How to choose the right font for the business card?

Creating a business card that allows a company to stand out among competitors requires top-class designer skills. A good business card is one that captures the eye. It feels good to just hold it and study it closely. Therefore, the font you use makes a big difference. In this article, we will tell you which font to choose for a business card depending on its purpose, as well as currently existing printing standards.

Content:

1. Business cards with sanserif fonts
2. Business cards with cursive type
3. Business cards with vintage fonts
4. Business cards with serif fonts
5. Business cards with children and “cartoon” fonts
6. Why is business card design so important?

Business cards with sanserif fonts

There are two types of fonts: serif and sanserif. Sanserif fonts are also called chopped. The most famous and easily readable chopped fonts include Helvetica, Arial, Pragmatica, Tahoma, Verdana, etc.

Helvetica was created by Swiss designer Max Miedinger in the middle of the 20th century. It embodies the flows in design, aiming at simplicity and clarity of geometric shapes. Helvetica has become extremely popular. It is the most famous font in the world. McDonald’s, Nestle, Energizer, Toyota, Skype, BMW, Intel, Jeep, Lufthansa, Motorola, Olympus, Panasonic, Stimorol, Samsung, Sanyo, Zanussi — all of these logos use Helvetica. Its goal is to be liked by everyone.

Arial and Pragmatica are fonts that were modeled on Helvetica decades later by other design companies. All three types can be considered almost identical. And any of them perfectly suits a business card. If you prefer modern and minimalist designs, a sanserif font is your option.

Business cards with cursive type

A nice font similar to “handwritten” letters looks quite impressive but is not as easy to read. It can be a good choice for business cards if it actually represents the corporate style or occupation of the owner. It is common among artists: poets, writers, musicians, painters, sculptors, actors, etc.

Lobster, Calligraph, Nautilus Pompilius, Freestyle Script, Veles, Pacifico, Teddy Bear, Vivaldi, etc. are the most popular cursive types for business cards. They include “floral” (sophisticated, ornamented) and “cipher” (with numerous ciphers and flourishes) fonts. Consider them if you want to demonstrate elegance and luxury.

Some cursive types create the illusion that the text is handwritten. Consider the logo of the Cadillac company. Doesn’t it look like the stylish signature of a millionaire?

Words written in cursive type require a large font size. For contact details in this case, some other, easily readable font is preferred.

Business cards with vintage fonts

Vintage style stands out for its special charm and captivation. Of course, it wouldn’t be suitable for businesspeople who emphasize innovations, modern trends, new technologies, etc. It can, however, be used to show decades of experience, traditions, and, therefore, reliability and stability.

If you want to create vintage business cards, be sure to follow two main rules: use dimmed (as if faded over time) colors and chose an ambient retro font (for instance, Campton, Duma, Streetwear, Soria, etc.).

Simple, strict, and neutral, Campton will perfectly suit the business card of a person who wants to make an impression of well-respected solidity. Similar fonts were widely used in the 1950-60s, and they remain popular nowadays.

Duma and Streetwear are great choices for creating vintage business cards as well! They precisely express the aesthetics of the 1970s. The Soria font can be chosen for business cards with a retro theme. It is reminiscent of fonts used during the art nouveau era.

Business cards with serif fonts

Serif fonts are the first used in printing. They are common in books, magazines, and other large texts. Their best-known characteristic is a small stroke perpendicular to the base and/or ending of the letter. Serif font is considered to be easier for reading because these strokes make a horizontal line, allowing readers’ gaze to “scroll” along.

The most famous type of this font is Times New Roman. It was created in the 1930s specifically for The Times newspaper and was used there for 40 years. This font has become very popular in the publishing and book industry. There are a wide variety of versions that vary in thickness and width. If you want your business card to be associated with English style, modesty, convenience, and functionality, Times New Roman is a perfect choice.

Courier is another serif font; it imitates the text of a mechanical typewriter. It is often used in programming by default and is associated with freedom and the ability to go beyond standard solutions.

Other serif fonts, such as Book Antiqua, Day Roman, Serif, Apple, Sanford, Nouvelle, Cambria, etc., are also used for creating business cards. Different fonts have different strokes: some are more noticeable and others are less noticeable.

Business cards with children and “cartoon” fonts

Children’s fonts contain letters with a funny (“cartoon”) style. They make you smile and remind you of childhood. The best-known ones include DisneyPark, Ruritania, Pudelinka, Kot Leopold, Fairy Tale, etc.

Imagine that the business card of a bank administrator had “cute” fonts. As a potential customer, would you trust that bank? No. Now imagine a business card with the caption “Fun attractions for kids” written in black Arial or Times New Roman. Doesn’t look that fun, right?

“Cartoon” font is suitable only for business cards advertising products or services for kids. If the goal of your company is to make people happy, why not brighten up your business card with a font that looks not only stylish but also entertaining? Consider Twitter, which uses a playful Pico Alphabet font with some hints of anime. It was created by a Japanese company named Maniackers Design.

Why is business card design so important?

Despite being small, a business card isn’t a simple thing. A properly designed business card is an effective marketing tool. It works and presents your business to customers just as well as a leaflet, white paper, or marketing kit.

There are certainly numerous convenient and more “progressive” alternatives to paper contact information carriers. Business cards, however, will always be less costly to create and disseminate compared to other types of promotional materials. A minimal budget is needed to create awesome results.

Business cards have a number of advantages compared to outdoor and other types of advertising, including:

• Quick information exchange. Handing out a business allows your partner to learn more about you and your business within seconds.
• Corporate courtesy. A business card exchange is often used to establish business connections.
• Small size. A business card can easily fit in your pocket, purse, or business card holder.
• Availability. You can order them in any printing office for a reasonable price.
• Durability. If needed, the recipient can keep your business card for many years

Don’t forget that having a business card, as well as its quality, design, and font, are elements of your reputation, which is important in business relations.

Find out more about business cards in our articles. To know how to create original business card design click here and how to prepare your design – here

When choosing the font for your business cards, make sure to not be overly creative. Whichever you prefer (serif or sanserif [or a combination of both], cursive, vintage, or “cartoon” letters), your main goals while creating a business card are readability and legibility. A person who takes your business card should instantly understand who you are and what kind of product or service you offer.

Remember that there shouldn’t be a lot of text on a business card. However, there must be contact details – address, phone, website, links to your social media pages. You can indicate right on the business card that the holder can get a discount or a bonus. This will become additional motivation for the potential customer to visit your store or office.

There is an unwritten rule: You shouldn’t use more than two fonts on one business card. The first one is for the slogan, brand name, or logo while the second one (simple and easily readable) is for the rest of your text.

Before ordering business cards, ask yourself several questions: Why do you need them, to whom and where will you hand them out, how will they be used? The answers will help you decide on the text and colors, as well as the fonts.

Did you like this article? We would be happy if you shared it via social media. Do you have any questions? If so, let us know; I am sure we will have an answer! Do you know more about fonts than we do? Share your knowledge in the comments!