12 Hot Business Card Design Ideas for 2021

2020 was anything but “business as usual”. If working in the new normal has taught us one thing, it is that you have to constantly adapt and develop your marketing approach to help your business flourish.

Business card designs show personality and professionalism as you introduce your brand to potential new customers or contacts. So if you’re someone who has been showing off the same business card for the last ten years, it may be the ripe time for a new look. We have put together a list of the most interesting business card trends for 2021 to get your marketing and brand going strong into the new year.

Our hottest business card trends for 2021 are:

1. Clear space-age business cards
2. Stunningly colorful gradients against dark backgrounds
3. QR codes that get straight to the point
4. BIG text for a BIG impression
5. Clever, complex, and smart cut-outs
6. Surprising, unconventional text alignment
7. Alternating color schemes
8. Black business cards
9. Nude tones that set the mood
10. Haptic accents
11. Clever geometric designs
12. Portrait instead of landscape

Clear space-age business cards

The future is here. The future is now. And perhaps the most futuristic of all business card trends in 2021 are see-through business cards. These cards feel high-tech, like the keys to a spaceship.

Source: Behance

Many of these designs boast opaque elements such as text and graphics. Some divide the map into areas of varying degrees of transparency: one part is partially opaque, while another part is textured. This creates a visually interesting background on which the company name comes into its own.

Stunningly colorful gradients against dark backgrounds

One of the most eye-catching business card trends you’ll see networking in 2021 will be dark cards with multi-colored gradients. Think pearly shades shimmering against a dark background. They flow up and down creating an atmosphere that feels like waves of light.

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With gradient color, these designs feel limitless and not enclosed by rigid shapes or clear borders.

QR codes that get straight to the point

QR codes are nothing new, but they are now part of a business card trend that you will see very often in 2021. A QR code makes it a lot easier to go directly to a company website or personal portfolio, without the need for physical contact. This is something extremely familiar after all the lockdowns!

A QR code creates a seamless transition from a physical encounter to a digital connection. How many business cards have you already collected in your pocket or on your desk without actually looking at them?

Handcrafted illustrations

Computer design remains a machine-made design, even with the best image editing program. An important trend is therefore towards hand-made illustrations. What has already been discovered in book covers in the last two to three years can provide great variety and uniqueness in business card design in 2021.

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This template 👆🏻 unites two big trends: hand-drawn elements and nude tones which are going to be popular in business card design in 2021.

BIG text for a BIG impression

Another big business card trend this year comes in the form of designs that focus on the large text. In these designs, the text is the design.

Not to be confused with textual logos, these designs contain text that stretches across the entire card, leaves little space for white space, and does not include any images. The result is a text-heavy simplicity that comes straight to the point.

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Clever, complex, and smart cut-outs

If you’ve been in business for a while, you probably have stacks of business cards from potential suppliers, partners, customers, and service providers you have met over the years. And they all probably have a similar rectangular shape.

Source: Dribble

Perhaps the most noticeable business card trend coming up is innovative business cards with abstract and iconic cutouts. In some cases, the cut-away section is intended to make the card easier to understand or to allow you to attach it to a lanyard or lanyard. For others, the cut-out is in the sleeve, in which the card, designed in a different color, is. This not only protects the business card but also offers a small preview of it.

Surprising, unconventional text alignment

With experimental text, typography in print design reaches new heights and is one of our favorite business card trends. Forget the usual alignment from left to right and discover completely new possibilities in the context of your business card.

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Just think about legibility, since your business card creation shouldn’t lose its impact due to an overloaded, difficult-to-read design.

Alternating color scheme

What exactly is meant by an “alternating” color scheme? Let’s say your brand’s color palette is mint green, off-white gray, and anthracite. You could have business cards made for you that have the same text, but some are green with off-white text and anthracite accents and some are anthracite with off-white text and green accents. Just choose your colors and explore different variants.

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Black business cards

Go back to basics with black and white style instead of a colorful revelry. Monochrome business cards develop their own charm. For example, if the card is completely black, but the font is white, the information stands out in an elegant way, without appearing obtrusive. At the same time, the noble character of the background is strengthened. Black business cards signal not misery, but elegance.

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Nude tones

Classic, timeless elegance is also very much in trend in 2021. During turbulent times, this puristic, clear style is a pleasure for the eyes with its soft, restrained color schemes and subtle fonts. It radiates warmth and calm and instantly creates a warm, intimate feeling.

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Muted nude tones made up of just two to three nuances of one color appear unobtrusive and this is precisely why these business cards impress with their effortless elegance. The visual message is enhanced with clear, puristic fonts that can be wonderfully combined with gently curved handwriting. Delicate metallic accents or tone-on-tone embossing ensure a particularly impressive effect and a memorable first impression.

Nude tones are particularly suitable in the cosmetics/beauty area, while banking and finance require a cooler palette for their business cards in 2021.

Haptic accents

Create something special just by touching it. When we humans come into contact with something new, all of our senses are activated. In 2021, you stand out with your business card with a complex surface. The trend here is lamination with linen structure film or soft-touch surfaces.

Clever geometric designs

Geometric designs will be very popular in 2021 – not just for business cards, but also on book covers, product packaging, logos, and many other designs. It is precise and complex, repetitive patterns make this technique feel futuristic.

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Maybe it’s because of the symmetry, but let’s imagine how super-smart programs use artificial intelligence to make them. They feel tech-savvy and sophisticated; we love them.

Portrait instead of landscape

Get attention with minimal effort. This trend will continue in 2021 with many business cards designed in portrait orientation.

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Give your business a makeover in 2021 with futuristic business card trends

See 2021 as a fresh start with our favorite business card trends. Whether you’re starting a new business or want to give your heart project a new coat of paint, business cards set the tone when you introduce your brand to new people. It’s time to show the world your fresh perspective – right out of your pocket.