Business cards - samples, rules, examples. Abstract: Business card as an attribute of a business person

Business card or a business card is an integral part of life and etiquette business man.

The presence of a business card in a person is a sign that he is a serious, personable, business person who is ready for fruitful cooperation. That is why business card printing is so widespread in today's business world.

What is a business card

By definition, a business card is a card with your personal data and other information about you (contact, your position, etc.).

The history of business cards and their structure

The first business cards are usually attributed to the times Ancient China. Approximately 2500 years ago, thin wooden boards appeared there, on which petitions for admission were written. What is a business card photo

A business card is such a serious thing that there is a list of international standards for it:

• The size should be 50*90 mm.
• It is not considered correct to send a business card by mail, but you can send it through a courier or driver. On the part of the recipient, an answer must be given no later than 24 hours from the moment the card was received.
• Shouldn't spoil appearance someone else's business cards (bend, draw on it), especially in the presence of the owner, this can offend him.
• You need to give your business card to your partner so that he can see your name out of the corner of his eye, while both should bow slightly to each other.
• If the recipient cannot receive you, you need to slightly bend the right corner of the business card and leave it.
• Business cards should always be available to you. If you suddenly do not have business cards for a partner, then this is considered bad form.

Today, several modifications of business cards are known: personal, business, family, business cards for correct acquaintance.

A conditional message or congratulation can be left in the lower left corner of a business card, such as an expression of gratitude, an introduction, a farewell for a long departure, and even a happy new year.

The business card also allows you to introduce yourself in absentia. To do this, you need to send your business card along with the business card of a person who is a mutual acquaintance of you and the person you want to meet. The priority of business cards is stipulated as follows: women introduce themselves to men, elders to younger ones, hosts to guests.

In addition to all this, a business card is an extremely popular product in the field of printing.. It can be made from paper, wood, metal and plastic, and there are many types of printing.

How and what are business cards made of?

There are several options for making business cards.:

1. Digital printing method.
2. offset printing method.
3. Embossing.
4. Screen printing method (screen printing).
5. Risography (printing in black on color).
6. Thermal rise method.
7. Hot stamping (extrusion).
8. Foiling (thermal transfer of foil to cardboard).

Do not forget that your business card can be said to be the first impression of you, so choose business cards carefully and wisely, do not forget to take into account all the factors.

How to make a business card at home, see the video

What exactly should be in there? The following data must be printed on the business card: the surname and initials of the person, the name of the company, the position of the representative, the postal address and telephone number, so that it is possible to contact him. Standard size card size is 90*50mm. Then it will easily fit into a business card holder.

Business The business card must be written in legible letters. which anyone can read immediately. Beautiful cursive fonts are great. But in order to understand them, sometimes you need to make a lot of effort. If you are a business person, then you do not need bright business cards with drawings. Pictures, quotes and the like are more typical for business cards of people of creative professions. For example, no one will be surprised by an illustration on an artist's business card.

remember, that left upper corner business cards - a place to place the company logo. Therefore, it is undesirable to occupy it with other information. In rare cases, you can see a photo of the owner of the company there. It is quite clear that the language in which the business card is printed depends on the country where the owner lives. However, if you are going to travel abroad, then be sure to make business cards in the language of the country where you are going. Some company representatives print them on English language because most of the world's population knows it. It is also acceptable to make bilingual business cards, where the same information will be printed on the back foreign language. But still it is better to order several types of them in the printing house.

A business card should contain only important information. Although modern printing houses provide many options for the color design of business cards, patterns and drawings. But one should not deviate from the rules of the business world. It is not recommended to use leather, plastic or metal as a material for manufacturing. A company representative must have a black-and-white business card printed on high-quality paper with a density of at least 300 g/m2. Do not make the surface glossy, because you cannot write anything on it.

How to present a business card?

In the business world, there are some rules for presenting business cards. The right to give your business card first is granted to a person with a lower rank or position. If the representatives have an equal position, then the age of the partners is important. The youngest person gives his business card first. Moreover, the card should be handed standing, but not sitting. You need to give a business card in such a way that the partner sees the information written there. No need to twirl and crumple it in the presence of the person who handed you the business card. Otherwise, it will be regarded as disrespectful.

It will be considered very rude if you do not recognize your partner, who has already given you a business card. When you change your number, you are allowed to enter it on your card instead of the old one. But if your position has changed, then you should order new business cards.
Author of the article: Ekaterina Yurievna Korolenya

Nowadays, anyone can have a business card, starting from the owner big business, ending with Uncle Vanya as a locksmith. Both of them, distributing business cards, pursue the same goal: to serve more customers, increasing their wealth.
A business card is an essential attribute of the business world. In many cases, it creates a certain image for the person or company to which it belongs. But no matter how well this card is framed, they will be judged precisely by their deeds. It is best when both the first and second are flawless. It's obvious, but it's forgotten.

Business cards can be roughly divided into three types:
Corporate- represents the company as a whole (as a brand), without taking into account any specific employees. It indicates the name of the company (logo), its type of activity and contact information (location address, website, some one main phone - not 5 numbers);
Employee business card- speaks of a person as of any position in a single company. It is enough to indicate on it the name of the organization (logo) that this person represents, his name, surname, patronymic, if desired, contact phone number, e-mail;
personal business card- speaks of a person as a specific person, not attached to any organization. It is characteristic, for example, of an artist, a photographer, a piano tuner, a gardener.

Regardless of the types described above, the essence of such a card is to very briefly make it clear who you are (what company), what you do and how you can be contacted. Just because people do not understand these differences, some stupid things are mindlessly copied and continue to live.
It is not logical, for example, to sculpt the address of the company and the phone numbers of all its departments on the business card of a particular employee, because this is a card of a particular person, a specific position. If this is his business card, then it should be about him.

Printing a hundred or two of these business cards does not require much effort at all. The question is, will the information be presented correctly, will it be comfortable to read it, and in general, how aesthetic will this business card be in general?
A printer in a printing house rarely cares about these issues, because this is not his profile, and if he understands, then he does not want to strain himself once again.
Without understanding this, you yourself are unlikely to be able to create something worthwhile, although at first glance everything seems very simple.
In the same way that someone perfectly sews dresses to order - you, for example, immersed in your business window profiles you are well versed in the materials and technologies by which these very profiles are produced. But in design, you know exactly as much as a programmer in medicine.

Professionals usually take good money for such work, which is not clear to all customers. Amateurs will take little, but they will do it as they can, due to their poor experience. They will take into account all your incorrect wishes, without removing the smile on duty called “the client is always right”, they will pursue only one goal: finish with you as soon as possible and take on the next client.

Once, two terrible business cards fell into my hands, requiring the most severe criticism and work on the mistakes. This is what prompted me to write this post.

So, the first victim is an online store of household and office equipment (double-sided business card):

On the front side, we see clouds and a classic image of a telephone operator girl, of which there are a lot of Google searches for the same name. The designer (the author of the card) nevertheless found that deep non-existent meaning in this and connected it with the store household appliances. Clouds, because in no case should a white background be left, the customer wanted “brighter and more creative, but at the same time so that there was lightness”. The text is ugly flattened somewhere, and stretched somewhere, plus the ability to give the font a white stroke is demonstrated. On the back, the same background, only without the girl, which made it possible to stuff the text there on the whole leaflet, give it an ugly width alignment and underline the address of the site already written for the second time.
The client, seeing that all the free space was filled with a “bright” background and text describing the advantages of his company, thought that they had done a good job on his card, and with a clear conscience continued his wandering path in incomprehension.

In this example of a disgusting business card, you can see that the text here is pressed to the edges, forcibly flattened and placed on a complex meaningless background. All this is an example of bad taste in terms of design, typography and just good manners.
Why do books always have free space from the text to the edge of the page, why do school notebooks also have this space (field) and is it set by a vertical red line separating entries? Because the text thus does not stick to environment, which allows you to concentrate on it, and make its perception the most comfortable.
I repeat once again that a business card, like a greeting, is intended for a brief introduction to a person (company), something like a book binding with a title and author, the contents of which are already on its pages.

The second victim is a business card of the director of a coal company (also double-sided, with a similar text in English on the back).

There is not much text here, unlike the previous version, but it all shimmers and shines like a circus pony. Reading it is an obvious mockery. By the way, the cardboard itself is already mother-of-pearl (it is simply not visible in the picture).
The client most likely wanted originality, femininity (the director is a woman), and that “the look was attractive”. The designer decided that everything should be glossy, and compensated for the small text with the Bold mode (bold), as a result, everything turned into lines. Turned out in best traditions amateurish bad taste. Neither the logo, nor the design, nor the text says about the direction of the company. The designer could not afford just white cardboard with black text, because he considers himself “creative” and in the eyes of the client also wants to behave as such. Unfortunately, such a card has no value, attractiveness and originality, but funds for cardboard and silk-screen printing have been spent.

From this follows the conclusion that it is not necessary to use any opportunity, just because it exists. In this case, it is a masquerade glitter with the help of special paint and cardboard, plus applying Bold mode to the font.

And here is an example of excellent, in my opinion, business cards:

The company is engaged in landscape design

comb stylist card

Everyone is familiar with these small rectangles of paper, on which all the contact information of the owner is written. But is the business card as simple as it seems? Why do you need a business card - ask yourself this question. Everyone knows the answer that lies on the surface. In order not to write with a pen on a piece of paper your phone number, position and email address. But in fact, a business card can achieve a very serious advertising effect, you just need to make a business card according to certain rules, and put it where the person who will definitely make a purchase from you will take it.

What is a business card?

A business card is the face of a business person, one might even say the face of the entire company. The business card is left with the heads of partners, suppliers, buyers. The same as you, an entrepreneur, the owner of the company, in your absence picks up a business card and he has associations in relation to you.

If the business card is cheap, and even wrinkled, then the attitude towards you, the owner of the company, and towards your entire company, will be negative. Stylish and beautiful business card will cause respect, desire to cooperate. Therefore, it is important to have good business cards, keep them not in your pocket, but in a special business card holder to ensure the safety of the card, to be able to hand it to the interlocutor in an unobtrusive form. There is a special business card etiquette, the basics of which every entrepreneur needs to know. That's what this article will be about.

Types of business cards

All business cards are divided into three types, and if necessary, an entrepreneur can have three types of business cards at once.

Personal business cards. They contain information about a person's identity. On such a business card can be written your cellular telephone, by which you communicate only with family and friends, it can contain your photo, your hobbies, personal email, ICQ, Skype. Such business cards can be handed out in an interest club to people who are just as enthusiastic as you are. They are suitable for personal acquaintances with interesting people, for family and friends.

Business business cards. Such business cards are needed in order to communicate with business partners, they must indicate your business coordinates - position, all types of mail, cell and landline phones, fax, Skype. Such business cards are made the most expensive, from very stylish materials– high-quality paper, the text is applied with paints of the most beautiful flowers, with particularly high stability. Remember that such a business card is your recommendation, your face.

Corporate business cards. These business cards are made on a single template for everyone who works in your company. Be sure to place the company logo on the left, a single frame, the same color on all business cards, regardless of position and status. Paper for such business cards is taken medium price category. Drawing is best done in full color, but inexpensive. No gold or mother-of-pearl is required on corporate business cards. They are meant for business, not admiration.

On the back of such business cards, you can write the opening hours of the company, how to get there, you can even place excerpts from the price list or your advertising slogan. And on the front side you need to write the last name, first name and patronymic of the owner of the business card, position, department or service, then indicate his cell phone, landline, fax, company address, employee's office number, when he has working days and when days off. In a word, there should be everything that a potential client needs to know when he wants to apply to your company on a case.

In addition, many companies make corporate business cards without specifying the coordinates of a particular person on it; only information about the company is placed on it. In this case, it turns from an advertising business card into an advertising leaflet on thick paper. Each company has the right to develop its own rules and procedures, you just need to decide for what specific purpose you are making business cards.

business cards

In the most thorough way, we will consider how a business card is made.

In order to issue your business cards, you will go to any advertising agency which is issuing printing products. In such agencies there is always a designer whose services cost money, and not always small ones. Everything will depend on the complexity of the task. But you must first set this task, and then monitor its correct implementation.

So, the business card should be 90 by 50 mm in size. It is best to place information horizontally. Creative vertical business cards are not always easy to read, it is better to use this form in personal business cards. The sizes of business cards should be exactly this, because the large ones will not fit in the business card holder, which will make them completely useless.

Next, you will need to provide the designer with all the text that you want to see on the business card. Make sure the font is easy to read. Complex monograms will not allow you to make out the information, confuse your partner, he will not want to use such a business card. The font should be straight, italics are always perceived as footnotes and links, they will give the business card a feeling of lightness, and this important document and you, the owner of it, are very important for a partner.

In addition, now everyone can create a business card on their own, because there are many convenient online services for creating business cards, for example, Logaster. The online service allows you to get beautiful and high-quality business card files with your personal data in just a few minutes.

Business cards should not have decorative pictures, as they say, “ruffles and hearts”, leave this for personal business cards. The maximum that can be placed on such a business card is your company logo. It should be in the top left corner. There is no need to post a photo there, this is a very cheap move to promote yourself, and you need to create the impression of a director of a serious company.

You should not flaunt your company's connections with foreign companies and make inscriptions in various languages. If you plan to use business cards in Russia, then write everything in Russian. But if you go abroad for business negotiations, then you can make a small batch of business cards in the language of the country where you are going. Just consult with a literate person who is fluent in this language. In case of mistakes, you will only make your partners laugh, and you don’t need it at all.

But double-sided business cards in two languages ​​are very stylish option. One side will have to exactly duplicate the other, the difference will be only in the language. Such a business card will be both functional and will save you money, and will look very advantageous against the business cards of your competitors.

And now about the colors that you use in business cards. They should be modest so as not to distract from the meaning of what is written. Rainbow color scattering will not work here. It is not necessary to go far from black and white contrasts, make business cards bright, pink or blue. You can replace black with blue, dark green, dark gold.

When choosing material for a business card, do not strive to make it from expensive materials. modern materials, like veneer, plastic, metal, etc. There are magnificent and not expensive cardboard options made for silk, with working out, mother-of-pearl overflow, for metal, with shine. Just do not overdo it with shiny effects, do not forget about style and measure in everything.

The weight of the most suitable paper should be at least 300 g/m2. Just don't use glossy paper. The inscriptions on it are difficult to read depending on the lighting, and it is impossible to correct the phone with a pen or write something.

Why do you need all these business cards?

We will hand out personal business cards to friends and acquaintances. But we will need business cards at meetings and negotiations. At the time of handing the business card, you must follow some rules.

The first business card when meeting is given by the youngest in age. You can, of course, take into account the status, but it is not customary to demonstrate it when the two parties want to come to mutually beneficial cooperation. Therefore, in this procedure it is necessary to be guided by age. Hold out the business card so that your interlocutor can immediately read the information on it without turning it over. If a business card is handed to you, then you need to take it and thank your partner, calling him by name: “Thank you, Eugene!”, For example.

When you hold a meeting in your office, you can take a business card for delivery from the business card holder on the table. And if you are going to a meeting somewhere, then prepare a business card for handing and put it in a well-accessible place, for example, in a jacket pocket. During negotiations, keep the business card received from your partner in front of you so that you can look at and call the person by name at any time. He will be pleased to hear his name and see attention to his business card.

But with corporate business cards, everything is much more interesting. They can be issued to your sales managers at in large numbers. Vendors travel daily around the city in search of customers. Oblige them to leave 10-15 visits in each place where they go. Depending on the profile of your company, they can be laid out in the places where your potential customers are located.

For example, sales manager business cards sportswear can be left in sports and health centers, clinics, private clinics, ski resorts, recreation centers, swimming pool halls, private baths, clubs where there is sport sections, tourist groups, etc.

These business cards have a very long advertising life. A person can remember about it as soon as he took it and come to your store. Or it may discover the need for information on a business card, after a very long time even after several months. In addition, if business cards are on a table in a beauty center, someone can take it for themselves, and someone will look, leave it in place, remembering the information. And a few more people can use this business card.

Please note that the more such corporate business cards will be laid out in the most different places your city, the greater the return on them. You will see how your business cards will lead to you customers who have never even heard of your company, and those who have heard will be brought again and again. From them is real great benefit your sales.

Other employees of the company do not need a large number of business cards. Of course, ordering a large batch of business cards is much more profitable, the cost of one business card in this case is reduced. But remember, how often do you change employees? The employee decides to quit, and you have a thousand of his business cards. They have one way - into the trash can. Therefore, these costs and orders must be carefully planned.

The following video clip shows various business and not only business cards. Here you can find ideas for designing your business card.

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Business cards sometimes say a lot more than what is written on them. Especially business cards of people who change our world.

Zuckerberg

Business card without a phone number of an HR specialist

Business card of the assistant of Warren Buffett - one of the most famous and influential foreign historians in the world. This business card very quickly puts everything in its place, Everyone in their place in the hierarchy. She clearly knows her place and the places of other people. Instead of a phone, the business card says “You will not call me. I'll call you" and between the lines you can read "Maybe I'll call you. If you're lucky"

Co-founder of Google

Here is Larry's first business card as a co-founder of Google Corporation. Business card printed in 1998.

Steve Jobs as Vice President

Here's an even older rarity: Steve Jobs' business card (as Apple VP!) Business card from 1979.

Gates colorful business card

Yes, initially Microsoft was very micro and not at all so blue. This is the business card of Bill Gates from Microsoft Corporation. Of course, it looks more like a business card of a solarium, but still this is it. The one whose name I prefer not to say out loud. :)))

Co-founder of Yahoo!

Yahoo! co-founder business card Jerry Yang. I don’t know anything about it, except that it is a direct competitor to Google. Pretty fun business card.

Billionaire Trump

Donald Trump. Famous skyscraper owner, book author, show host, womanizer and just a very cool guy. The logo is embossed in gold and each business card has his personal signature. As proof of truth.

Business card with an error by Eric Schmidt

Even big shots like Eric Schmidt have misspelled business cards. Chariman instead of Chairman (Chairman of the Board of Directors) on the business cards of Eric Schmidt from Google at one time amused many. The most interesting thing is when typos are hidden in the phone number. Sometimes it doesn't show up very soon.

Steve Wozniak

Co-founder business card Steve's Apple Wozniak. metal business card. Holes are made in the metal with a laser.

Senator Obama

Barack Obama's calling card as Senator from Illinois. Now, of course, everyone remembers who he is and what position he holds even without business cards.