7 Steps to Use Multiple Logos on a Business Card
But what if a company has multiple logos or subbrands? Here are some steps you can follow!
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Business cards are a very important branding element for a company or individual to introduce themselves and find potential clients. With a good business card, people will be able to get a good first impression of you or your company. On business cards for a company, there will usually be a logo displayed to clarify the identity of the company. This logo is not only a symbol of the company but also the main identity that can make it easier for people to remember your company.
But sometimes, there are lots of companies that have multiple brands, so they have multiple logos at once for each of their products. Let's take the example of a well-known SEA company with many subsidiaries that have their own logos. Sometimes it is necessary to display more than one logo on your corporate cards to show who your company is and what products or services are offered.
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Displaying more than one logo on a business card can make the design look off if not designed properly. Each logo has its own style, color, and design concept, which may look like a mismatch when displayed with other logos in one place. But don't worry. If you use a good design method, then you can display as many logos as you want without making your company's business cards look less attractive. In this article, we will further discuss the various steps you can take to display multiple logos in your corporate card design.
In this modern era, most of the company's branding products appear in a minimalist and very simple style. Most people no longer like designs that are too complex or detailed, which can lead to an overcrowded appearance for the company's branding products. In addition, this simple concept and appearance will also make it easier for people to see the information that is listed properly and not be distracted by other elements.
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However, displaying multiple logos on the card design might ruin this simple, minimalist concept if you don't design it well. Multiple logos that have a variety of colors and styles displayed in one place can create an impression that is too crowded, which is less appealing to the current branding style. Even so, there are several ways you can keep this minimalist and simple professional concept in your corporate cards, even if you display a lot of logos. The following are the steps you can take to achieve this, along with a brief explanation:
Step 1: Make Your Business Card Have 2 Sides
For corporate card designs, there are usually two main types that you can use, namely, a business card that displays all information on one side only and another that divides information into two sides of the card, the front, and backside. The latter type is highly recommended if you want to display multiple logos on your business card.
By having two sides, it will be easier for you next time to create a good layout design and flow that is easier to read, compared to using only one side to display all the information for your company profile. By using these two sides, you also can be more flexible in displaying the necessary information you want, so the amount is not as limited if you only use one side.
Later, you can divide the layout between the back and front sides according to your wishes. For example, the front side is devoted to general information, while the back side is to more specific information or vice versa.
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Step 2: Finding Inspirations
If you are not used to designing a business card or even have no knowledge or experience in the world of design in general, then looking for information or references can be very helpful for you in this regard. There are many sources of inspiration that can trigger ideas for you to design good business cards that feature multiple logos.
You can look for inspiration for corporate cards with two sides of layout design, or you can directly look for corporate card inspiration that displays many logos in the design. Either way, find an example that matches the look you want.
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You can find it on various creative platforms that are freely available on the internet... Pinterest or Behance are two platforms that are highly recommended for novice designers who want to find design references, especially for corporate card designs. If you've found a reference that you like, you can also save it on the board or in a special folder, which is one of the best features of these two platforms.
The layout, style, or design concept that you will later use in your design can be created with the assistance of the inspiration or references you have found. You must also examine how expert designers arrange each component or section on a business card in order to create an appealing appearance if you want to improve the efficiency of this process.
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Step 3: Curating The Information Details
Choosing what information to include on your company's business card and how to present it's also a crucial process. You must display some essential information, such as a general description of the business, contact information, and addresses, but what about the rest of it? What specific information will you add to your corporate cards? You can get ideas for what information to put on this business card as well as what information is unnecessary by looking at the previous sources of inspiration.
Make a brief list of the data you'll be displaying to make the process easier. Remember that this is a business card, so the details you want to share should be brief, and only the most crucial details should be visible. Avoid having long and complex data like in a CV or resume on your business card, as this will take the attention away from the necessary information and make the design less appealing.
Furthermore, you can directly add suggestions for how you will present the information. Directly displayed data in writing may appear simple and uninteresting. You can make some data more visually appealing and understandable by displaying it with statistics, tables, or icons.
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Step 4: Planning The Layout
Determining the layout of the business card design is one of the most important processes that should not be taken lightly. This layout will really determine the general appearance of your business card when people see it for the first time. Layouts that are too detailed and complex are not suitable for a business card design. Instead, create a flowy and minimalist design layout so that your business card is easier to read and has a good flow. The use of whitespace is a very crucial element in the design, especially for business cards.
When you want to display multiple logos on your business card, the spacing between the sections or elements you use will significantly affect how effective your design is. Previously, you may have divided your business card into two sides. Now you just have to decide whether you want to display the logos of your company on the same side as general information or directly separate them and designate one side specifically.
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This choice depends on your taste; which one do you think is most appealing? However, it is highly recommended to design only one side specifically for the showcasing of your company logo, specifically on the backside of the card.
This will make it easier for later card readers to understand what you mean by displaying multiple logos at once and also make it easier for you to design the layout in general. On the side that displays the logos of your company, create a special frame with the same size so that even though there are many different logo styles, it still looks neat and well-organized. This frame can be an invisible white space to keep the view clean. Display your various logos side by side, in an abstract style or lined up style as usual, according to the design concept you use.
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Step 5: Design Execution
To create your ideal corporate card, you can use a variety of platforms or your preferred design program. It would be highly advisable for you to try Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator if you are still a beginner and unsure of which design software to use to create a good design.
For creating different kinds of graphic design products, particularly business cards, these two programs have established themselves as the standard for professional designers. You can create your ideal card design much more easily with its comprehensive features or tools than you could with software that has few tools.
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Thanks to these extensive features and tools, you will find it simpler to arrange the various logos you want to display on your business card. You can more easily adjust the size, adjust the color display, and also re-customize the appearance of the logo you want to display to match the general design concept of your corporate card.
However, these two platforms are quite expensive and will be challenging for beginners to use. You can also use a variety of alternative design software that is available at a low price or even free, which will be much easier for non-professional designers to access.
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Step 6: Adding Additional Details To The Design
After the design of the business card is according to your wishes and you just have to enter the printing stage, you can add additional details to make your corporate card even more attractive. The business card is a printed branding product, so you don't only have to pay attention to the 2D design but also to the 3D product that will be produced later.
To make your corporate cards stand out and make a good impression, you can add additional details in the form of textures, printing details, or various other things that will make the 3D product of your business card more unique. One of the printing details that is popular and widely used by people is to add an embossed texture to their corporate cards. With this embossed texture, you can make some elements on your corporate card pop.
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Not only for the aesthetic element but with a texture that can be felt by the touch of a finger, you can also make your corporate card available to disabled people. In addition to embossing, you can also display metallic texture details, which are also equally popular. This can make your corporate card look more luxurious and attractive in general.
All these details will undoubtedly be worth the expense since they will make your card look much more pronounced, even though, generally speaking, they will raise the cost of printing business cards. This approach of including the additional details can also be used to give each logo you display texture in order to create eye-catching display variations.
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Step 7: Printing
After all the long design and planning processes, the next step is to print the card according to the results you expect. In the printing stage, you must first determine the size of the card you want to use. As a reference, the standard size of a business card is usually around 9 cm x 5.5 cm or 8 cm x 5.3 mm.
You can adjust it yourself to the size you want. But remember, this corporate card must be compact in size and fit in the card slot in the wallet to make it easier for you and the recipient to store it. Do not make a card that is too big or too small, as it will usually be stacked or stored with other business cards by the client. In addition to determining the size you will use, you should also determine the type of media or paper you will use.
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The determination of this medium also depends on the additional details you want to add beforehand. If you want to produce embossed textures or other additional textures, then you can use thicker and textured paper to make it look more attractive. But if you want a simple and budget-saving card display, then you can use thin paper that has been coated with plastic so that your card is not easily damaged.
You can also directly visit printing services that are already experienced in producing quality business card printing. As a beginner, you can consult again with the services to be able to produce the appearance of the card you want while still staying within the budget you have planned in advance.
That was a simple and direct discussion of how to showcase multiple logos on your business card without having it look uninteresting. Some of the above-mentioned steps are ones that we have specifically chosen from the advice given by experienced professionals; they are very simple for beginners who don't even have the most basic design understanding to complete.
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The Power of Business Cards
Many may still ask, Why is it so important to properly plan the business card design that you will use? The business card, just like most other products' branding, will greatly determine the branding image of the company or even yourself as an individual in the professional world. One of the best ways to find connections in the professional world is to give your business card to acquaintances or potential clients you meet at various gatherings or other formal events.
When they receive the business card that you hand out, the first thing they see is not the information but the corporate card design that you use. The appearance of the design of the card you use will greatly determine their perception of you or your company. In addition to your image and behavior, a business card is also a way for other people to get to know you better.
Usually, at formal events, there will be a lot of business card exchange that occurs. If you want to make sure your corporate card stands out to potential clients or other important people, then you can present a unique and attractive design, which will make them remember your corporate cards better.
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Final Words
You can follow those several steps to create a more attractive business card design. If you would like to display multiple logos all at once in your design, you must arrange them properly so that they don't look crowded or stand out excessively, drawing attention away from the other crucial information you have provided on the card.
The three main aspects of the design process that you should focus on are the use of negative space, layout, and good design planning. One of the key elements in establishing a company's or person's identity and influencing how they are perceived by the general public is their corporate cards.
You can definitely make a good impression on potential clients or partners who see your card by presenting a business card display that is professional, presentable, and still symbolizes the identity of your brand.