15 innovative business cards to inspire you

Forget standard, dull business cards. Take a look at how these artists used the marketing tool to stand out from the crowd...

These days, a standard rectangular business card just won't cut it, especially in the design world. A great way to leave a long lasting impression, the small but powerful marketing tool should make you stand out, showcasing your unique identity in a professional and creative way.
So, to inspire you, we scoured the web to find some innovative business card designs. These are our top 15 favourites...

• Also read: Top examples of letterpress business cards

01. Vitor Bonates

Vitor Bonates combines work and play with these creative business cards

How cool is this personal buisness card for designer Vitor Bonates? A self-confessed lover of music and vinyl, Bonates based his card on classic vinyl records, replacing track name and details with his own and finishing off the design with a sleeve in which to hold the replica record. A simple but brilliant idea.

02. BDH Millwork

Leftover wood from BDH Millwork provides the material for its innovative business card

Canadian advertising studio WAX are the team behind these sophisticated buisness cards for cabinet-maker Brad Haniak of BDH Millwork. On a tiny budget, the WAX team came up with the idea to rubber-stamp Haniak’s business card information onto pieces of leftover wood, found in abundance at his carpentry workshop.

03. Powell Peralta

We love the design and attention to detail in these skateboard business cards

We're a little in love with these miniature skateboard business cards for American skateboard company Powell Peralta. The design follows true skateboard style, made of thin wood and featuring grip tape on one side surrounding a skull design. Create by the talented bunch over at Jukebox Print, all it needs now is a set of wheels!

04. Myung Dong Opticians

Myong Dong's brilliant self-optometry business card

If you live in South Korea and need a sight check, you can save yourself some money with this brilliant self-optometry buisness card for Myung Dong Opticians. Created by Seoul-based ad agency Black Pearl Creative, you simply placing the design an arms length away from your face to transform the card into an effective eye chart.

05. Ritornell

This is one of the coolest business cards we've come across to date. As an integral part of their set list, Austrian duo Ritornell invites the audience to bring along their private music boxes. Katharina Hölzl designed very special business cards, with the aid of laser assisted milling, are made up of nine micro compositions consisting of circles, triangles and Ritornell's contact information applied to a long musicbox paper stripe.

06. Lego business card

How cool are these customised Lego minifig business cards? We want some!

Not only do the guys who work at Lego have a super-cool job, they also get these awesome Lego minifigure business cards. It's also been reported that the company does its best to match employee's features, even down to their hair and accessories, with their own minifigs. Individual's name, email and contact number are then printed on its clothes. Best business card, ever!

07. Bon Vivant

Ad agency JWT came up with the concept for this awesome chees grater business card design for Bon Vivant

We love this business card, which doubles as a tiny cheese grater, for Brazilian cheese store Bon Vivant. Created by ad agency JWT, the clever networking tool had proved extremely popular, with the owner having to tell customers to wait a few days before returning to take another. The awesome design also comes complete with a protective sleeve - just grate! (see what we did there? Okay, we'll get our coats...)

08. Flow Yoga

Flow Yoga's innovative business card lets the materials do the talking

Based in Vancouver, Flow Yoga Studio offers the best in yoga treatments to give a fantastic, relaxing experience. And if the company's facilites alone doesn't leave a lasting impression, its innovative business card certainly will. Rolling up like a real yoga mat, the designer behind this card cleverly let the material communicate its message.

09. Engraved

Designer John T.Kim created this sophisticated design by laser cutting and etching basswood

The clue is in the title of these 'Engraved' unique and creative business cards by New York-based designer John T.Kim. Created by laser cutting and etching basswood, the woodgrain pattern makes each and every card truly unique. Kim started Engraved as a Kickstarter project last month, with a funding goal of $1,500. Proving incredibly popular, when it ended on May the 9th, the project had a whopping 354 backers with a total pledge of $23,929!

10. MODHair

This cool musical comb business card plays a rock theme when played

This muscial comb business card plays a classic rock theme when rubbed by fingernail, using the same principle of a musicbox comb. The innovative concept was developed by Fabio Milito design for Rock 'n Roll hair salon in Rome. A brilliant idea, this is one design that is sure to leave a lasting impression.

11. Bentply

Fold this ingenious design by Richard C Evans into a miniature 1934 plywood armchair

What you see here is a neat letterpress business card and mailer for furniture shop Bentply in Marylebone, London that can be made into a mini bent plywood chair. The ingenious card is designed by art director, writer, and designer Richard C Evans and produced by Elegante Press in Lithuania. Just follow the instructions and the kiss-cut card can be folded into a miniature of the iconic 1934 plywood armchair designed by Gerald Summers.

12. Greek

Yassas! A brilliant design by Draft FCB for Greek restaurant

Okay, so these probably aren't the most practical business cards in the world, but the idea is pretty cool. Developed by Cape Town-based creative agency Draft FCB, these creative cards were crafted for a Greek restaurant, the concept based on plate smashing, a traditional Greek folk custom. Made from broken pieces of pottery, the unique design simply features the restaurant's name and telephone number imprinted on the front.

13. Yuka Suzuki

Hair and make-up artist Yuka Suzuki sells her creativity skills with these brilliant business cards

The hair and make-up business is a competitive one. So artist Yuka Suzuki decided to develop a business card that would make her stand out from the crowd. The clever design uses different coloured hair grips to create colourful hair styles. So you also get free hair accessories with this one. Cool huh?

14. Choko La

Clients get two treats with this design; a delicious chocolate and a brilliantly creative business card

This candy wrapper business card is, unsurprisingly, a popular design. Created by ad agency Draft FCB the brief was to capture the essence of the product and brand - delicious chocolates. This design incorporates two treats; a chocolate and a brilliantly creative business card. Genius.

15. Elena Mirosedina

Tanya Kozlova's design leaves you in doubt as to the profession of Elena Mirosedina

This simple but brilliant business card design leaves you in no doubt as to the profession of Elena Mirosedina. The clever concept was developed by Ukranian graphic designer Tanya Kozlova. Shaped like a palette, Kozlova opted for a simple black card with stand out red and white type for the artists name and contact details.