Business cards, despite being a bit “old school,” can, with some good design and added features, become great branding opportunities for your station’s staffers.

A good starting point is to take cues from your news graphics package. Full color printing for business cards has also gotten very affordable, which is a perfect way to showcase your station logo and incorporate elements from your graphics.
Starting with the full-screen graphic background is a good jumping off point and often works well for business cards.

When designing cards, be sure to match typefaces to your graphics package for a consistent, polished look.

You’ll also want to make sure elements are stylized consistently — for example, if your graphics package uses 3D or glass-like elements, find ways to mix those into the design.

One issue to be aware of, however, is resolution. Even graphics designed for high-definition video will need to be handled with care since printing presses require very high quality source material, usually at least 300 dpi.

Another nice touch to add to anchor and reporter business cards is a head shot photograph. These can be especially eye-catching if cut out and placed against the branded background, similar in style to what you’d see in a talent reopen.

It’s also a good idea to look into double-sided business cards, which are also relatively affordable.

This gives you more space for branded graphics as well as additional information such as station and individual employee social networking profile links, additional contact information, slogans, newscast schedules and more.

In addition to the typical address, phone numbers and e-mail addresses, also consider including news tip hotlines and blog URLs.

Another option is to print the entire reverse side of the business card with each talent member’s photograph with a pre-printed autograph overlayed over it, giving them an easy way to hand out a momento to viewers.

NewscastTip is a weekly column with tips for your newscasts. See past editions here. The column is available every Friday in our e-mail newsletter and posted here the following Wednesday. Sign up for the newsletter to get it delivered directly to your in box every week.

Michael P. Hill is founder and publisher of NewscastStudio. Contact him with your own tips and feedback.