There’re thousands of beautiful and creative business cards in the market. At the same time there’re millions of boring and dull business cards change hands everyday, and surprisingly tons of them ended up in the drawer never to be seen again, or simply ended up in the trash.
In a nutshell, graphic designers’ business cards are the most creative due to obvious reason. But does normal non-graphic designer business card has to be boring? Not necessary as what we’ve found out. In order for us to shortlist the top-15 creative, stunning and cool business cards, not only it has to be innovative but also useful (if possible). Here’re the candidates:
{ 1 } iPhone Screen Glass Business Card
With the just concluded Apple’s WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference), thousands of business cards changed hands. There was one particular business card that we love like crazy. An Apple engineer hung this “iPhone glass business card” around his neck. The lettering is laser-etched into the Gorilla Glass, apparently sourced from a Foxconn factory in China.
The iPhone screen’s Gorilla Glass is hardened to resist scratches, but it cracks and shatters easily if flexed, and needless to say it’s expensive. You can’t fit this business card into your wallet. So yes, this is perhaps the most useless business card but its uniqueness was meant to show off and impress Apple fans during such event.
{ 2 } Steve Wozniak Metal Business Card
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak’s business card is perhaps one of the most useful of them all. Steve claimed he used his metal business card to cut steaks on airplanes (*tongue-in-cheek*). Well, such metal cards can be made UK card purveyor PlasmaDesign, who makes a variety of metal business card designs to high profile clients.
Besides normal metal cards, there’re mini metal cards, coloured metal cards and black metal cards. But when you have such prestigious metal cards, it’s rather hard to give away freely. And we’re curious if you could bypass airport security clearance because if it can be used to cut steak, it can basically cut anything and can be categorized as a potential weapon (*grin*).
{ 3 } (Hacker) Kevin Mitnick Security Business Card
Who doesn’t know Kevin Mitnick, the infamous former hacker who gained unauthorized access to a computer network in 1979, at the age of 16? Well, the social engineering hacker guru has business cards that resemble his skills – one that is made of workable lock picks.
And guess what – the lock picks can actually be used to, well, you know what it’s for. The next time you receive similar business card from someone, you know what they do for a living.
{ 4 } USBs Business Card
Business card with USB drive attached is very popular for obvious reason. Uniquely designed, the business card has a hidden USB plug that snaps easily in and out. You can fit it comfortably into your pocket or wallet. Most importantly, the USB is attached to your business card and you can pump in any marketing materials or sales pitch into your card.
This USB business card is like a walking marketing tool that would follow your customers or investors. Just include brochure, catalog, powerpoint presentation and whatnot, and your business card sells your product on its own, literally speaking.
{ 5 } (Play) Tetris Game Business Card
This is perhaps the most interactive business card you’ve ever seen. Created by Kevin Bates, this is another project from Kickstarter that allows your business card to have a built-in screen, control pad and two buttons. Besides Tetris, you can also have options of other games – Flappy Ball, Space Rocks, Breakout, and other software which you wish to upload into it.
Games aside, this business card’s main function is to allow you to display a person’s resume or a QR code which can then be scanned to link to things such as your personal website. Of course, you can bet that most would spend time playing games than viewing the business links. Now, this is one business card that I would keep.
{ 6 } TechKeys Keyboard Business Card
Because this business card functions like a keyboard with on-board re-programmable ATMEGA16U2, hackers love it due to its flexibility. TechKeys, makers of custom keyboards, designed this business card which has three keys – to access web browser, email and facebook page.
And when you show off this business card, chances are high they would want to buy it from you. Costing US$12 a piece, now you can actually make profit by selling your business cards. How cool could that be?
{ 7 } Notepad Style Business Card
If you’re as old as Bill Gates and grew up during the Microsoft Windows 3.1 age, you should get yourself this type of business card, not that it’s useless now. When you present this business card to your business card, watch their face and wait for their jaw-dropping “Wow” – it look like you’re holding an actual Notepad file (*grin*).
Now, this is one business card that you can make it at home. Just get some cardboards, a colour printer and launch your notepad and types the contents accordingly.
{ 8 } Meat Business Card
When you receive this business card, you should keep it forever because chances are it could help save your life during zombie apocalypse. You can literally “eat” this business card. Made from 100% beef jerky and formed with a 150 Watt CO2 laser, this business card is your calorie-rich, life-sustaining cards. If the Chinese could sustain with their waxed meat for centuries, this business card is no exception.
Strange laser-burnt aftertaste aside, this meatcards should be edible, theoretically speaking. Even if you were to print and mark “Do Not Eat” on your meatcards, the business card looks so freaking mouth-watering that not many can stand the temptations (*mouth-watering*).
{ 9 } Cheese Grater Business Card
Fancy a business card that doubles as a cheese grater? When Brazilian cheese shop Bon Vivant hired ad agency JWT to come up with a business card that cuts through the competition, it came out with just that. The initial 1,000 cards for customers were a smashing hit and quickly snapped up.
The business card was so successful that the owner set a rule that customers receiving a card had to wait two or three days before coming back and snagging another one. Comes in a protective sleeve, this miniature cheese grater business card can be helpful for campers or backpackers who can’t live without cheese.
{ 10 } Musical Comb Business Card
This musical comb business card plays a classic rock theme when rubbed by fingernail, using the same principle of a music-box comb. Requested by MODhair, a for Rock ‘n Roll hair salon in Rome, Fabio Milito designed the innovative and brilliant concept which leave a lasting impression.
Now, this could be a hit with hair salon startups which need to fast-track their business and build a brand fastest possible.
{ 11 } Bentply Armchair Business Card
We strongly believe furniture giant, Ikea, should (copy and) make this and distribute to customers as a long-lasting branding exercise. What you have here is a nice and neat letterpress business card and mailer for furniture shop Bentply based in London. It looks more like a puzzle than a business card where you can make a mini bent plyfood chair.
Produced by Elegante Press in Lithuania, you just need to follow the instructions and voila, the business card is now transformed into a miniature of the iconic 1934 plywood armchair designed by Gerald Summers. Hmm, can it acts as a smartphone stand as well?
{ 12 } Myung Dong Self-Optometry Business Card
It was in Jeju island, South Korea, that this brilliant business card was created. The main target was middle-aged South Korean men and women between 50-70 years old who do not acknowledge their eyesight problem. Already accustomed to their poor vision, it was an uphill task to convince these people to get help.
Hence, 500 self-optometry business cards were produced at a cost of 30,000 Korean won and made available to surrounding area. Simply placing the design an arms length away from your face to transform the card into an effective eye chart. Results – 99.9% of residents participated and over 90% later visited Myung Dong optician within one month. Mission Accomplished !!!
{ 13 } Pause Speaker Business Card
If your business is in the entertainment sector, this business card design may give you an idea on how to market your products – by giving away free speakers. These awesome business cards for Pause Home Entertainment, a Swedish electronics company, double as smartphone volume boosters. In fact, the business card could increase iPhone’s sound by up to 23.5 decibels!!!
The Stockholm-based store that sell high-end hifi promises they can create customized sound system for every wallet. While we’ve not try their sound systems, their business card seems to have the message literally.
{ 14 } Six Taste Eatable Business Card
The plan was to give guests something to remember. Six Taste, a catering company engaged Israel-based ad agency Addict-tiltan to come out with an idea to spice things up. It decided to create edible business cards as dessert, to end the night’s meal on a sweet note. After all, it’s always better for business card to be ended up in the stomach than in the trash.
The results: probably not a single guest remembered Six Taste phone and fax numbers because all the business cards have been eaten. On a positive note, the guests will not be able to forget how delicious Six Taste business cards were.
{ 15 } Broke Bike Alley Multi-Tool Business Card
Is this a bike tools fashioned into a business card, or a business card fashioned into a bike tool for Broke Bike Alley? Perhaps both. Broke Bike Alley is a thick metal business card cum tool fits in your wallet and lets you adjust your bolts and spokes. And open your beer too. This is perhaps the coolest swiss-knife of business cards.
There you’ve it, 15 creative and stunning yet useful business cards that we think are simply awesome and should deserve some awards. Do you have any innovative business cards that you wish to share with us. Drop us an email or share it in the comment column below.
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June 4th, 2014 by financetwitter
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I really love the first one, the iphone business cards with the transparent background.