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Techniques To Create Unique Business Cards
If you are looking for a way for your business cards to stand out, there are many specialty techniques that can help a business card be unique. Check with your printer to see if they do any of these specialty enhancements. These enhancements will most likely cost more than a standard business card because it will add time during the printing production process. But, if these techniques are used in moderation, along with good design, the results can be stunning. These techniques can also be used to enhance folders, stationary, and promotional materials. (All designs featured are created by other designers)
Printing Enhancements
Letterpress
A form of printing in which set type is inked, then impressed directly onto the printing surface.
Embossing
Pressing an image into paper to create a 3D effect that can be seen and felt. Embossing may also be done “blind” (with just the color of the paper showing through) or “register” (combining with ink of foil for special effects).
Blind Embossing
Method of creating raised logos or characters on paper without ink. In this process, two metal dies are used; one with raised logo or characters and another with matching but recessed logo or characters. When a sheet of paper is pressed between these dies, blind embossing occurs.
Debossing
In Debossing, the image is pressed “into” the paper, creating depressions rather than raised impressions such as embossing. Debossing can also be used “blind” (without ink) or used with foil & inks.
Foil Embossing
Combination of foil stamping – application of foil with heat – and embossing, creating a raised impression that results in a raised and foil stamped image.
Foil Stamping
Is the application of pigment or metallic foil placed on paper to produce a reflective surface.
Metallic Ink
Metallic inks are basically tinted varnishes with metallic particles. As the ink dries, the metallic particles rise to the surface and start to reflect light.
Raised Ink/Thermography Printing
Thermography is a process used in conjunction with a conventional offset printing press, where a pieces is printed and then while the ink is still wet a powder is dusted over the wet ink and melted causing a raised effect.
Spot UV
As the name suggests, a Spot Varnish is applied to chosen spots of a printed piece. This has the affect of highlighting and drawing attention to that part of the design, and provides varied textures on a single printed surface. This adds a lot of interest, and can identify the printing as a premium piece.
Die Cut
Die-cutting is the cutting of paper stock to create special shapes by using sharp steel blades (called a die).
Format
Rounded Corners
Other options can include round 1, 2, or 3 corners.
Mini Cards/Panoramic
Use this format to make a vertical or horizontal card.
Circle
Square
Have you used any of these techniques? Do you know of any great examples using these methods?
Questions to Ask Web Design Clients
When beginning a new project, it is essential to gather as much information as possible from the client initially so you will have all of the details to create a well thought out design. Here is a creative brief with a list of questions I generally ask in working with clients:
(questions based off of Estelle Weyl’s22 Questions to Ask Before Developing a Website)
Company
Company Name:
Website:
Phone Number:
Fax Number:
Address:
Goals
• Please give a brief overview of the project:
• What are your goals/purpose for this project?
• What are you hoping will happen as a result?
Company Details
• What does your company/organization do?
• Please list the top ten products / services you provide
• Does the company have an existing logo or brand? If yes, are their specific elements, logos, colors that need to be incorporated into the website?
Selling Points
• What is your brand tag line?
• Who are your main competitors? What are their websites?
• How are your products or your services better than your competitors?
• Please list 5 (or more) adjectives that you think describe your company or should describe your company in order of relevance / importance
Audience Questions
• What is the purpose of the website?
• Who will come here and what do you hope they will get from visiting?
• What does your target audience care about?
• Why does your target audience need this website?
• Age range of your target customer base: 18-25 26-35 36-45 46-59 60+
Design
• Favorite Sites: Please list 5 websites that appeal to you. Include the URL, what you like about each site, and what you would improve upon.
• Do you have any color preferences, brand colors, and/or colors you do not wish to include in your project?
• What descriptive words would you use to describe the look you are trying to achieve on this project?
• What features do you think your website should include? (calendar, login, contact form, etc?) For each feature, please state the goal of the feature.
• Do you have any definite elements you DON’T want to have on your website? (Flash, splash page, the color purple?)
If Re-Design
• Are there things you currently like about the website that you want to keep? Why?
• What things do you want to be different? Why?
Details
• Estimated Budget
• Estimated Due Date
Contact Information
Primary Contact Name:
Contact Email Address:
Contact Phone:
Secondary Contact Name:
Contact Email Address:
Contact Phone:
Billing Contact: Company contact information for Contracts & Billing:
Name:
Address:
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
*Always know who is going to pay you before you start working
Are their other questions you find helpful to ask?
Basic Web Design Principles
Knowing good web design principles will help improve the design and usability of a website. When websites look professional, a customer is much more likely to take the company seriously and view them as professional.
Here are 5 basic principles taken from “The Non-Designers Web Book” by Robin Williams & John Tollet
1. Alignment
Choose one alignment and use it on the entire page. This can be left alignment, right alignment, or centered. Don’t mix alignments. Mixed alignments that are haphazard are an obvious indicator that a beginner is designing a page, and it will not look very professional.
Alignment doesn’t mean that everything is aligned along the same edge. It just means that everything in a sequence has the same alignment. This could be flush left, flush right, or centered.
Let’s see some good examples:
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The pink lines and arrows indicate where elements are nicely aligned and creating visual lines. (If you are using tables in your design, turn borders OFF if you are so that your design doesn’t resemble an excel spreadsheet.)
2. Proximity & Unity
Proximity refers to the relationships that items have with each other when they are close together. When items are far apart, they do not have a relationship and don’t create unity. On web pages, headlines or subheads can often be too far from the text or picture it describes. Group items together that belong together. Look at the items on a page. If the connections of grouped elements don’t make sense, rearrange them until they do so that they create unity among each other. Unity refers to the way in which different elements in a composition interact with one another. A unified layout works as a whole, not as separate pieces.
Let’s look at a bad example and then see how it was improved. The pink arrows in the first example indicate there is too much space making the elements feel spaced apart and unified. They don’t look like they are working together.
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This next example below has been improved. The spacing was tightened to bring elements closer together, and the photos were enlarged to give them more emphasis and help the text look more grouped with the images.
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3. Repetition & Consistency
The concept of repetition is to repeat certain elements through a project to maintain consistency and make sure that all pages in a design look like they go together. Each page should look like it belongs to the same website. Navigation buttons and logos can be repetitive elements. Colors, style, layout, typography, and imagery can also used in repetition that will unify a web site.
Here are two examples from a website where we can see repetitive elements being used. The two pages look like they belong to the same website because the repetitive elements help unify them.
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4. Contrast
Contrast draws you into a page and emphasize something. Contrasting elements help certain elements stand out on a page, creating a hierarchy of information. Contrast can include anything that is very different such as very bold type next to a regular font weight, or a bold color. The greater the difference between a graphic element and its surroundings, the more the element will stand out.
This website has good contrast that works. The logo stands out well on a white background, the selected navigation is highlighted in a brighter color, and the text stands out well on the background colors.
5. Emphasis
Create a focal point. There should always be a dominant element on a page that your eye goes to first when you look at a page. For example, when all type is the same size, nothing stands out and the hierarchy of information is unclear. There must always be a hierarchy of information so that the reader can understand the most important things. Get rid of any unnecessary elements that are distracting and don’t help the reader understand the information. Often on websites there is a banner with a large graphic to create a focal point. When elements have emphasis on important pieces, it helps a website have continuance. The idea of continuance is that when are eyes start moving in one direction, there are elements to continue guiding our eye across our page in a pattern that makes sense. This helps the reader see the most important parts quickly.
In the first example below, there is emphasis on a lot of things. There are many colors, and the eye gets confused at what to look at next and what is most important. The second example has been improved. The banner creates a emphasis and a focal point and helps the eye easily continue through the rest of the website in an order that makes more sense.
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Have you seen good website that use these principles? What other web design principles are important to you?
Logo Inspiration
Great logos are able to communicate a message quickly and clearly. It is always fun to look at impressive logos where you just “get it” or see the hidden message. Here is a collection of some logos I enjoy.
Designed by visuALchemy |
Designed by Tonfue |
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Designed by Andrelu |
Designed by Tonfue |
Designed by Logo Motive |
Designed by Brian Risk |
Designed by Michael Spitz |
Designed by Andreiu |
Designed by Rich |
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Designed by Siah-Design |
Designed by Adam Duncan |
Designed by Herb Lubalin and Tom Carnase |
Designed by nido |
Designed by Siah Design |
Designed by Mugar Mihai |
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Designed by TDF |
Designed by Herb Lubalin |
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Designed by Fogra |
Designed by NEXQUNYX |
Designed by Damian |
Designed by Brandclay |
Designed by Houston-we |
Designed by hemisferiod |
Designed by Muamer |
Designed by Navy Blue Design Group (David Needham) |
Designed by Christopher Simmons |
Designed by 
What are your favorites? What inspiring logos have you seen lately?
Other Articles You Might Enjoy:
75 Creative Business Cards That Inspire
The Meaning of Color in Design
Color choice has psychological impacts on the viewer, and each color is associated with a different idea or meaning.When designing, it is important to remember what certain colors might mean in the design and what feelings it will produce in the person seeing it. Choosing proper color pallet is essential in communicating a proper message. It’s not good enough to say “I chose these colors because they look good together.” More importantly, what is the reasoning behind the chosen colors? What feeling will the viewer get when the see your design? Let’s take a look at what some colors mean:
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Red
Red is a stimulant, and is the hottest of the warm colors. Studies show that red can raise blood pressure. Red has a high visibility which is why it is used for stoplights, stop signs and fire equipment. The color red can be an emotionally intense, energetic and dramatic color. Red is the color of passion, desire and love, but can also be used to represent war, bloodshed, radicalism, and anger. Red is also used to represent power, hence “the red carpet” for celebrities and VIP’s.
Use red to grab attention and to get people to take action. Use red when you don’t want something to disappear into the background. Red will suggest speed and confidence and perhaps even a dash of danger. A little bit of red goes a long way. Small doses can often be more effective than large amounts of this strong color. Multiple shades of red and even pink or orange can combine for a cheerful palette.
Light red represents joy, sexuality, passion, sensitivity, and love.
Pink signifies romance, love, beauty, and friendship. It denotes feminine qualities and passiveness.
Dark red is associated with vigor, rage, anger, power, courage, longing, malice, and wrath.
Reddish-brown is associated with harvest and fall.
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Orange
Combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with sunshine and warmth as well as joy. Orange is a bold color and represents determination. It is invigorating and stimulating, so it is often associated with physical and energetic things. Orange can indicate confidence and assurance. It is more of an informal color and indicates creativity and flamboyance. It is very accepted with younger people. As a citrus color, it is associated with healthy foods. It is often associated with the Fall and Harvest seasons. Orange has a very high visibility so it can be used to get attention, and is very effective promoting food and toys.
Dark orange can mean deceit and distrust.
Red-orange corresponds to desire, sexual passion, pleasure, domination, aggression, and thirst for action.
Gold evokes the feeling of prestige. The meaning of gold is illumination, wisdom, and wealth. Gold often symbolizes high quality.
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Yellow
Produces a warming effect and brings happiness and energy. Yellow evokes pleasant, cheerful feelings and is very effective at attracting attention. Yellow is very visible, which is why taxicabs and caution signs use this color. Yellow also represents hope as is seen with the yellow ribbon supporting a loved one at war. Men interpret yellow as being youthful, childlike, or lighthearted and using yellow may not be appropriate when selling expensive, prestigious items to men. Yellow is unstable and spontaneous and very creative, but would not work well when you want to suggest stability and safety.
Shades of yellow can become dingy and lose their youthfulness, and pale yellow can be hard to see and is better supported with a darker. Too much yellow can be overpowering and too bright to the eyes. It is known that babies cry more in yellow rooms. Yellow is seen before other colors when placed against black; this combination is often used to issue a warning.
Dull (dingy) yellow represents caution, decay, sickness, and jealousy.
Light yellow is associated with intellect, freshness, and joy.
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Green
Green is the color of nature and symbolizes growth, harmony, health, freshness and fertility. It promotes overall physical health. It strongly represents ecology and the environment. Green is often used for “green products” because of it’s tie to nature. It suggests money, stability, safety and endurance. Many medical products and drug companies use green to indicate safety in their products. Green can represent life. On the flip side, green is can indicate jealousy or envy. Green can be viewed as a person with a lack of experience, such as a “greeny” or a “novice”. Green is not as energetic as yellow and orange; instead it has healing power and is restful to the eye.
Dark green is associated with ambition, greed, and jealousy.
Yellow-green can indicate sickness, cowardice, discord, and jealousy.
Aqua is associated with emotional healing and protection.
Olive green is the traditional color of peace.
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Blue
Blue is the color of the sky and the ocean. For this reason, it also has a tie to nature and is seen as a very tranquil and calming color. It can be associated with depth, stability, openness, trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Blue is often used in products and services related to cleanliness (water purification, air conditioners, airlines, cleaning supplies, water, boating) because of its connection with the ocean, air and sky. In many diverse cultures blue is significant in religious beliefs, brings peace, or is believed to keep the bad spirits away.
Blue is stable and linked to intellect. It can be more exciting when paired with orange or yellow. Blue is often used in technology related products to indicate precision. It would not be a good color to use for an attention getter, or to show warmth. It can feel cold at times and indicate sadness or depression (“the blues”). Because blue is not found much in food, it would not be a good color to use in promotion food items and cooking, and it can actually reduce appetite. Blue is highly accepted upon males and is the preferred color for corporations in America.
Light blue is associated with health, healing, tranquility, understanding, and softness.
Dark blue represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness. unity, and conservatism.
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Purple
Has a long history of representing royalty, power, prestige, luxury, wealth and extravagance. It combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Purple is also representative of magic, mystery, wisdom, dignity, creativity, and independence. Purple isn’t found much in nature accept to be used as an accent, such as with flowers, sunsets and gemstones. Because there is not an abundance of purple in nature, some people consider it to be artificial.
Purple comes from mixing a strong warm and strong cool color, allowing it to have both warm and cool properties at times. A purple room can boost a child’s imagination or an artist’s creativity. According to surveys, almost 75 percent of pre-adolescent children prefer purple to all other colors. Too much purple, like blue, could result in moodiness. Bright purple can be used when promoting children’s products. Light purple is a good choice for a feminine design.
Light purple evokes romantic and nostalgic feelings.
Dark purple evokes gloom and sad feelings. It can cause frustration.
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Brown
Brown is a natural, down-to-earth neutral color. It is found in earth, wood, and stone. It is a solid, reliable color. Brown is a warm neutral that can stimulate the appetite. It represents dependability, wholesomeness and earthiness. It is sometimes considered dull, but also represents steadfastness, simplicity, friendliness, dependability, and health. Brown can also be sad and wistful. Men are more likely to say brown is one of their favorite colors so it is often associated with masculine qualities. Brown is a great color to use for earth friendly products.
Light brown implies genuineness
Dark brown is similar to wood or leather.
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White
White is associated with light, faith, goodness, innocence, cleanliness and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection and establishes clarity. It can represent a successful beginning. Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. To the human eye, white is a brilliant color that can cause headaches for some. Too much bright white can be blinding.
White is associated with coolness and cleanliness because it is the color of snow. White does well to suggest simplicity to high-tech products. It is a good color for charitable organizations, because it is the color associated with angels. It also suggests safety and sterility because it is often associated with hospitals and doctors.
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Black
Black is the absence of color. It is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. In most Western countries black is the color of mourning. Black also can imply submission. Priests wear black to signify submission to God. But, among teenagers, black is often seen as a color of rebellion. Black is both positive and negative. Black can be associated with fear and the unknown such as “black holes”. It indicates strength and authority, and is considered to be formal and elegant (“black tie” event). Black gives the feeling of perspective and depth, but a black background diminishes readability. In clothing, black is visually slimming. Black can make other colors appear brighter.
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Cool Colors
Blue, Green, Turquoise, Silver, Purple
Feeling: Calm, reduce tension, not overpowering
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Warm Colors
Red, Pink, Yellow, Gold, Orange
Feeling: Exciting, heat, motion, warmth, more dominating
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Neutral Colors
Brown, Beige, Ivory, Gray, Black, White
Feeling: Unifying
Have you seen examples of design that utilize good color choice? Poor color choice?
Resources:
Color Scheme Designer: easy way to choose color schemes