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Feb 17

If you are considering rounded corner business cards then this is the post for you. We have loaded this post with wonderful & inspirational round corner business card designs for you to enjoy.  Round corner business cards are definitely a cool choice when you are weighing your options for the look of your corporate identity.  A rounded edge card can do more than just look good they can communicate a friendly feel and can give you a creative edge.  Another great thing about round corner business cards are they are no longer expensive and are not much more than your standard business card.  Our rounded corner business cards start at $28 just to give you an idea.  If you want your business cards to last, rounded business cards are for you because the corners don’t get worn out like a standard business card would.  Enjoy this collection of great designs from brilliant graphic designers.

Adriana Chionetti - (personal)

Ahmed Nagy - (ADDA)

Aritab - (personal)

Bruce Hildago - (personal)

Travis Weerts - (global Outreach)

Jannie Ho - (Personal)

Creative Suitcase - (Impact Salon)

Dan Wiersema - (GUIFX)

Difted - (Difted)

Merijn Hoogeveen - (personal)

Dunamis Media - (Dunamis Media)

Genocom Media Group - (Genocom)

Hypno Design - (Creative Spark Consulting)

Hypno Design - (Hypno Design)

iTudor - (liquid works)

iTudor - (sarafoto)

Ivan Jevtic - (gobo)

Ivan Radosavljevic - (CSM Flooring)

Ivan Radosavljevic - (Turisticka Organizacija)

Jacqueline Kari Bos - (personal)

Justin Nash - (personal)

Krzysztof Banas - (Personal)

Marin Dsgn - (Manual)

Marin Dsgn - (Vintage)

Koji Sueyoshi - (Personal)

Muku Studios - (monster finans)

Muku Studios - (muku)

Wojciech Obuchowicz - (atmax)

Pierpoint Design and Branding - (Pierpoint)

Rob Hawkes - (Personal)

Angel Arroyo - (We Shoot Cocktails)

Devon - (personal)

Stephan De Wolf - (personal)

Velora Studios - (Velora Studios)

Andy Rand - (Gaming Lessons)

Hope you enjoyed the post, let it inspire your creativity.

Here are links to all the great graphic artists mentioned in “35 outstanding round corner business cards post”:

Adriana Chionetti – Link
Ahmed Nagy – Link
Aritab – Link
Bruce Hildago – Link
Travis Weerts – Link
Jannie Ho – Link
Creative Suitcase – Link
Dan Wiersema – Link
Difted – Link
Merijn Hoogeveen – Link
Dunamis Media – Link
Genocom Media Group – Link
Hypno Design – Link
iTudor – Link
Ivan Jevtic – Link
Ivan Radosavljevic – Link
Jacqueline Kari Bos – Link
Justin Nash – Link
Krzysztof Banas – Link
Marin Dsgn – Link
Koji Sueyoshi – Link
Muku Studios – Link
Wojciech Obuchowicz – Link
Pierpoint Design and Branding – Link
Rob Hawkes – Link
Angel Arroyo – Link
Devon – Link
Stephan De Wolf – Link
Velora Studios – Link
Andy Rand – Link

Feb 12

In our previous post, you just learned how to make your business card effective. Now for some helpful tips and tricks on how to pass them out and use them to your advantage.   Don’t use your old boring methods, try some of these out:

1) First tip don’t get card happy and start giving your business cards out to every prospective client within sight. It may come off as pushy. Engage your prospect in a conversation before you hand them a card. While in conversation ask them what they do. Many times they will pull out their business card and that is the perfect time to pull out yours and hand it to them.  Make sure when you hand it to them that your business card is face up and smile at them.

2) This goes for anyone who emails. You should scan your business card and attach it to all of your emails.  It will give off a more professional touch and your brand/company has made one more impression with every email delivered.

3) Don’t miss an opportunity. Make sure to always keep a stack of business cards on you: in your car, at home, in your office, and wallet/card holder.  You’ll run into potential big business opportunities everywhere you go even the unexpected places for example: grocery store, dry cleaners, car wash, out shopping, beach, at the bar, etc.  You don’t want to be kicking yourself later because you didn’t have a business card on you.

4) If you run a company that delivers a product. It’s a great idea to include a business card in every product you deliver.  Throw in any other promotional items you might have to boost your brand awareness and repeat business.

5) Be strategic. When you print your business cards leave out your mobile # intentionally, only print your office number.  Then when you hand out your business card to a prospect hand write your mobile number on your card and tell them it’s your direct line.  This will make them feel special/important.

Here are some tricks that take a little practice, and may be a little unorthodox but chances are your prospect will remember you after you pull one of these off.

Tell us if you have used any of these tricks or you have any others. We want to hear your experiences.

Feb 11

If you haven’t read part 1 I suggest you read it first and this second.  So to continue on creating an effective business card, here are some more rules you will want to stick to:

Make sure to include your logo on your business cards and don’t just use random clip art either for your logo.  A logo communicates credibility and brand awareness towards your company’s identity. So if you don’t have a logo, invest and hire a professional to make your business logo before purchasing your business cards.

Continue reading »

Feb 09

Do you want to make a business card that people keep? Do you want to make a business card that is remembered?  Do you want to make a business card that has people contacting you back?  Here is how you do it:

First and foremost, the most obvious item a good business card needs to have is easily readable contact information. You would be surprised at how many people forget this or bury and hide their contact details in some frilly design that renders it illegible.  Try staying away from cursive fonts too, if possible; these fonts are hard to read for some people.  With that being said also stay away from really small fonts that are hard to read.

Another good rule of thumb is to include a short message about what your company does, since company names and/or logos on occasion are not very informative about the company or what it does.  When people receive your business card they immediately think how can this person or their services help me. If they cannot figure out what you do, your card has failed.  Think about it like this: what if someone else gave somebody your card, or someone is reviewing your card at a later time from when they originally received it – if they can’t remember what you do or figure it out based on your card, you probably won’t get contacted back.

You need to consider size as well. I wouldn’t stray too far away from the standard size (2 inches x 3.5 inches).  The reason for this being is it will not be as easy to store in a wallet or Rolodex.  Remember you want your card to be close to people constantly and within reach.

Something else you want to achieve with your cards but is not always the easiest is that you want your cards to have recall value. Recall value is making your card memorable so that when it is among many business cards in a stack it stands out.  The best way to create great recall value is to invoke emotion on your card since emotions are deeper routed in our brain.  A real estate company or Realtor can accomplish this by simply including an image on their card of a happy family sitting in front of a new home. That is just one example of creating emotional recall value and there are many other creative ways to accomplish it.  Be creative in this process.

Another good method for getting people to keep your business card handy and close is to create something on the card that a person can use, for instance a tip chart, calendar, ruler, or even a map. I’m sure you can think of more ways.  If you do this your card will be pulled out more often because you made it not only a business card but a resource. That alone might get someone else’s attention to look at your card.

Get Creative

You don’t have to conform to the standard business card.  You can print your business cards on stickers or even have magnetic business cards printed up. These are great because it turns it into a resource. People will keep magnets on their fridge or desk for years to hold up notes/papers.

Magnetic mini billboards every time someone passes the fridge

Magnetic business cards makes your contact info easily available and an everyday mini billboard on somebody’s fridge or metal surface they might have it on.

There are also fold over business card to consider:

Pros of a fold over business card:

- they are great especially if you sell products because it’s large enough to include photos on there like a mini brochure. – with the extra space you can have a note section, appointment booking space, quote fields, etc. (Just remember if you are going to want to write on your cards remember to have them uncoated or a matte finish, you will not be able to write on UV Gloss cards)
- It will stand out

You can see the visual difference here between matte and UV coatings

Cons of a fold over business card:

- They are thicker than a normal business card so people might not want to store them in their wallets since they take up more space.
- Also if your business card is a dark color and you have it is UV glossed you might see cracking on the folded part.

I hope this helps you out in your business cards creation endeavors.

Oct 14

If your response rates from your print marketing campaign are not where you would like them, it may be time to shake things up a bit. People tire of the same old ads, delivered in the same boring manner. Trying a different and novel approach could see a dramatic increase in your sales from your print marketing campaign.

Are you still sending your letters in tired plain envelopes? Are your postcards dismally sad? Instead of using plain envelopes to send our sales letters, try extra large ones, which are certain to grab the recipient’s attention. The use of bright colors and large typeface can also enhance the chances of your mailers being read, and not tossed in the shredder.

What do people like to get in the mail? Besides free samples of some male enhancement pill, the answer is packages. Use a box or tube to mail your next promotional letter in. You can put all sorts of print on a box, and the customer will feel like it is their birthday. You are almost certain to make it past the receptionist with a package, since it seems important.

When you mail your sales letter, why not throw in a key chain, pen, can cooler, or other freebie? Embossed with your company’s logo of course. People love getting free stuff. Especially items that they can put to good use. This can be rather costly though, so make sure you have the budget for it before you begin.

Keeping all promotional mailers consistent with your brand is crucial. You want people to remember you by the color scheme and logo that you have created uniquely for your company. Be sure to put your return address on the box or tube, as bomb scares are rampant these days. Bombs are generally not considered good business practice. That creates quite a quandary for people who make explosive devices like dynamite however. I am sure they have their own strategies. I mean it’s not as if they can send clients a little fake dynamite stick in the mail, saying, “I’m just exploding for your business!” Anyway, that is not your problem. Unless you are an explosives salesperson, and if that is the case, you might want to find another avenue to pursue in marketing your product.

Don’t forget about the follow up call after the package has been received. Your call will probably be much appreciated, since you have already pre sold your product. If you are an explosives maker, you may find suits knocking at your door. Please don’t send out free samples of your product if this is the case.

Although using dimensional mailers to send to prospective clients can be quite costly, the returns on the number of customers you can get from them are worth it. Make yourself memorable, and people are more likely to buy from you.

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Sep 21

Brochures and flyers are amongst the most useful and versatile of all marketing media. They can be left on doorknobs, placed under windshields, displayed at store countertops, and left wherever you go. In order to make your business stand out in a sea of other companies, you have to get inventive. With extreme use of color and design, your brochures can be an oasis in the desert of stale businesses. Instead of drying up and blowing away, your business has the ability to thrive and flower, when you use ingenuity and imagination.

Use your logo to create a dazzling color experience.

While the design and colors have to go with the logo you have, you can do so many novel things with your brochures and flyers. Depending on your business, you can make your brochures look unlike anything else out there. Try color schemes that are not in the mainstream. Anything that might catch someone’s eye, and cause him or her to look twice can be tried. Don’t be afraid to do things that no one has done before.

Use squiggly lines, use hexagons, triangles, pears, moons, or a big toe.

Just get your business noticed. The bigger the brochure, the more noticed they get. Customers find a giant, color splashed big toe somewhat hard to ignore. Make it something to remember. Make it great. Give your customers the impression that you are hip, fun, and the place to do business with. Grab them with your brochures and flyers, and make it impossible for them to resist reading them.

After you have mastered your creative design, make sure that the content on your flyers and brochures is professional and informative. Tell your customers how you can meet their needs, and why your company is the finest one for the job. Fancy colors and designs are not enough to get your business on top. If you are not good at writing, hire a professional to flesh out your brochures and flyers. This may cost more, but can be the difference between a brochure that flops, and one that pops. Words have the ability to change minds and start wars. All you need is to make customers see you as where it’s at. Not so hard when you get the hang of it. Soon, you will have more customers than you could ever have dreamed.

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Sep 09

Remember the lovely sound of ca-ching? We hear it less frequently these days. Retailers may be suffering more than many other businesses during our current economic depression. (Depression in this case being a common psychological state, whether or not it’s the official label for today’s business climate.)

Traditionally, high-volume retail operations don’t use many business cards, but specialty retailers have for years, in fact, long before the ubiquitous frequent buyer card craze.

Maybe it’s time to review what full color business cards can do for retailers.

They can help build new product or service lines.

(Ex: Did you know we carry Webkinz? New arrivals every week!)

They can generate repeat visits.

(Ex: Present this card on your next visit to save 20% on your order!)

They can increase referrals and survey your customers.

(Ex: Find what you need? Tell a friend. Left empty-handed? Please call and tell us what you need – we want to help!)

Because many retail employees work part-time, are students, or don’t necessarily devote themselves to what they consider a temporary job, shop owners need to consider how the employees will be able to use the cards successfully.

If simply sticking a card in the bag with each customer’s order is the realistic best your employees can do, you’re going to have to design your card to do a great job.

Slow down.

Tossing a card in with a customers’ orders or sliding it across the counter while simultaneously reaching for the ringing phone sends a message. It’s here’s-your-card-we’re-almost-done-with-this-transaction-gotta-go.

It does nothing to address the importance of the transaction or make the customer feel special, or even the slightest bit appreciated. If you follow motivational speaking and leadership trends, you know an enduring refrain is “When you deal with things, it’s a transaction; when you deal with people, it’s a transformation.” (See what Steve Roesler has to say about it, here)

Don’t ask, “Would you like a business card?”

Instead, say, “May I give you a business card?” You’ll sound polite, which makes your customer want to be polite, too – too polite to refuse the card. Later, when they linger dangerously near the trash can with your business card in hand, the echo of your sincere question will grant your card a spot on their desk rather than in the can.

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