21. Think Functional
Business cards can be pretty, but at the end of the day, most of them are just prints on a card. Take your business card a step further and make them useful. If you’re running a tech company, give out USB cards. Do you have a cleaning service? Door tags may just do the trick. Whatever it is, functional and modern business cards allow your client to see and remember what it is that you do. It also makes sure they won’t just throw your card away, along with the others.
22. Be There, And Be Square
There’s a reason why Instagram was so adamant about keeping every photo in a square frame for so many years. Equal sides and hard corners keep your graphics centered.
23. Make it Metallic
Give your card a little extra shine with a metallic finish. If you want a card that stands out but stays classy, a metallic card might just do you some good. Metallic cards give a feeling of decadence and premium quality services. When a potential client sees your card and sees the stunning shine of your business card, they’ll definitely think that your business is worth their time and money.
24. Show Them Your Artistic Side
An intricately designed card not only makes your card special and unique, but also shows how creative your brand is. Your clients will love looking at each individual work of art, and will be sure to keep it for the next time they’ll call to book your services.
25. Make it Fun And Informal
Give your clients a good laugh. Fun cards that go outside the box are memorable, and they’re a treat to keep. They’re unexpected and they stray leagues away from a traditional business card.
26. Get Monogrammed
Monograms are a classic element. They’re a simple representation of you and your brand. They’re clean and crisp, and very often easier to remember than a logo. This works especially well if you’re offering your services alone rather than in a team or a company. Keep your initials front and center, and you’ll definitely be easier to remember.
27. Go Mobile
People typically forego business cards because they can keep phone numbers on their phones. But phone numbers on a list just get drowned out with the rest. Hand out cards that look like mobile phones instead, and show them how beautiful your contact details would look if they saved them on their phones, right now. Let them know that you’re keeping up with the times with this fun and tech-savvy design.
28. Ace it With Playing Cards
When we say cards, the first thing that comes to mind would definitely be a deck you play with. Whether you’re working alone or as a pair, put yourselves on a card to show them that you’re the king or queen of your game.
29. Gild Them in Gold
Whether you’re dipping them in gold, or giving an intricate design a detailed emboss, foiled cards are fantastic for bringing class and sass to your designs. A card doesn’t have to be entirely metallic, but a bit of sheen here and there gives it a truly rich feel.
30. Try Out Colored Edges
A card like this is deceptively stunning. It seems simple enough, but turning it to the side reveals a bit of unexpected fun. It might be exactly what you want to show: you’re professional, but not boring. Rim the sides with color, and show them that you’re business up front, and party on the side.
31. Keep it Clever With Playful Graphics
Clever and playful graphics give your potential clients a quick visual representation of who you are and what you do, not to mention making your brand memorable.
32. Stick on a Sticker
Stickers are easy to print, and your client can stick them onto their planners and notebooks. Or, you can stick them onto samples of your product to hand out. It’s an easy solution for a memorable card.
33. Minimize Your Style
People often just take a quick glance at business cards and never give them a second look. Make sure your business card receives the attention it deserves. Make it half the size of a traditional card, and spice up the “business card exchange”. Your clients are sure to give such a unique card a decent look. Keep it direct and to the point with a short and sweet message, and you’ll have a set of modern business cards that nobody can forget.
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34. Cut it Out!
They say that less is more. But in this case, nothing is definitely everything. Blank spaces and cut outs make interesting visual materials that bring shape and life to your design by subtracting, rather than adding on more.
35. Surprise Them With Pop-up Cards
Compact when folded, a pop-up card is a pleasantly entertaining surprise. Pop-up cards shouldn’t be restricted to greetings. Use them on your modern business cards to give a delightful 3D twist to an otherwise simple card.
36. Hand Them a Ticket
People often keep tickets to films they’ve seen, plays they’ve attended, or even plane rides they’ve taken to different parts of the world. If you want a modern business card that people are sure to keep, this may just be the ticket. Ticket cards are creative, and strike a sentimental and nostalgic chord with your clients.
37. Send Them Letters
If you need to spell out your name for them, do it. Letter shaped business cards are a step above monograms. If a monogram is your name on a card, then why not have your name as a card? It makes perfect sense, and makes for a great conversation starter.
38. Make it a Mystery
Instead of loudly proclaiming your identity, add a bit of intrigue to your modern business cards. Keep hidden messages by writing with lemon juice, or using white wax on a white card. Engrave your details, and hand them a piece of charcoal to read it. Make the “business card exchange” a fun and exciting experience. Once they’ve figured out the mystery, they’ll surely never forget your business.
39. Seal The Deal
Bring it back to the time of kings and noblemen with a custom wax seal. Use an existing logo, or an intricately flourished monogram, or create your own coat of arms for a stunning regal effect. With a card like this, you can show them you’re the king or queen of your craft.
40. Say it in a Speech Bubble
There’s no need to say hello when your card can do it for you. With a modern business card like this, they’ll definitely know whose name to call out for help. Speech bubbles are a fun way to add shape to your cards without having it stray too far from the classics.
41. Be Iconic
Keep your business logo front and center on your card for a clean design that’s easily memorable. Instead of cluttering your card with unnecessary design, focusing on a single icon or symbol that represents your brand makes your business easy to recall.
42. Fill up a Folded Card
When there’s more you need to say, don’t clutter up one face of a business card. Instead, give it several faces to fill. Folded cards not only give you more space to write details, but they also allow your client to have a visual walk through. Since they go through each page step-by-step, they focus on one element and move on to the next instead of seeing everything on just a single card face.
43. Watch Them Tear it Apart
Perforated tear-away cards add a great element to a modern business card. You can use them either to reveal a part of the information, or so clients can split your card when they want to refer you to a friend. That’s two clients for the price of one card!
44. The New Black (and White)
Great design doesn’t mean you have to be awash with color. Black and white card designs are crisp and give your card a sophisticated feel. No matter how wild and intricate your design is, keeping it in black and white instantly makes it look clean.
45. Make Yourself Newsworthy
Be the front page story of your business with a card that looks just like newsprint copy. Give your client a look into the editing room by showing some highlighted parts of your contact information. You can even add a few tasteful photographs and a small block of text to explain what you do, and still keep it clean, classic and eye-catching.
46. Wear Your Card on Your Sleeve
Sleeved business cards are an immensely versatile idea. Use them to change up the color for each card. Sleeves can also keep the outside design minimal with just a logo and all your contact information inside. You can even use the sleeve to keep a sample inside, like a piece of chocolate.
47. Make it Holographic
Holographic cards make for very interesting visuals. They aren’t expensive to produce, but they give off duochromatic colors. Any simple design can easily go from boring earthling to interesting intergalactic just by adding a holographic effect.
48. Get (Super) Funky With The Colors

Don’t be afraid of pouring an entire rainbow onto your card. Get wild with bold color choices. Pair it up with clean fonts and a minimalist typeface to keep your card looking crazy but clutter-free.
49. Sprinkle a Touch of Texture
Ideas don’t always have to be represented visually. A card, after all, isn’t something you see on a screen, but something you get to hold. A simple design matched with interesting textured material can already convey ideas on its own. A clean design on a card that looks like granite or a diamond tufted sheet gives a feeling of luxury. You can also match up two textures, by printing gloss on a matte finish.
50. Play With Dimensions
Business cards don’t have to stay in the same shape or size. Get yourself a hexagon, because you can. If you want your clients to know that you’re not afraid to try new things, break a few rules with your modern business cards.
51. Mix And Match Fonts

Using interesting fonts is a great way to convey a clear message about you and your brand. Flowing scripts paired with boxy sans serifs show a classic sense of luxury. Futuristic fonts, action scripts, handwritten fonts and fun typefaces can convey a different message on their own with little to no additional graphics.
52. White Space Is Your Friend
Not every good design has to get wild or clever. Keeping it clean and expanding white space allows your client to focus on the details on your card. White cards don’t have to be boring. Use minimalist typefaces and a few tasteful visuals for a classic card that stands on its own.
53. Give it a Personal Touch
Skip the cluttered design and sign your autograph on your card. Or opt to keep a small space blank for a customized, handwritten message.
54. Show Them Who You Are With Avatars
Your client may more easily remember who you are and what you do when your face is on the card. Give yourself an avatar. It can be a playful cartoon representation or a portrait of your face. You could also use a photo avatar that you use on your various social media platforms so you’re easily recognizable.
55. Tell Your Story With Photos
Photographs on modern business cards work really well to show clients exactly what it is you do. You can show the kind of food you can cook, or the kind of animals you work with, or the kinds of houses you can design. You can use the same photograph for all your business cards, or choose three or four of the best ones to reprint.
56. Stay Frosty
Frosted plastic is a great material for modern business cards. In addition to it being visually interesting, the texture also feels nice to the touch. Frosted plastic is versatile enough to go with minimal prints or to be paired with intricate designs. It makes for the kind of card you already know won’t get thrown away.
57. Facebook Cards
Facebook's design is iconic and memorable. And the layout on its own is a great space to hold all your information. A card that looks like your Facebook timeline is creative and clean. And it allows you to put in your business’ location, your photo, your business logo and your basic information.
58. Try Out Different Fabrics
Textiles like fabric make for visually interesting pieces with great texture. Leather makes great material for embossing. And cloth tags sewn on woven canvas pieces adds a rustic feel to a creative card.
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59. Go Retro
Travel back to the past and reinvigorate your sense of nostalgia with traditional designs. Opting for retro or vintage graphics and fonts makes your card memorable. Well-known themes and symbols that have a good history give your modern business cards a feel of timelessness and tradition.
60. Contrast With Colors
Opposites attract. And when it comes to design, this rings true. Contrasting colors don’t have to clash. Use color blocks or minimal designs, and keep your text in a single color for a design that truly pops.
Need Some Modern Business Cards That Will Make Your Business Pop?
A stunning business card is within your grasp!
There are so many ways you can rock your modern business cards. You can experiment with color, shape, layout and so much more to create a card that best represents your business. Not sure where to start? We have
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With the right design that flaunts your personality and your passions, something as simple as a business card can take you and your business to the next level. Take your time to explore, and don’t be afraid to break (or bend) a few rules here and there. With these tips you’ll ensure that your card doesn’t end up in the garbage, but on the top of the pile!