Different Business Card Sizes Around the World
A business card is a great first impression and while the purpose of a business card has evolved slightly, it's now a very common distribution tool. Many business owners and employees use it as a networking tool and gone are the days of simple, one sided cards being the normal approach to the design.
While many people can't get enough of digital and online information, the business card, along with other print material is still a very commonly printed asset in many countries. And, amazingly enough, standard business card sizes are different all around the world.
So, let's have a look at the standard sizing of business cards. While the differences are only minor, it may effect your job for many reasons. Initially, it's the most important step for business card creation.
Business Card Standard Sizes around the world
I've created a table of standard business card dimensions for different countries around the world, including dimensions (width x height) and bleed dimensions – important for keeping your business card information safely within the card boundaries.
| Country | Dimensions (Width x Height) | Dimensions with Bleed |
|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | 90mm x 55mm | 96mm x 61mm |
| Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela | 90mm x 50mm | 96mm x 56mm |
| Cambodia, Laos and Bangladesh | 90mm x 55mm | 96mm x 61mm |
| Canada | 88.9mm x 50.8mm 3.5in x 2in |
95.25mm x 57.15mm 3.5in x 2in |
| China, Hong Kong and Singapore | 90mm x 54mm | 96mm x 60mm |
| Colombia | 90mm x 50mm | 96mm x 56mm |
| Eastern Europe | 90mm x 55mm | 96mm x 61mm |
| Egypt | 87mm x 57mm | 93mm x 63mm |
| Iceland | 85mm x 55mm | 91mm x 61mm |
| India, Taiwan, Vietname and Thailand | 90mm x 55mm | 96mm x 61mm |
| Iran | 85mm x 48mm | 91mm x 54mm |
| Israel | 90mm x 50mm | 96mm x 56mm |
| Japan | 91mm x 55mm | 97mm x 61mm |
| Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan | 90mm x 55mm | 96mm x 61mm |
| Mongolia and Malaysia | 90mm x 54mm | 96mm x 60mm |
| Russia | 90mm x 55mm | 96mm x 61mm |
| Sri Lanka and South Korea | 90mm x 55mm | 96mm x 61mm |
| Scandinavia and Greece | 90mm x 55mm | 96mm x 61mm |
| Turkey | 85mm x 50mm | 91mm x 56mm |
| United Kingdom | 85mm x 55mm | 91mm x 61mm |
| United States | 88.9mm x 50.8mm 3.5in x 2in |
95.25mm x 57.15mm 3.5in x 2in |
Business Card Bleed Size
Common bleed sizes are 1/8th inch for North America, while the rest of the world is a 3mm bleed.
Business Card Dimensions and what's best for you
That should give you a better insight as to what dimensions you would like your card to be. Sometimes the standard size isn't necessarily, so it's best to discuss your job before deciding on your sizing.
If you have any further questions about business cards, please feel free to contact me for more information.
Anatomy of Typography - Letter features and characteristics
Sometimes it can be difficult to explain and identify the different features of a typeface. So, let's take a look at the anatomy of typography!
What is type and lettering?
Type and lettering is something we see every day of our lives. It's used for print media such as signage, brochures, in store, flyers and so on. It's also used digitally on the web, whilst we sift through Facebook and Instagram posts, blogs, or the latest Reddit news.
Typography features and characteristics
So what did I do to help indentify features of type? I've put together a poster, which I have hanging up in my office! It contains all the significant features of type, pointing out features such as a stem, eye, bowl, counter, arm and so on. I've also included x-height, leading and baseline, which identify features outside of the characters themselves. Not only does it help explain certain features, but is also super interesting to have a little bit of extra knowledge regardless of if you're a Graphic Designer or not.
I have excluded a few type features, but the everyday, common features have all been included. This is a great guide for professionals and students alike.
What other posters would you like to see made as a graphic design resource? Comment below to tell me what you'd like to see created!
You're welcome to download the file as a reference or bookmark this page. I've included a link below.
Have fun with type!
You can download the image below.
Logo Design - Typical Creation Process
Logo design always throws up all sorts of discussion. Why do some designers charge so much / little for a logo? Why does it take so long to design a logo? What are the benefits of having a logo? And so on.. Well, in this artcile, I'm going to discuss a little bit about the design process when creating a logo. We'll be discussing all sort of things from concepts to final production. Many variables come into play in the process, so I'm going to keep it as general as possible in order to try and communicate the process as best as I can. Here goes!
The Logo Design Brief
The brief is extremely important for a logo design. Mainly because what I'm about to create is the face of your company and it's important for me to know as much relevant information about the client's company as I can. So, not only is timeframe, a factor when designing a logo (or anything for that matter), but details regarding your business are just as important.
Here's a list of some areas of critical information which is extremely important in regards to logo creation:
- Business size – sole trader, micro, small, medium, large.
- Business age
- Tagret demographic – almost the most important piece of information. Who are you trying to appeal to?
- Product / service cost – who do you cater for, socio-economic wise?
- Competitors
- Budget
Initial brainstorming / sketches of the logo design
I always begin a logo design with paper, pencil and my A3 sketch book.
Generally, I'll begin with a mindmap, of sorts, or key words about the company, style of the logotype, symbol, colours I may potentially use, the mood of the logo and so on. I believe in writing down as many words to describe what I'm trying to achieve as possible, but I want the words to be accurate to the company, it's beliefs and the target audience.
For my sketches, I very rarely use an eraser, because at this point, the sketches are quite quick and purely encompass an overall style for the logo. The amount of pages I go through for a project really depends on the complexity of the brief. Sometimes it's just a page of sketches, other times 3 - 4 pages. Again, I'm happy to sketch out whatever I feel is relevant to the brief. Whether or not it's going to end up being the final final doesn't worry me at this point in time. Often I'll sketch things which I know won't even be considered, but sometimes they're the link between two very different concepts.
Execution of my sketches isn't hugely important. Some effects and techniques I'll know I can execute better on a computer when I get to that stage.
Designing a logo in Illustrator
Once I've completed my sketches, I'll jump into Illustrator and start playing with a few concepts. I sometimes bounce between my computer and sketch book, just to jot down or sketch out a new idea first. For some sketches which I've done quickly by hand, I know how they'll look digitally, but look very different in my sketchbook.
I always design my logos in Adobe Illustrator, regardless of time, who the client is and what they're going to use it for. It is the best application for creating a logo due to the tools available and the accuracy in which it can be produced. Also, as a vector file (which Illustrator handles), I know I'll be able to make the logo as big or as small as I (or the client) want to in the future. I'll begin experimenting with typography, lettering, shapes and scalability of the logo constantly. Scalability is often overlooked by designers and clients alike, as a logo might look fantastic in a large size, but when resized to a smaller size it's unreadble. Having a secondary window open at a smaller scale can also be beneficial.
It's difficult to cover all types of logos in one article, but in general it's important to use as few points as possible in the logo and make it as clean as possible. There shouldn't be any waste.