From the course: Designing a Business Card

Business card sizes and formats - InDesign Tutorial

From the course: Designing a Business Card

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Business card sizes and formats

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- The size of your business card will in part be determined by where you are in the world. The two sizes I'm familiar with, U.S. and Canada, 3 1/2 by 2 inches or the European 85 by 55 millimeters. But you don't have to limit yourself to a standard size. MOO Cards are known for their mini, or chewing-gum strip cards. They and other online digital printing services also offer square business cards. The biggest advantage of a non-traditional size is that it stands out. And the biggest disadvantage of a non-traditional size is that it stands out. Consider what people are likely to do with your business card. Business card holders, wallets, well if things don't fit what will they do with your card? Will they put it in a special place or will they just toss it? There's no right answer but you should consider the implications. Personally I think that if you're going to go with a non-standard size then your business card should be exceptional. There's no point in having a non-standard size that is otherwise totally conventional. As well as size, there's also orientation. In business card terms, it's a predominantly horizontal world. Wallets are horizontal, business card holders horizontal. But there's no reason why you can't have a vertical card. One determining factor, might be the orientation of your logo. Is it a horizontal, or a vertical logo? Paper has two sides, so why not your business card? Think of the front and back as front cover and back cover. These days there's often more information than will comfortably fit on a single-sided card. That said, a possible advantage of a single-sided card is that the back side can be used for notes. Why limit yourself to just two sides? Why not have four? A fold over or tent card offers double the space. You can have your traditional business card information on the front and back, and might offer a list of services on the interior, functioning like a mini brochure.

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