You have to be careful with corporate business cards. The key is to keep it classy without being too plain-jane, and one way to do this is by avoiding over-the-top designs. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean you have to stick with a simple black and white design, even though black and white does work for some designs.

One simple way to add a subtle touch of interest to your cards is with a classy texture. While you can use just about anything for a texture, from photos of natural elements to illustrations, remember that you are striving for simplicity with corporate business cards. Three styles of textures typically work well: noise, gradient, and stylized textures. All three can be created on your own or downloaded for free or a small fee online. Check out the ideas in more detail below, and follow the links for some great ideas and downloadable textures.

Noise Textures

Noise looks like a grainy texture. Use it to make your corporate business cards look like they are printed on heavier paper or just give the solid background color a pop. Noise textures are easy to create. You can even use online Noise Texture Generators or make your own.

Gradient Textures

A simple way to give your card an updated look is with a gradient. These simple design elements smoothly blend between two or more colors. You can use gradients to give your card a glass-like look, create a multi-color blend, or just blend between two similar colors for a lighter touch. As always with corporate business cards, think subtle. You can download lots of gradient patterns, make your own online, or use a graphics editor program to make them.

Stylized Textures

For the less subtle but still classy range of textures for corporate business cards, you can use stylized textures. These range from wood grains to brushed metal and many, many more. You can download stylized patterns for backgrounds, use online tools, or use a graphics editor to create your own from scratch.

No matter which style of texture you decide to use for your business cards, keep in mind that less is more, especially when it comes to a professional look. And remember, a great way to make textures stand out is with a unique business card printing option such as letterpress or embossing.