(Editor’s note: it’s easy to use a template available on Adobe Stock to create a logo for your business as Bryan Esler shows in this article. There is one issue with using Adobe Stock or most any stock for that matter to make your business’s logo, it cannot be trademarked or copyrighted. This is because the creator of the template owns the copyright already. Adobe Stock’s contributing artists retain all copyrights to their images.  For more visit: https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/kb/adobe-stock-known-issues.html That said, most small businesses do not trademark their logo due to the expense. I asked what trademarking a logo would cost from an intellectual property attorney I know. His price here in Atlanta was in the $800.00 to $1000.00 range. So, if you don’t intend to trademark your logo, here is an inexpensive, practical way to make your own.)

Now that you’ve got your logo created with an Adobe Stock template, it’s time to use that logo on a business card!

To get started, I went back to the Adobe Stock website, chose Templates from the drop-down and searched for “business card.” Out of the gate, you’ll be presented with a ton of options, so you’ll want to filter your search to be Illustrator files.

I’ve written in the past about the importance of a great business card, and Adobe Stock will help you get there. For me, I like to have a photo on the back of my cards, which helps to showcase my work. But depending on what you prefer, you can go with a full design, or just use one portion of the template you choose.

Choose a Template That Matches Your Style

It’s important that the template you use fits in with your logo and overall style. For instance, the logo I created is pretty clean, with not a ton going on. I wouldn’t, then, want to choose a business card template that clutters my logo. Likewise, I wouldn’t personally want to select something that appears fancy or vintage.

It’s important that your business card reflects you, as a small business owner. If you’re a wedding photographer, you might want something more vintage and fancy — but you wouldn’t want something that’s industrial, for instance.

Things to Keep in Mind

Horizontal or Vertical?

This question comes down to personal preference. For me, I usually go with a horizontal design, because most of the photos I take are horizontal. But if you’re a portrait photographer, you might consider a vertical design instead.

The rule of thumb I use here is to base the design off of what works best for your work. While a business card might be a simple hand-out, having your work showcased on it will help draw in potential clients to your business.

Having Trouble Matching Your Branding?

Don’t worry. It’s important to look at your Adobe Stock template options knowing that you can change things like colors, typefaces, etc. I try not to deviate too far from the template, as it’s showcased to give you an idea of what would look best from a design point-of-view.

Customizing Your Card

I decided to go with a dark template, the opposite of what I currently have with my photography business card. I was lucky enough to find a business card that already had the fonts I used in my logo as a part of it, so there was no change needed there. But if you do need a change, simply highlight the text, open the Character Properties panel and change it to your preferred font and weight.

Likewise, you can also change the colors. For me, orange is not anywhere near my color palette, so I changed this to a light blue that would pop on the dark background.

If you come across a graphical element that you aren’t sure how to change the color of, try and use the Direct Selection Tool (commonly referred to as the white pointer) instead. This helps select individual elements that might be grouped together. I used this specifically on the orange triangle-like graphics on the left side of the card.

Inserting Your Logo

Now, because I’ve already prepared a logo with my name in it, there’s no reason for my name to be typed separately on my business card. Your situation might be different, but I went ahead and deleted the name text, as well as the title text.

I made sure that I had a version of my logo that would work well on a dark background. For me, this meant making my name in white text, and “Video” in light blue.

I then placed the logo on to the business card. You can do this a number of different ways — the easiest is to go up to File > Place and browse to your file. If you already have it up in your Finder or Explorer window, though, you can just drag and drop it onto the card in Illustrator.

Once in the file, I sized it appropriately and moved it to be above my contact information.

Taking it to the Next Level

If you want to be a little creative, try playing around with your logo on your business card. In this instance, I separated the video graphic from my logo and took down the opacity to 20%. I then put it in the back of the card and blew it up so it would be subtly emphasized in the background.

You can also try things like super-imposing your logo on top of the photo on the front of your card. Alternatively, you can have your logo be the only thing on the front of your card, too.

Doing creative changes like this doesn’t take away from your brand, because you still have the style present, and it’s clear what it is. Consider changes like this as you develop your business card, in addition to other materials.

Adobe Stock