Last time I was writing about good business card design and stated that a creative idea can go a long way and make the customer remember you more. To be more specific I used this card as a good example.

Creative designs

The good

Sometimes you see business cards that take it a step further and challenge conventions even more. But is that really a good idea? You see these articles about the best creative business card ideas and designs all over the internet that praise their innovative approaches but are they really worth all the praise? Well… Yes and no. Let’s take a look at a couple of them and you’ll see what I mean.

This card is a nice cheeky way to promote your business. Divorces are never fun but to add a little humor to the card that is also practical is a good idea. It doesn’t deviate too far from the standard business card format and that works in its favor.

The humor on this card has less practical use than the last one but it’s still works as it doesn’t deviate too far from the standard format but incorporates an interactive feature that makes it stand out.

This is one of my favorites. It’s for a bike shop but instead of just making it interactive it makes it really practical. Something you can use in a pinch to fix your bike and have all the info you need to bring it to a shop to fix in properly. This is a brilliant idea. The only thing that kind of bothers me is the thickness. Obviously it has to be thick to make it work but I don’t think you can fit this in your wallet. On the other hand it’ll fit in a card folder easily but that kind of defeats the purpose of having it with you on the go.

This one is my favorite of the bunch. It’s just brilliant. It works as a business card and a photographers view finder at the same time and is easily one of the more practically creative business cards I’ve seen. You can find a lot of business cards printed on transparent or semi-transparent plastic but this is the only one I’ve seen that uses that to it’s advantage and isn’t just a gimmick.

The bad

This is the first in a line of cards that on first glance are very creative and will catch your attention but aren’t really all that practical. It’s fun and all but I don’t see how you’ll get that rubbery material in to a wallet sleeve or card folder. Also, and this is a major flaw, while you are stretching the card to make the text readable you don’t have a free hand to dial the number.

Now this one is pretty useless. It does catch your attention but I don’t see myself carrying around a straw in my pocket anytime soon. As a promotional gift or a straw in a nearby bar (as a promotional item) this would work great but as a business card… Not so much.

This one suffers from the same problems as the last one. While this catches your eye and will stand out of the bunch it’s not something you can put in a card folder or wallet. I get the concept that it’s suppose to promote Lego employees. I’ve seen online stores that can make these for you even if you are not a Lego employee and that kind of defeats the purpose of the thing anyway.

This one is sort of a mixed bag because you can use it as a conventional business card. It’s only after you add water that the grass will start growing out of the thing and it becomes a bit unpractical. I don’t really see anyone carrying salad in their pockets. If you get two it’s a neat idea I guess.

This one is just silly. While it’s size and information are OK, the concept of putting a business card on edible substances (there are also cards printed on dried meat… ugh) is just stupid if you ask me. While it does display your occupation very well you don’t have the card anymore once you eat it. Even if you don’t eat it a cookie crumbles so you can’t carry it around and I don’t think carrying meat in your pocket is really a good idea either. Again, as a gift along an actual card this would be great but then putting any information on the cookie is really pointless if you’ll be handing out actual cards anyway.

Card cases

So you probably see what I’m getting at. It’s a good idea to challenge convention and think outside the box but you also have to think about practicality. Most business people still use card folders or store the cards in wallets or special cases.

I think a card should be the size of a standard credit card (the standards are different for each region and country so you need to check that out) or smaller. Cards that don’t fit in the folders will be discarded in to drawers and forgotten. So cards that at first glance stand out can soon be forgotten, as their practical use is non-existent. You don’t want that.

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