Design Ideas

7 Best Business Card colours and their meanings

Branding, Design Ideas, News / , , , ,

Business Cards that will get you noticed

How many different types of business cards have you had since your career started ?

At Millfield Media Print and Design we change our cards on a regular basis which is understandable because of the industry we are in.

Showcasing different business card paper is a must for us, as there are so many options for business card printing because of the different finishes and quality of paper.

Different colours react with different designs and paper types.

Your business card is a talking point and an important stepping stone to a potential client or collaborate.

Whether you are a business owner, an entrepreneur or starting a new job/career it’s a very important choice.

You have to remember it’s a first impression of who you are and the brand that you represent.

Creating an amazing business card is not as easy as you think.

Sometimes, you simply haven´t got the time which is why Graphic Design is integral to the process and a Designer can help you bring out your ideas.

Think to yourself how many business cards you have been given. 

How many have actually stood out and been memorable for whatever reason ?

Hold that thought ! Did you feel  “ooh this looks and feels fantastic”, and if not why not ?

If your card looks just like everyone else’s card, then chances are you have probably failed and you’re in the bin too.

So, in our opinion it is worth the time and effort to create an amazing Business Card Design.

Business Cards design that will get people talking 

Thinking about the colour, design and the texture will ensure you have a talking point that will catch people’s eyes, grab their attention and create a talking point.

Images are also a good way to get noticed, either a photo or an illustration or design if that’s your line of work.

Although white is standard, safe and used by many to fit into their business stationery and is an easy option. This is fine but to stand out choose a logo and colour for your brand that will distinguish you from all the others in your field.

Black and White signifies importance. Nike, BMW, Apple, Disney and Harley Davidson are the brand leaders in this field.

Do you want to make an amazing impression and to stand out from the crowd ?

Then we suggest that you try something really special and strengthen your brand credibility by adding silver or gold foiling or a Spot UV to your card which will give a wow factor and create a talking point.

Deciding where you put your logo is an crucial and another element to consider is the white space which is linked to sophistication .. less is more.

Business Card colours – what do they mean ?

Red is bold, daring and exciting so the market leaders that spring to mind are Virgin, Lego, Coca-cola, Nintendo, Red Bull.

Orange is confident, friendly and warm you think Fanta, MasterCard.

Blue is the signifies reliability, peaceful, confidence, and trust. NHS, Facebook, Twitter, Intel and Skype spring to mind as the leaders in this field.

Pink is usually for feminine, symbolising sensitivity and love.. Barbie and Victoria´s secret are brands that use pink

Yellow is sunshine, bright, happy and cheerful – Mcdonalds, Ikea, Post-it, Shell and Snapchat are a few that have opted for this colour.

Green represents balance, growth and nature. BP, Holiday Inn for example.

Purple cards suggest imagination, dreams and spirituality. People from the holistic sector usually prefer this colour. Cadbury and Hallmark are brands that spring to mind for this colour choice.

Now think about the shape, everyone has a rectangle, standard UK business card sizes are 55 x 85 , why? because they fit into a purse or wallet easily, but you want to be different right ?

Although Standard business card sizes tend to be a bit cheaper why not think about dye cut, square or mini business cards which will bring a different element to your design?

The shape of your business card should complement your brand and your business card maker can help you to achieve this.

Every detail from fonts/typography, which includes spacing between letters are an important factor to consider, do you go funky, traditional or elegant? Again, think of the message and your brand and choose wisely to compliment this.

Make sure the contact details are there relaying your key message, less is more.

They should be easy for people to contact you. Proof read all the time to check for spelling, phone numbers etc and then save in a format that is compatible for your printer.

Choosing the right colour for your business card then combining with a specific paper choice can mean you either stand out from the crowd or your card will just be put in a drawer and forgotten about.

We suggest you go for something different, perhaps a gloss, Spot UV or perhaps a decadent Foil finish,

Now you have got your colour and paper choice sorted .. think about the shape !

Everyone has a rectangle business card because it is the standard size, why ? because they fit into a purse or wallet easily.

Standard business card sizes tend to be a bit cheaper why not think about dye cut, square or mini business cards which will bring a different element to your design ?

The shape and style of your business card should complement your brand.

Every detail from fonts/typography, which includes spacing between letters are an important factor to consider.

Do you go funky, traditional or elegant ? Again think of the message and your brand and choose wisely to compliment this.

Making sure all your contact details are there relaying your key message.

Proof read your Business Card all the time to check for spelling, phone numbers etc and then save in a format that is compatible for your printer.

So to recap, choose the right colour to compliment your brand, combine with a specific paper finish and shape to help you stand out from the crowd.

Millfield Media have a 5* customer service reputation for business card printing in Northumberland, offering a wide range of solutions, finishes and prices.

Whether you’re looking for business cards on a budget or premium quality business cards, Millfield Media can design and print a business card to suit your needs or budget.

We are happy to take on any project, regardless of size, so whether you need 100 business cards or 10,000 business cards, we will be more than happy to help.

If you are in search of cheap business cards in Northumberland or any part of the UK it is FREE delivery . We offer Small Business a branding offer. So if you are looking for cost-effective advertising and want to make a excellent first impression contact us now for a quote and we will help you to design your business card that will start a conversation with potential customers

Why not order one of our business card sample pack to help you decide. Or contact me for a discussion direct on millfieldmedia@outlook.com

Colours for Business Cards

Contact us to discuss how we can help your business today.

How to create Print ready artwork – Guidelines and Tips

Branding, Design Ideas, Design Tips and Tricks, Print and Design / , , , , , , ,

Print Ready Guidelines Tips and Tricks

What is print ready I hear you say…..

Print Ready is the term used in the trade to describe a document or file that is ready to proceed to print

In the print industry there are certain specifications that help us produce a high-resolution printed outcome. 

Part of this specification is that the artwork needs to be supplied with crop marks added to each corner and set with a 3mm bleed to each edge.

This ‘bleed’ edge will be trimmed off in production but it is necessary as any colour or images need to ‘bleed’ over the finished size so that you get a nice clean edge (no paper showing on the edge).

If bleeds are not included then to mimic the appearance of the bleed, we have to cut into the edge of the document.

You’ll end up with a printed document which is 4 or 5mm narrower and shorter than you intended.

Which may result in critical content being cut off or the finished job looking uneven/off-centre once cut.

You may have  some text very close to the edge of the page so these may be completely cropped off.

So for this reason we recommend keeping all text, logos etc inside the ‘safe area’ to avoid any possible cutting issues.

There’s inevitable movement with print in the cutting process and if you have text too close to the finished size line it may be cropped.

We advise you to set the safe area 5mm in from the finished size line.

Standard method in the industry is PDF for submitting artwork for printing.

This is because PDF generates smaller files and, when used correctly, it ensures that all graphics/fonts are properly embedded and therefore there is no movement.

Enabling them to be printed correctly,  no matter which computer you print them from and is ideal if you are creating a multi-page.

FONTS 

Check and try where possible to stick to standard fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman, as these are usually installed on nearly every PC.

We understand that you may want to be different if it is part of your brand identity and choose an unusual font.

If this is  this case for your brand, all we ask is that you remember to tell the designer or printer.

Changes that may be needed by your  printer or designer will have to be done in this font and therefore downloaded to re-create or change your artwork for you.

Ideally, all fonts in print ready artwork should be converted to outlines to avoid any potential font embedding issues.

Choose the highest available quality setting, look for “print quality”, “press quality” or “high quality”.

COLOURS

To get the best colour match we require artwork to be set as the CMYK colour model which is a four colour process used in colour printing and used to describe the printing process itself (Cian Magenta Yellow and Key which is black). 

See our blog on Digital and Lithographic printing explained regarding colours 

The colours of your artwork will always look brighter and richer on your screen or monitor as it’s a back lit screen and those colours are made up of three colours – Red, Green and Blue (RGB)

They will will always be slightly darker than how it appears on a computer because the colour is reproduced from four colours.

Standard print(CMYK) then printed onto paper or board (which can also affect colour) then left to soak into the stock and dry.

When colour printing please remember to specify colours by indicating the Pantone name or number.

This assures that you get the right colour when the file is printed, even though the colour may not look right when displayed on your monitor, the printed article will.

Remember too how important it is for top quality images if you are looking at wide format printing such as outdoor banners or pop up banners.

Decide on the size of your banner. the images need to be at least 300dpi (dots per inch) preferably bigger if possible to ensure they are crisp and dont blur or pixilate.

Making sure they are saved in the correct colours CMYK.

PDF is now the industry standard method for submitting artwork for printing, because it generates smaller files

When used correctly, it ensures that all graphics and fonts are properly embedded to guarantee that they will print correctly no matter which computer you use.

If your PDF is password protected we won´t be able to print it. Please ensure all document restrictions are removed.

To remove document restrictions, bring up the document properties (File – Properties or Ctrl+D), click on the Security tab and ensure that all actions are set to ´allowed´.

It is so important to get your artwork correct so that when you are preparing your business cards, flyers, brochures and leaflets.

They will look so much more professional and set your brand off.

Read our other blog Brochure and Leaflet Design Tips to help you also

We hope this information is helpful if we can be of any further help or you would like a quotation please  contact me

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