There are several factors that must be included into any business card design. Whether you use some of these ideas or all of them, it is important to remember the fundamental attribute of the business card design, which is that it is a representative of yourself and your company.

1. Make it Eye catching and Memorable. First of all, a business card must be something eye-catching and memorable. This does not mean a bright mixture of neon and colors, although, that may be the perfect approach for your business, in some cases something simple can be memorable.

2. Include a Slogan. Including a slogan or some catch phrase is a great way to make a business card memorable. Slogans seem to help people remember better.

3. Include a Business Description. A good description of a business is an important thing to include in a business card. It helps people refer back to a meeting, or helps new clients to learn more about the business at a glance.

4. Include Contact Info. It is so important to have all the correct contact information on a business card. Beyond name, address, and phone number, correct email and website address must be included so clients can get in touch with you.

5. Make it Easy to Read. Legibility is very important for a business card. People should be able to read business cards quickly, at least important information, at a glance. Font should be easy to read, coordinate with the card, by being the correct size and color.
 
6. Make it Re-useable. Business cards can also come in handy for including other information. For this reason leave some space that can be written on for extra phone numbers, quotes, and other business information.

7. Durable. Business cards should be strong and durable. There are several techniques used in business card printing that ensure ink will not scratch or fade.

Step 1
Design the card you want. Sketch it out on a piece of paper. You don't need to be an artist. This sketch is just to give you an idea about what you're looking for. Colors add to the richness of the business card. Gold, black, silver, maroon and cream colors are all elegant. Some green shades can be elegant. Hot pink or bright yellow doesn't strike anyone as elegant. The color will help set an elegant, professional and trustworthy tone for your business card.

Step 2

Choose your logo's font. A fancy cursive font may strike you as elegant, but some cursive fonts are hard to read. If you're going to use a cursive font, use one that your prospective customers can read easily. Mixing fonts is okay too. You may use a neat cursive font for your logo, but try using a printed font for contact information and any slogans.

Step 3

Edit out elements that don't add to the look of your card. Remember that less is sometimes more. Cramming a lot of graphics or a thick border or too much text onto your business card will make it sloppy looking and will probably cause prospective customers to toss your business card. Keep it simple. The name of your company---bigger than all the other text---contact information and maybe a snappy slogan that sums your business up in one line. You might add a few services along the bottom edge of the card in a small font, but only if you aren't using a border.
 
Step 4

Use minimal graphics. Don't waste valuable space with large graphics. Avoid graphics that look gaudy and cartoonish. Elegant business cards don't rely on overdone graphic elements.

Step 5

Put your designs on your business card in Microsoft Word or a software program designed specifically for business cards (see resources). Microsoft Word has templates that are set up for easy entry of text and graphics. Business card software works the same way.
 
Step 6

Purchase business card stock. Make a note of the size of the business card you've created and take that with you when you purchase your business card stock. Business card stock has an item number you can match for proper printing. The business card stock usually has between nine and 12 cards per sheet, perforated so you can remove them easily.
 
Insert the card stock in your printer tray. It doesn't matter which side faces up. Both sides of the business card stock are the same. As long as you've chosen the correct stock number for the size of the business card you created (standard size is 3.5-by-2 inches), your cards should print perfectly. When you've finished printing, carefully separate the cards along the perforated lines and you're ready to pass them out.