Business Cards for Small Startup Companies
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A designer by career, I often work with clients to create and design some business cards. Any cards I design will by the nature of it move into the mid to premium end of the cost spectrum. Having some cards designed by a professional designer should give you a higher quality result in both terms of the image you're portraying and the quality of the final product. This higher quality might be exactly what you are after in your business (if it is, get in touch)!
For the very small business or exceedingly price conscious, there are however alternatives, I'll describe these below:
Pro's & Con's
+ Very Cheap
+ Design online whenever you have the time
+ Does the job of giving people your name
+ Quick online interface
- Print and product quality is noticeably low, card won't survive much 'pocket time'
- Looks less than professional
- No 'Proof' provided, they show you an online version of the final thing, you don't see a sample version to check colours and layout etc
- Based on a template system - if you're a plumber, there is a good chance another plumber in the area has the same type of card
- Once you start adding extras, like printing on 2 sides, having colour on 2 sides and editing the back, you start to pay over the odds and they are no longer cheap.
1. 'Cheap and Cheery, Does the Job' Cards - Cost £5 -£40 for 500
There are a couple of places you can get dirt cheap cards, VISTAPRINT (who advertise heavily on the web) sometimes even have offers for free business cards (you pay postage), as long as it has their name on the reverse. The paper quality is pretty low and the print almost always looks washed out. You select from a template online, add your details in, choose a font and some colours and they print & post them to you.
Great For...
- Businesses who don't need a 'slick' image such as Tradesmen
- Price sensitive people
Pro's & Con's
+ You can speak to someone, start a new business relationship with staff
+ You have more control over the design
+ Better Quality products
+ Affordable
- The fellow who designs it won't be a full time designer, creativity may be limited
- Still no printed proof unless you pay extra
- You'll get limited revisions as they are offering the design for a low cost
2. Print House Designed Card. £60 - £90 for 500 (+ extra for design)
A number of High Street printers will offer to design your card for a reduced price if you print it with them. A big one is Printing.com, who as well as having an online store, have franchise branches throughout the UK, shops on the high street. The design is probably cheap or even free depending on how may cards you print and the final product tends to be slightly higher quality than the super cheap'o above.
Great For
- Any business looking to present themselves professionally
Pro's & Con's
+ Bespoke card designed just for your business
+ Creative and envelope pushing solutions
+ Dedicated designer
- Not for the price sensitive!
3. Professionally Designed Business Cards - from £150 including design
OK I'm going to big this one up aren't I?
Working with a professional designer will get you the highest quality end product. You can expect them to work with you to create a bespoke product. They should be able to advise on things you can do, provide creative ideas to compliment your own suggestions and hey should come up with something that stands you out from your competition. They will also have a good relationship with a professional printing outfit which will help you get the best quality final product with good quality card and great printing.
Great For
- Presenting your business in the most professional manner.
And if you're weighing up using a pro designer (and I mean pro, not your nephew who is doing some design at college), I'd like to add a few final thoughts in. YOU DON'T GET A SECOND CHANCE TO MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION! If you can afford to, DON'T turn them off with AMATEUR design, present yourself well and they will judge you well.
About Kieran Harrod
Kieran Harrod designs things for businesses to help them sell more stuff, from logos and branding, posters and flyers, brochures and annual reports to web sites and customised facebook pages.
Based just north of Derby in the UK, Kieran set up his own business in April 2011 after practicing design since 1997 including 7 years as an in house designer and marketing manager for the UK arm of a multinational.
Kieran writes a graphic design blog on his business web site looking at design and marketing from small business.
