Printed business cards still have important roles in professional environments, but the era of ubiquitous white cards with standard fonts is over. Nowadays, even formal companies love seeing embellishments on these cards, demonstrating fresh ideas, styles, and concepts. 

However, when your work allows for more creative expressions, you can have more freedom in designing business cards. Here are ideas to make your cards look unique and memorable.

• Using Unusual Materials

Why sticking with regular card paper if you can use unusual materials? Metal business card is expensive, but it is known for giving an exclusive, stylish, and even futuristic touch on a regular card. It also makes the card durable and adds an air of reliability toward your prospective customers or clients.

Think outside the box and use common materials that are usually not picked for cards. Leather, wool, and hard plastic are easy to acquire, yet they make your cards look more interesting.

• Using Humorous Concepts

Make your prospective customers or clients smile by creating humorous business cards. It does not need to be something outrageous. You can stick with “standard” shape and material but use funny taglines or words to describe your profession instead of just printing the regular names.

If you want the card to look more interesting (in a funny way), use humorous illustrations. Make sure the design is related to your product or service. For example, you can use humorous cat and dog illustrations for advertising a shelter and adoption center. You can also use a caricature illustration of your brand mascot.

• Business Cards with Freebies

Give your prospective customers an incentive by adding freebies to your business cards. They don’t need to be something outrageous. For example, using a mini paper envelope filled with easily grown seeds as a business card is common for advertising gardening supply stores.

Alternatively, use the ubiquitous nature of a USB stick. Add a mini-USB stick to the design of your card. It does not need to be a large one, but it never hurts for your clients or customers to get an extra storage place for their files. Placing a free tea bag inside a beautiful business card can also be a good idea for promoting a specific tea brew flavor.

• Multipurpose Business Cards

Some business cards have designs that enable them to be used as other things. For example, some metal business cards are given holes so you can open a bottle or even use the cards as a nut tightener for a bicycle. Some cards have longer shapes, so you can use them as nail files, while others have bristles to use as mini combs.

• Transforming Business Cards 

Transforming business cards show creativity from the materials, shapes, and forms. They also make your name or business more memorable. Some business cards mimic simple shapes like paper planes or planes that can be opened, revealing business cards.

For something more intricate, you can use business cards that can be manually transformed into small objects, like a plane and chair. Some business cards even use more creative object shapes, such as a Ninja star or bicycle. Some cards can be broken into pieces, which you can arrange into small animals, for example.

• Cards with Unique Textures 

If you want to create a unique card without being excessive, get creative with the textures. Cork is a cheap but unique material that gives your card a different touch. Other unique materials you can use are the “green” ones, like bamboo and wood. They are not as durable as metal, but their natural looks make the cards more memorable without getting excessive.

• Super Bold or Super Minimalistic Card 

Design-wise, there are two ways you can make people pay attention to your card: either make the card bold or so minimalistic it makes people intrigued. Bold card designs may use bright colors and intricate designs. However, a super minimalistic card will also intrigue people because the “freshness” and lightness are equally intriguing.

In the end, every card design must explain the main information about you and your work or business. Make sure the design, color, and texture you choose to communicate the message clearly. Find multiple unique designs and make your business cards so memorable people will remember you when they need a certain product or service.