Digital Business Card Design Rules - How To Make An Effective Card

Traditional business cards are still an important part of all professional dealings, yet, their time in the limelight is slowly coming to a close. In the world of social media, video conferencing, and everything in between, exchanging information using a piece of paper is limiting, to say the least. 

As a result, more and more business people are switching to digital business cards that are faster, more environmentally friendly, and allow for a quick exchange of information. They can also contain way more information including full bios, social media links, and even videos. 

However, there are a few business card design rules you should follow to get the most out of your brand new virtual “carte de visite”.

1. Use a robust platform

Many companies are getting in on the digital business cards business, yet, not all of them offer the necessary features.

The main thing you should consider when choosing a platform (apart from the price) is whether they provide the option to share info without installing an app. Since the main point of digital cards is the ease of use and speed, requiring your recipient to install an app would be pretty much counterproductive. 

Next, look at the design options. A card platform should provide you with presets you can fine-tune to your liking, which will drastically reduce the time needed to create a functional card.

Such is the case with OamiiCards as we provide plenty of presets you can tweak to your heart’s desire. In case you want full customization (i.e. the ability to create a card from scratch), you need to pay a nominal fee for the premium version. 

2. Keep the card simple

The old adage of ‘less is more’ (or ‘keep it simple, stupid’, as our friendly software developers would state) rings true when talking about business card design rules. Much like with paper cards, you don’t want to clutter up the layout with unnecessary information. Just because you have the option of putting your full bio on a digital card doesn’t mean you should - keep the design clean and intuitive. 

Similarly, when considering the color scheme of the card, try to match the colors to the image you’re trying to project. If you want to go for a sophisticated and professional impression, go for white or black. Conversely, if you want to project a fun or casual image, use brighter colors.

Don’t go overboard with this. It’s still best to stick to a single color - unless you’re a clown by trade, in which case you do you, Pennywise.

Pro tip: Don’t shy away from negative (empty) space around the main elements of the card. It may seem like wasted space but it serves an important purpose as it makes the design easy to digest and key information pop out.

3. Add interactive elements

One of the underrated aspects of digital versions is that they allow the user to implement a variety of interactive elements, which can make the whole experience of sharing info a lot more successful.

For instance, you can embed a link to a video that introduces you to recipients or showcases your work activities. 

Alternatively, you can add visuals such as images to reinforce your message. Let’s say you own a restaurant - you can include a photo of the best-selling dish. If you’re a fitness trainer, feel free to include a photo of you doing an exercise. 

Last but not least, a great way to encourage people to save your contact info or visit your website is to add a call-to-action button. Just like on a website, this button instructs the people who open the card on what to do. Thus, including this could turn your digital card into a valuable resource for generating new leads.

4. Make your contact info visible

Still, the main purpose of a business card is to aid you in networking. As such, one of the most important business card design rules is to make it easy to find your contact information. Social media handles, phone numbers, and email should take center stage, which is typically near the topor the bottom of the card.

With OamiiCards, you don’t need to worry about your contact information getting overlooked. Our default profile already arranges all the info in the most functional way and the final product always looks clean and polished. 

5. Use high-quality images

An effective digital business card should include a photo of you, similar to a LinkedIn profile. Make sure you only use professional-looking photos, though. Nothing can turn off a potential client or a business partner like a selfie that looks like it belongs on a 2008 Myspace profile.

The same principle applies to the resolution of the files themselves - pixelated photos can give off a wrong impression.

6. Use a QR code

There’s a good reason why OamiiCards comes with a QR code generator - links are a bit passe, so to speak. QR codes provide you with a wide variety of ways to share the card with other people as you can embed it into your email signature, put it on a website or a Facebook cover photo, etc.

At the same time, a QR code allows you to take on a hybrid approach to networking. For example, you can print out a paper card with a QR code that leads to your digital profile. That way, the person receiving the card can experience the all the warmth associated with traditional cards, while having the ability to save your contact information automatically with their phone’s QR scanner at the same time. 

Nevertheless, if printing paper cards isn’t something you necessarily want to do, you can leverage Near Field Communication technology (NFC). By ordering our slick and modern NFC business card, you’ll be able to share with minimal effort as all your recipient will have to do is to move their phone towards the NFC card. No paper waste, no additional printing costs.

Network in style

Now that you know all the necessary business card design rules, you’re well on the way to supercharging your networking with a much-needed injection of modern technology. Using digital business cards can help you “work on points for style” (especially if you use an OamiiCards NFC card), but it will also ensure you are more fruitful in sharing valuable contact information. 

 You can create one in a few minutes by using our digital business card platform. Heck, all the features needed to start networking are included in the free plan, so you really have nothing to lose. 

Click here to get started on your digital card journey!