A few months ago I designed a fresh batch of business cards for myself. As I was doing that, I got thinking about how people use business cards and came up with some points the design should implement. That exercise was forgotten till this morning I read a great post about the usability of money. That got me thinking about my business cards ideas, and here they are. Please post your ideas or comments below!

• Plenty of space. There are two things this point deals with:
  1. A spacious design makes the card look modern and 'cooler'. Its also easier on the eyes.
  2. Lots of space gives the recipient room to write notes. One of the best tips about using business cards is to write on them when/where/how you met the person, what you talked about, if you promised to send them something, etc. Giving them space to that is a good idea!
• Name is most prominent feature. This may seem obvious, but here are a few thoughts. Business cards tend to be placed in big card holding books or boxes. If someone is flipping through a large collection of cards, an easy to read name would help that search, and also help in remembering the card. Besides, why write your name is small, meek, characters when you can have a more confident look using big bold typefaces? I like to use a serif typeface in large bold characters. Palatino Linotype is my favorite in this case.
• A prominent 'title' line. A title line is needed, whether to say your job title or, if you are new to the working world, your academic qualifications. Remember, the business card is part of your networking toolset, so it should sell you a little bit!
• Easy to read contact details. I get annoyed if I have to squint to read a phone number or email address on a business card. Why do some people use 8pt text? When someone picks up the phone to call you, they put down the business card on the table and dial the phone pad. Can you read your number from such a distance?
• Use the same font everywhere. As a general design rule, use the same typeface for all the text on the card. However, I like to make some text italics (like an email address), and you certainly have to have different text sizes for the various blocks of text.

That's my list. Comments below, or join the discussion!