Folding business card designs – pros and cons

Folding business cards are one of the hottest trends in business card design today.

They are designed to fold to the size of a standard business card, so they easily fit in a normal wallet or card holder, but have twice the space to fill. You can choose between the long fold, which will look like a mini greeting card, or the short fold, which allows it to stand upright and unfold in the form of a long bookmark. There’s also the offset crease where the front is shorter than the back, revealing the bottom information panel both open and closed. Well designed, all these formats can be attractive, functional and avant-garde, but there are also pitfalls to avoid.

Pros

You get a lot of extra space to include more information about products or services. You can add pictures, maps and all kinds of details to the inside of the fold, even turn your cards into dual-purpose mini brochures.

The crease makes the cards stand on their own, so they can stand up and stand out on a tabletop display, making them much more noticeable and eye-catching than ordinary flat cards.

This format allows for many creative design ideas and turns your business cards into useful gifts that people might want to keep longer. Consider printing a business-relevant reference guide in the middle: perhaps a weights and measures conversion guide; list of keyboard shortcuts; a calendar; a planting guide; a color chart, anything your contacts want to place on a desk or kitchen counter for long-term reference.

You may prefer this format just because it allows a lot of white space inside for scribbling notes. Some people print on the outside and leave everything on the inside blank, especially in a business where the personal element is important. You can then scribble a Twitter handle, blog address, personal cell phone number inside before handing it over; whatever information is more relevant to that particular contact, which will make your conversation more memorable.

Cons

Folding business cards can be too cluttered, as you try to cram as much information as possible into what is still a relatively small space. Don’t forget the main business card design mantra: less is more.

These cards will cost more than ordinary business cards – they are effectively twice the size with twice the printing and design involved, as well as scoring for the crease. Consider if you are saving money on other brochures and informational materials by having the extra space inside; It could still be profitable if it saves you from printing and delivering several other pieces of printed paper.

At twice the size, they are twice the volume, so you will have to carry more weight in your pocket to have the same number of cards on hand – a small consideration, but worth remembering if you like to travel light .

Similarly, if you go green, it may not be your best option – they use twice as much card and ink, so even if you choose recycled cardstock and natural plant-based inks, you’re doubling the amount of resources. used on your business cards.

If you decide to go for a fold, make sure your designers make the most of it, so that you really stand out from the crowd.