Square business cards – good or bad idea?

Every day, businessmen, job applicants, freelancers, employees and executives hand out business cards. It happens in offices and on the street … during casual meetings and networking events … between friends, new associates, or newly reunited strangers.

With all these cards traded, it is very important to have a business card that stands out from the pack, one that will turn heads the instant it is placed in someone’s palm. After all, there is nothing worse than making a first impression with a boring and drab letter.

Perhaps the easiest way to stand out is to have a business card that doesn’t look or feel like all the others.

Enter the square business card.

Square business cards instantly stand out because of their shape. In fact, it is almost impossible for them to hand you a square business card and DO NOT look at it before putting it in your pocket. That alone can make it a better marketing tool than other more typical cards.

Another benefit of square business cards is that they offer additional space for content. Considering more content equates to a greater opportunity to sell yourself to potential clients, employers, or referral sources, which can be a huge advantage.

So are square business cards good? Are they an automatic brilliant idea that everyone should use?

Of course not.

The thing is, standing out visually it can be achieved in many ways. There are 3D cards, plastic, translucent, metallic, edible, die-cut, embossed … and countless other possibilities to attract attention. Square business cards are just ONE way to do it, and what is right for one person is certainly not right for everyone.

When you consider that the outlier shape may make it difficult to store your square business card (in a pile of others, or in a business card book, for example), it may not necessarily be the most convenient. And as for the benefit of the extra space to tell your story … well, folding cards offer that benefit, too, but they can also retain a typical shape.

The bottom line is that square business cards will be a great way to stand out for some, and not the right way for others. It really depends on what you do, where and to whom you distribute your cards, and what concept you have in mind. If a square design looks correct, go for it. It’s sure to stop your recipients in their tracks, giving you plenty of time to make that great, long-lasting impression!