Business Cards Through the Ages

Business cards have become a business staple around the world. It’s usually the first thing you start thinking about when starting a business because it’s the traditional way to give out pertinent information to prospective clients and business partners. Business cards signal professionalism and help expose your brand identity. Fusion Group USA prints high quality, professional business cards at affordable prices – we will even design them for you! We work closely with our clients to ensure that our design is exactly how they imagined their business cards should look.

Business cards have an interesting and long social history, as laid out in an infographic on The Muse website. We wanted to highlight 5 of the most interesting moments in business card history.

  1. In 15th century China, business cards as we know them today started as meishi, or visiting cards. These were used as announcements for meetings and were often decorated with calligraphy.
  2. In the 1600s, trade cards made their debut. These featured maps on the back that would help customers find the business featured on the card.
  3. In 18th century Europe, business cards reverted back to their traditional Japanese use and were widely accepted as calling cards. Cards were typically left with servants for the head of the house to examine and determine if he/she wanted to meet with the prospective guest. Interestingly, men carried these loose in their pocket, whereas women were expected to carry them in a card case.
  4. Around the world, there are different ideas on business car etiquette. In Korea, it is rude to examine a card for too long. Once you are given a card, you put it away immediately. You should also never ask for a business card without giving one first.
  5. There are hundreds of options out there for business cards these days. Recently Near Field Communication (NFC) cards are becoming popular. NFC cards can interact with a tap from a mobile phone, automatically exchanging data.

Business cards come in all shapes and sizes now – you can choose the layout, colors, stock, and shape. The creative possibilities are endless. To make sure that you are getting a card that defines your brand and style, and is professional, call Fusion Group USA today. We offer a number of options and will make sure that you get the high quality cards you deserve.

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