Though unique business cards may be eye-catching, there are still some merits for traditional designs. Custom business cards, such as those printed on blocks of wood or smelted as metal coins, tend to be a gimmick -- and they may not be as effective as they seem.
1. They May Not Fit in a Wallet
Many unique business cards have very unusual shapes, such as circular cards. But business cards are the shape that they are for a reason -- they are designed that way so they can fit in a standard wallet. If your business card cannot, then it's likely to either be thrown away or shoved in a desk. Even if it's unique, it's not going to be ultimately useful.
2. They Are Often Very Expensive
Unique business cards often can't be printed with conventional means. Business cards made out of jerky or chocolate can be very costly on a per "card" basis. Even if you have a significant marketing budget, it's likely that you won't be able to purchase as many alternative business cards as you could traditional business cards. This will limit the amount of cards that you can actually hand out.
3. They Can't Be Scanned
As business technology becomes more advanced, there are some considerations that need to be made. Many business cards are actually scanned these days -- those at conventions throw them into an automatic scanner and the contact information is then placed into a digital repository. Unconventional, alternative business cards usually can't be scanned in this way. Either the print won't be readable or the card itself won't be able to be fed into the machine.
4. They Make the Card Themselves the Focus
When an individual receives a unique business card, such as one made out of plastic, they will usually focus on the card itself. That doesn't mean that they're focusing on you -- quite the contrary. A unique card is going to make the card the focus of the transaction, rather than your title, company, or credentials. And though they may admit that you have an interesting card, this doesn't necessarily say anything about your qualifications. (Though this may be less true in design and art industries.)
There are some fantastic ways for making even traditional business cards stand out. Traditional, printed business cards may have rounded corners or be made into useful objects, such as calendars and rulers. And they won't be cumbersome, unusual, or overly expensive. In general, it's usually best to have traditional business cards be at least a fall back.
For more information, contact a company like America North Printers.
