First impressions are everything
Research shows it takes just seven seconds to form a first impression of a person or a thing — and most of us waste those seven seconds. If you want to make a strong impression on the people you meet, you have to make every one of those seconds count.
In business, those seven seconds matter even more, because we are bombarded with brand advertising and messaging every single day. The average person faces at least 5,000 marketing messages a day, and it's steadily eroding the connection between people and the companies they buy from.
The business card is still your most reliable pitch
From ancient times to today, the business card has been a key tool for introducing companies and people to one another. But in today's world it's all too easy to be handed yet another card, so leaving a good, lasting impression on the person who receives it matters more than ever.
By one informal estimate, 80% of business cards are thrown away within a week. Not a pleasant statistic, is it? That's exactly why our designers at Printing Banana keep stressing how important it is to create a card that makes an immediate impression.
Before we dive into the business card design trends for 2021, let's quickly cover the essentials you need to know before designing one. To create an unforgettable first impression, a business card has to:
- Grab the recipient's attention fast. When everyone leaves an event carrying a stack of cards, you want yours to be the one that catches the eye.
- Convey the right information. A card's main job is to let people reach you easily, so the details on it have to be clear.
- Leave a lasting impression. When people get home and sort through the cards they've collected, you want them to remember yours — and the story behind it.
The best business card trends of 2021
1. Minimalism
We hand out cards to give the recipient information about ourselves.
These days that means email, address, phone number, website and more. Try to fit all of it onto one card and it quickly becomes cluttered — and if it isn't laid out well, it just looks messy. That's why so many big brands prefer a minimalist look.
Keeping it simple means the recipient can take in exactly the information they need without being distracted by extra graphics or colours, so they can focus on what the card is really about. A minimalist card conveys elegance, and it builds a stronger image and sense of value for your brand.
2. Holographic foil
Alongside the ever-popular minimalist look, holographic foil stamping is set to be one of this year's hottest design choices. Graphic design right now leans heavily on a psychedelic, futuristic direction and mood, and of all the finishing techniques out there, holographic foil fits that trend best. Catching the light, it flashes different colours for a strong futuristic, dreamlike effect. Plenty of major brands — Nike, Apple, Huawei — are already using this style in their marketing.
Because holographic foil isn't yet everywhere on the market, you can use it to get ahead of the curve. Iridescent colour is genuinely more eye-catching than ordinary foil, so your card easily finds its place among the pile. It also shows off your company's feel for the market and its creativity, telling clients you move with the times.
3. Thick cards
Flimsy, lightweight cards are gradually falling out of favour. With matte laminated cards everywhere, recipients have grown numb to them — nine out of ten people who receive one won't read a word of it. Instead, we're moving into the era of heavier stock: a thick card feels fresh and different in the hand.
( Pictured: an edge-painted black card )
Why is a thicker card the better choice? Most people are unsure about thick stock.
A really thick card signals quality and weight. By handing out a card like this, you're essentially telling people your brand has the same quality and substance as the card itself. This year, businesses of every kind are leaning towards thick cards to leave a more lasting impression on their clients.
4. Textured cards
The nice thing about a textured card is that the recipient can feel the texture under their fingers — and that tactile moment makes them pay closer attention to the information on the card.
A textured stock invites the recipient to touch it, which means your card stands out from all the smooth ones. Add embossing or debossing and you give the card an extra touch of elegance.
5. Die-cutting
There's one way to make an ordinary card stand out quickly and easily, even on standard stock: die-cutting. Over the past year, Printing Banana has helped plenty of companies print die-cut cards in all sorts of sizes. If you go to a lot of events, you may have noticed that many businesses are switching to square shapes, custom silhouettes or vertical layouts instead of the traditional landscape format. A die-cut card breaks out of the usual rectangle and opens up far more possibilities.
With a die-cut card, a brand can cut its cards into any shape it likes — meaning the only limits are your imagination and your budget. It helps a company stand out from the sea of dull rectangular cards, and it signals that the business thinks and acts as originally as its cards do.
6. Painted edges
Every time you go to an event you end up collecting a big stack of cards, and those cards usually get piled together — dug back out of the mountain when you need them, or thrown away on a clear-out. Picture the card below: if yours had bright gold, green, pink or blue painted edges, it would shine out from the pile instead of gathering dust in it.
This year, companies are being more creative and thoughtful with their card design than ever. To pull ahead of the competition, you can simply use painted edges to add energy to a card while keeping your existing design intact, so your brand stays consistent.
7. Interactive card design
Nobody wants their card to end up in the bin the moment it's handed over — and that's exactly what interactive cards are made for. Using a range of finishing techniques, you can turn a card into something multi-purpose: the tyre-tread wear gauge below, a bookmark, a ruler and all kinds of other functional designs.
This year, Printing Banana hopes to print even more cards with different functions built in. A breakthrough in your card design means your card can stand out — because it's no longer just a card, which dramatically boosts its chances of survival.
Ready to design a business card that beats those seven-second odds? Printing Banana prints and delivers across Hong Kong and Macau — message us on WhatsApp at +852 3001 5678 (English is fine) and we'll help you pick the stock and finish that fits your brand.