MyBackgrounds Blog

Designing business cards can be a headache. The ones that look minimalist and artsy often tell you nothing about the company. Cluttered, TMI (too much information) business cards look like a trifold designed for ants.

36 Cool Business Cards You Should’ve Seen (and the earlier 27 Creative Business Cards You Should’ve Seen) are indeed must-sees if you’re designing business cards. Items like these may cost more at the printer, but they really make cards pop:

• Die cutting a shape out of the card (cute on a restaurant card with a “bite” shape)
• Embossing to add a 3-D element
• Cardstock alternatives, like transparent plastic or metal
• Handmade or recycled papers
• Elaborate artwork and photography
• Fold-out cards that allow plenty of space for information
• Non-rectangular cards with custom shapes

Photoshop brushes have come a long way since stars and blades of grass amazed us eons ago. More and more independent designers are creating brushes and making them available for anyone to use. Brusheezy.com is a great collection of brushes. Each designer decides on his or her terms of use, so make sure you review the README file that comes with each brush. I’ve got to find a use for the Pinup Girl and Dirigibles brushes. Dirigibles! Talk about creative.