Visits of several people should create a coherent series, despite differences in the length of names, positions and contact details. A good template predicts these situations before preparing the entire effort.
Start with actual team data
Before designing, collect approved names, names, positions and ways of contact. Set up a record of phone numbers and department names. Divergents in these details make business cards look like materials from different companies.
For the first project, choose not only the shortest name, but also the longest position and the most extensive data set, so you can immediately check that the layout does not need to reduce the font to an illegible size.
Determine fixed and variable elements
Permanent may be a logo, page address and way of deploying content. Variables include data of a particular person. Some roles require additional information, but it is not worth any rebuilding of each business card.
- Specify the maximum data range to fit the template.
- Prepare a variant for a longer position.
- Find out what happens when a person doesn't give a cell number.
- Keep a common hierarchy of names, roles and contacts.
If different language versions are needed, consider them as separate variants. Simply adding the translation can overload the previously approved layout.
Check each copy before production
The correct model design does not guarantee the correctness of the entire series. Data can be moved between rows or assigned to the wrong person. It is worth giving a preview to each owner of the card and collecting unambiguous confirmation.
Keep order for subsequent orders
Store the current pattern and approved data list, not just a file sent to the printer once. After changing your position, mark the previous version as archival. When adding an employee then you can use existing rules without designing the material from the beginning. Read about production control in the guide about preparing a business card for printingThe consistency of the series results from both appearance and reliable data management.
