Business cards are more than simple rectangles. They list your name, position, and contact information, but they also provide a quick overview of your company. Aside from the fact that these cards must be carefully worded and meticulously put-together, they also have to attract attention. This is precisely why some businesses decide to hire a graphic designer to create a logo or brand. Then again, is this extra expense really necessary?

Effectively marketing your company is the most important thing that you will have to do. Without proper marketing materials, your company won’t gain attention. While most people don’t consider business cards to be a part of those essential marketing materials, this is a mistake. Since your business cards will be handed out to nearly everyone you come in contact with, they are actually the number one marketing material that you will have.

However, this does not necessarily mean that hiring a graphic designer is necessary. Instead, it means that your cards really have to get your message across. Depending upon the business that you are running, your cards should either reflect this message with a catchy design or with the right words. You’ll find that nearly every printing shop has a large number of different design templates that you can choose from, and most of these are semi-customizable. While some people might shudder at the thought of a template, not all templates are created equal.

In fact, a lot of business card templates are actually quite creative and original. What matters the most is choosing a printing company that provides great templates to select from. This is the most cost effective way of creating great business cards that really stand out. In fact, the number one drawback to hiring a graphic designer is that the cost of that designer can be astronomical. Graphic designers charge $500 to $2000 to create a company brand or logo. Most startup companies simply do not have this kind of budget.

This brings us back to the original question: is hiring a graphic designer necessary? Not if you can choose from a large selection of carefully crafted business card templates. Keep in mind that the most important thing on your business card is the way that your company is represented. Choose the right design, the right material, and always take the time to come up with a few clever words that get your point across.

On Monday, March 2, 2009, AOL challenged the users of that service to identify the “true” sign in each of about a dozen pairs. The signs depicted in that contest represented an original and “takeoff” sign for widely recognized businesses. In each pair, one small feature had been altered.

Simple differences in each image

After taking on that challenge, and then examining a few business cards at my local Staples Store, I started to re-evaluate the features on a business card. I began to think about what features stick in the memory of any person who happens to view a particular business card.

Two of the challenges in the AOL online “game” called into question the value of using more than one font on a business card. One challenge showed to AOL users two signs reading “Blockbuster Videos.” One photograph showed solid letters in each of the words in the pictured sign. The other photo had the letters in “Videos” displayed as just outlines of each letter.

Another set of pictures included shots of a sign for Little Caesars. Here the word “Little” looked the same in each sign, but the word “Caesars” had unusual spacing between the letters in “Caesars.”  It was difficult for me to recall what I had actually seen outside of each business. That fact suggests to me that a single font on a business card can be just as memorable as two different fonts.

Now if you decide to order a business card, you will need to choose more than just the font for the letters on that card. You will also need to choose the color of the background. I can not claim that a white background is as effective as a colored background. I can say that the exact hue of your card seems to be unimportant.

In Monday’s AOL “game” anyone who decided to examine the paired pictures saw two pictures with the words “Red Lobster.” One showed a red sign, and the other a blue sign. Those “playing the game” had to decide which photograph displayed the “true” sign.

A third pair of pictures pointed out the seeming irrelevance of a symbol. One pair of pictures showed one sign saying “Dairy Queen,” and another sign in which the words “Dairy Queen” had the symbol of a crown over them. The actual Dairy Queen sign did not contain any sort of symbol.

I remember how my father used to enjoy taking us to Dairy Queen. My father loved soft ice cream. Apparently my father was a “typical” Dairy Queen customer. He did not need to see a crown on the sign outside, in order to feel motivated to drive up to the customers’ window.

Moreover, a logo on a sign or on a business card can be confusing.  This afternoon I found a card for Vision Works on my desk. I do not recognize the figure in the logo, so I am not  sure just what service or product I might be able to purchase from Vision Works.