How to Design Artistic Business Cards

Walk into any office supply store or print shop and you can find dozens of stock business card designs meant to convey your contact information with (maybe) a decorative element or two. As an artist, business cards may seem like the least artistic, but most basic necessity. With some creative thinking your business cards will get the job done while still expressing your artistic side. Here are some design tips.

Things You'll Need

• Contact information
• Creativity
• Card stock and printer
• Pictures of your artwork
• Collaged paper
• Screen printing or stamping equipment

Instructions

1. Include your basic contact information no matter what stylistic choices you make. Name, email address and website (if you have one, and you probably should) are the bare minimum. A street address is a good idea if you have a physical studio that clients can visit, otherwise a PO Box is better for written correspondence. The same cautions apply for phone numbers: OK for business-only lines, but reserve your personal number for selective broadcast.

2. Consider non-traditional materials. Printing has come a long way and some companies specialize in printing on vinyl, wood and metal. Fabric can be stiffened and run through a laser or ink jet printer for those who work in textiles. If your work is in a particular medium that can easily be represented in your cards it will make you more memorable when they pull that card out of the stack!

3. Use both sides of the card. Double-sided printing can cost more, but choosing smartly will maximize impact while minimizing cost. Pick a representative piece of your artwork, either a scan or photograph, and crop it to fit the ratio of the card (3.5:2). Consider using a single color on both the front and back, be it black or a specific PMS spot color, to streamline the look and cost of the cards.

4. Leave room for your signature. For visual artists, our signature is what can identify a painting or sketch as authentic, and displaying it on a business card can build brand recognition. Cover the necessary elements (including a legible, printed version of your name), but leave a large space, either horizontal or diagonal, across the card to add your signature.

5. Dress up traditional cards by "collaging" the back side. Because of the small size of the card and the large number you'll need, collage or paint several large pieces of paper and then divide them into 2-by-3.5 inch pieces and attach to your regular cards. Keep the collages thin and make sure you adhere them well.

6. Screen print or stamp your card design to make the printing method part of the design. Take advantage of the different ways to reproduce an image and make your cards one of a kind and very "you" and your art.

Tips & Warnings

• Using fold-over cards will give you twice the real estate and can be used as price cards for exhibits and shows.

• Don't try to use all of these options in one card. Pick one or two stand-out options and run with it, but remember to keep the information easy to read, no matter what.

Resources

• MOO Print Limited