consider the total typographic mix
When letterheads were first designed, the correspondence
itself was handwritten—something the
designer had no control over. When the typewriter
came along, the text of a letter was still pretty much
outside the control of the letterhead designer. Enter
desktop publishing, and now designers can—and
should—specify the typeface for correspondence. It
could be in the same type style as the contact information,
but perhaps in a different weight and/or
size. Or you could consider a contrasting design or
one that is a subtle complement to the contact information.
Just remember that the job of creating a
letterhead is not complete without specifying all the
typographic aspects of the letter content.
Sweat the details
If budget allows, consider a second-sheet design for
lengthy documents. Usually, just the logo and company
name are on the second sheet. Omitting the
contact information saves valuable page real estate
and allows the first sheet to serve as the title page.
Putting the letterhead or logo in an e-mail
can be problematic; if it is an image, it may also
show up as an attachment that could confuse or
annoy the recipient. The same holds true for signatures.
If you’ve scanned the signature and attach it
as a salutation, it will also show up as a downloadable
attachment.
Make a quality statement
As with business cards, the paper used for letterhead
is an important component in creating a positive
overall impression. If you simply create an electronic
version and print it on standard printer-paper stock,
no matter how strong and compelling the graphics
are, the letter will not have the appropriate substance
and longevity.
Don’t forget the wrapper
Even if most of the correspondence is electronic,
it is still a good idea to have a quantity of envelopes
on hand that match the business card and
letterhead. The envelope often creates the first
impression of the company. Make it a good one.
The easiest approach is to simply scale down the
graphics used for the letterhead. You can be creative
with the placement of the logo and return
address—as long as they do not get in the way of
the recipient’s address.
Even the choice of stamp used to send the mail
can be important. Sure, the basic design for the current
postal rate is probably fine. But what if you
found something special that complemented the
graphics of the letterhead or said something about
the personality of the company? That would make
the envelope all the more special. All it takes is a trip
to your local post office.
Business cards and letterhead are two simple
tools that can prove their worth daily. Put the
same care into designing them that you would any
other important project, and the investment will be
rewarded several times over.
