ommunications showed the following of people:

• 92% believe color presents an image of impressive quality
• 90% feel color can assist in attracting new customers
• 90% believe customers remember presentations and documents better with color
• 83% believe color makes them appear more successful
• 81% think color gives them a competitive edge
• 76% believe that the use of color makes their business appear larger to clients

The overwhelming belief and proven studies that color is of significance in how our business is perceived should not be ignored. I am not a huge statistics guy

When you hand out your business card to someone, do you think they initially look at it or read it? Most likely they just look at it. I have been handed thousands of business cards and to my amazement, there are only a handful of them that actually capture my attention. And the ones that I do take a second look at usually consist of full-color.

Obviously, a business card’s purpose is to provide the recipient with contact information. But in actuality, it is also a representation of you and your company. A boring, non-appealing business card can reflect negatively onto you. This is unnecessary because the cost of full-color business cards is very inexpensive today. Adding color to your business card will not only be more attractive and give you a stigma for being creative, there are actual proven benefits that go with it.

While to most of us color is color, it is much more powerful than we give it credit. It can influence our mood, our thoughts, and our behavior. It can change the shape and size of the way things appear around us. Several ancient cultures even used colors to heal people with an alternative treatment called chromotherapy.

Colors are omnipresent, and have taken on their own meaning. For example, black is the color of power and authority. White symbolizes innocence and purity. Red is considered an emotional color and stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. And blue is the opposite of red, producing a calming or peaceful effect. I don’t believe the meanings to these colors should have any influence in the color you use in your business card or printing materials, but I just wanted to emphasize the effect it has.

So how does color benefit us with our business cards, web site, and other printing materials? According to the Institute for Color Research (CCICOLOR), people will make a subconscious judgment about a person, place, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone. So there you have it. Roughly three out of four people will qualify and evaluate you or your product without even thinking about it based solely on color, or lack thereof.

Not only does color help attain a positive first impression, it will increase more business. A University of Loyola, Maryland study found color increases brand recognition by up to 80%. In addition, it has been shown to increase comprehension by up to 73%, improve recall by 82%, and help sell up to 85% more.

If that’s not enough, research conducted by Xerox Corporation and International Communications showed the following of people:

• 92% believe color presents an image of impressive quality
• 90% feel color can assist in attracting new customers
• 90% believe customers remember presentations and documents better with color
• 83% believe color makes them appear more successful
• 81% think color gives them a competitive edge
• 76% believe that the use of color makes their business appear larger to clients

The overwhelming belief and proven studies that color is of significance in how our business is perceived should not be ignored. I am not a huge statistics guy

business cards is very inexpensive today. Adding color to your business card will not only be more attractive and give you a stigma for being creative, there are actual proven benefits that go with it.

While to most of us color is color, it is much more powerful than we give it credit. It can influence our mood, our thoughts, and our behavior. It can change the shape and size of the way things appear around us. Several ancient cultures even used colors to heal people with an alternative treatment called chromotherapy.

Colors are omnipresent, and have taken on their own meaning. For example, black is the color of power and authority. White symbolizes innocence and purity. Red is considered an emotional color and stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. And blue is the opposite of red, producing a calming or peaceful effect. I don’t believe the meanings to these colors should have any influence in the color you use in your business card or printing materials, but I just wanted to emphasize the effect it has.

So how does color benefit us with our business cards, web site, and other printing materials? According to the Institute for Color Research (CCICOLOR), people will make a subconscious judgment about a person, place, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone. So there you have it. Roughly three out of four people will qualify and evaluate you or your product without even thinking about it based solely on color, or lack thereof.

Not only does color help attain a positive first impression, it will increase more business. A University of Loyola, Maryland study found color increases brand recognition by up to 80%. In addition, it has been shown to increase comprehension by up to 73%, improve recall by 82%, and help sell up to 85% more.

If that’s not enough, research conducted by Xerox Corporation and International Communications showed the following of people:

• 92% believe color presents an image of impressive quality
• 90% feel color can assist in attracting new customers
• 90% believe customers remember presentations and documents better with color
• 83% believe color makes them appear more successful
• 81% think color gives them a competitive edge
• 76% believe that the use of color makes their business appear larger to clients

The overwhelming belief and proven studies that color is of significance in how our business is perceived should not be ignored. I am not a huge statistics guy

y. White symbolizes innocence and purity. Red is considered an emotional color and stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. And blue is the opposite of red, producing a calming or peaceful effect. I don’t believe the meanings to these colors should have any influence in the color you use in your business card or printing materials, but I just wanted to emphasize the effect it has.

So how does color benefit us with our business cards, web site, and other printing materials? According to the Institute for Color Research (CCICOLOR), people will make a subconscious judgment about a person, place, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone. So there you have it. Roughly three out of four people will qualify and evaluate you or your product without even thinking about it based solely on color, or lack thereof.

Not only does color help attain a positive first impression, it will increase more business. A University of Loyola, Maryland study found color increases brand recognition by up to 80%. In addition, it has been shown to increase comprehension by up to 73%, improve recall by 82%, and help sell up to 85% more.

If that’s not enough, research conducted by Xerox Corporation and International Communications showed the following of people:

• 92% believe color presents an image of impressive quality
• 90% feel color can assist in attracting new customers
• 90% believe customers remember presentations and documents better with color
• 83% believe color makes them appear more successful
• 81% think color gives them a competitive edge
• 76% believe that the use of color makes their business appear larger to clients

The overwhelming belief and proven studies that color is of significance in how our business is perceived should not be ignored. I am not a huge statistics guy

ewing and between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone. So there you have it. Roughly three out of four people will qualify and evaluate you or your product without even thinking about it based solely on color, or lack thereof.

Not only does color help attain a positive first impression, it will increase more business. A University of Loyola, Maryland study found color increases brand recognition by up to 80%. In addition, it has been shown to increase comprehension by up to 73%, improve recall by 82%, and help sell up to 85% more.

If that’s not enough, research conducted by Xerox Corporation and International Communications showed the following of people:

• 92% believe color presents an image of impressive quality
• 90% feel color can assist in attracting new customers
• 90% believe customers remember presentations and documents better with color
• 83% believe color makes them appear more successful
• 81% think color gives them a competitive edge
• 76% believe that the use of color makes their business appear larger to clients

The overwhelming belief and proven studies that color is of significance in how our business is perceived should not be ignored. I am not a huge statistics guy

ommunications showed the following of people:

• 92% believe color presents an image of impressive quality
• 90% feel color can assist in attracting new customers
• 90% believe customers remember presentations and documents better with color
• 83% believe color makes them appear more successful
• 81% think color gives them a competitive edge
• 76% believe that the use of color makes their business appear larger to clients

The overwhelming belief and proven studies that color is of significance in how our business is perceived should not be ignored. I am not a huge statistics guy but it would be foolish to ignore them. Many of us are visual people, 60% of the population to be more precise (maybe I am a statistics guy), meaning we primarily gather and retain information through our sense of sight. The beauty about color is there are plenty to choose from and you can use ones that reflect your personality. A full-color business card is the first step in capturing the attention of your prospect, propelling a positive first impression, and giving them a reason to want to do business with you.