A well written (and designed) resume and a killer portfolio are tools that can slice through any competition and should be considered weapons of mass destruction. Your resume is the “first date” of the interview process and you only have a few seconds to catch the eye of a potential employer. Do you know who you are? Creating a brand for yourself is probably one of the hardest things you’ll ever do as a designer. Set yourself apart with a logo that visually sums up who you are. Next, incorporate your brand into a layout that is visually stunning, but doesn’t overwhelm the rest of your resume. Get straight to the point. Kill that annoying objective statement. We all know that you want a “challenging job in graphic design.” Try a summary section instead. For example: “Graphic design graduate with experience gained through an internship at a local non-profit organization. Excels in fast-paced, deadline-driven office environments. Advanced knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.” This lets the potential employer know what your strengths are right off the bat. Use a combination resume. Don’t just list things as they happened. You could have a section for graphic design skills, managerial skills, etc. Don’t feel like you need to omit other jobs just because they have nothing to do with graphic design. Employers want to see that you have a wide range of skills and can handle working in various environments.

Like I said, your portfolio is a weapon of mass destruction. Choose only the BEST pieces for your portfolio. Don’t be afraid to let others critique your work. I don’t mean getting your grandma or your best friend to do it. They already think you and everything you do are awesome. Let your professors critique your work. Even if you’ve already graduated, they’d love to have you stop in and look at your progress. Let non-designers critique your work. You might not think they know anything about design, but they do know what catches their eye. They’re the average consumer. Make sure your portfolio is cohesive with your brand. Your resume and portfolio should all flow together naturally with the brand you’ve created for yourself. You should have paper portfolio AND a web portfolio. You have stronger chance of getting hired if employers can view your work before the interview.

Be TENACIOUS. Don’t be fooled by a “bad economy” or a job market that looks less than promising. I can’t tell you how many of my classmates ended up taking a job that they’re unhappy with because the school loan payments were due. There’s nothing wrong with that, but don’t lose sight of the prize. You’re a graphic designer and you want—no, NEED a graphic design job. When I first graduated from school, I asked my former boss to give me a day off each week to look for jobs, work on new projects, and really hone my portfolio. Surprisingly, he agreed. Not doing what I went to school for wasn’t an option. I looked for jobs through my school’s career services department, job posting sites like SimplyHired, Indeed, and LinkedIn. Look for jobs in companies that aren’t in the design industry. You might be missing out on a job opportunity just because it’s not out in the open for everyone to see. Don’t be afraid to dig. Another suggestion is to narrow down the type of company you’d like to work for. Know the difference between an ad agency, a marketing firm, and being an in-house designer. If you know where you’d like to work, job hunting won’t seem like a wild goose chase.

Be a self-starter. Turn anything into a design project. While you’re looking, continue to work on your portfolio. Building your portfolio is a continuing process. If you’re not currently working in field, you need to keep your skills sharp. Do see an obnoxious billboard on your morning commute? Redesign it! Do you hate that menu from your favorite Chinese restaurant that STILL hasn’t changed since 1985? Redesign it. Everything can be a potential piece for your portfolio. Stay on top of the curve and ahead of your competitors.

Network like there’s no tomorrow. You know the saying, “It’s not what you know. It’s who you know.” This is definitely true when searching for a graphic design job. Employers in this industry want to give the job to people they know. Trusting someone with a brand or a particular style of work is a big deal. Designers don’t want to give jobs to strangers who barely know them or their company. If you can, join the local chapter of your ad federation. Search for events in your area. A great tool for finding events is meetup.com. Meetup helps you find a group for whatever you’re interested in. There are meetup groups for graphic design, Photoshop, InDesign, and the list goes on. If you’re an introvert like me, Facebook is a great networking tool. It allows you to talk with people and share your ideas without feeling like the biggest wallflower at a networking event. I’m not telling you stay on your computer and become a recluse. We all need help with our people skills—but it can be a beginner’s guide to networking before you hit the big leagues.

Ok, now you’ve got some calls coming in. This is your first interview. How do you NOT blow it? Relax. Make sure your research the company you’re interviewing for. Know its main functions and know what your desired position requires. One of the first things an interviewer will ask is, “What do you know about us?” Be ready with a clear, concise answer. Ask your own questions. Employers want to see you take an interest in their company. Don’t be afraid to ask about the details of the desired position. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. If there’s an area that you’re lacking in, be honest and emphasize the fact that you’re willing to learn. Be confident, you’ve already won half the battle. The fact that your resume made them call you says something. Be courteous. Always send a thank you note after an interview. Let the employer know you appreciate the time they spent meeting with you. That’s actually how I got my first graphic design job. I sent my interviewer a hand-written thank you note and on my second interview she couldn’t stop saying how much she appreciated it.

You’ve got all the tools you need to land your first graphic design job. Make sure you know who you are and what you have to offer. Sharpen your skills. Hone your resume and portfolio by creating extra projects for yourself. Let others be the judge and critique your work—there’s always room for improvement. Be tenacious. Determination will always outsmart a bad economy. Network. Network. Network. Let people know who you are on a professional and personal level. Now, go forth and take the job market by the horns. You’ve got this one in the bag.

You could hope that people will see your website address on your marketing materials and type it into their browser, which is infinitely more likely than them remembering it from your radio or television commercials and typing it into their browser, but neither are going to drive very many people to your website. The fact is, most people are just too busy (or too lazy) to put in that much effort.

But what if there was an easy way to get them there, maybe even just by clicking a button? That’s simple enough and even the most distracted person could manage to stay focused long enough to do that, right?

That’s where QR codes come in. Anyone with a smartphone can simply use an app to snap a picture of the QR code on your marketing materials, and your website will pop up right on their screen!

An inexpensive way to start using QR codes is on your business cards, but there’s no reason to stop there. You can use them on all of your printed marketing materials, like brochures, car wraps and even billboards. You’re only limited by your imagination!

Do your business cards do that?

If not, maybe it’s time for a makeover, and for that, you’re going to need some serious inspiration. Check out our gallery of business card inspiration to get your creative juices flowing.

While, you’re at it, be sure to check out Print Place to get your new business cards printed. Their quality is top-notch and they have amazing prices – two things every small business owner is looking for.

So without further ado, here are 100+ designs for business card inspiration.

You may feel empowered that you didn’t have to pay some graphic designer to design your brochures or logos, and perhaps even quite proud that you did it yourself, but did you really come out ahead? Not even close, my friend, because you probably wasted more money than you saved. If you’re wondering how that’s possible, the answer is simple; 99 times out of 100, your graphic design simply won’t produce results. There is a lot more that goes into effective design than designing something that appeals to you, and in this situation, a professional graphic designer knows what works and what doesn’t. Despite having taken an art class or two in college, you are not on the same level as someone who spends day in and day out working in the field.

Designing your own marketing materials not only presents an unprofessional image, it also makes it appear that you can’t afford to hire professionals to handle important aspects of your business and that damages your credibility.

2. Your graphic design looks like a clone of your competitors

When you see a Fortune 500 company in your industry come out with a killer graphic design piece, you may be tempted to emulate it. Don’t. Their design may be first-rate, but when you copy it, people will think of them instead of you when they see it, and since that competitor probably has a marketing budget that’s bigger than your annual revenue, they will get the business. Your graphic design needs to stand out, not follow the cookie cutter model that everyone else is following like a mindless bunch of lemmings. I can’t tell you how many morons have copied our website and other marketing materials, and all it’s done is drive more business to us. Your company is different than any of your competitors, so make sure your design shows that.

3. You try to make everything the most important thing

A headline is a headline. Body copy is body copy. We use bold and italic typefaces to emphasize certain words or sentences. Your design needs to utilize contrasting of sizes and weights of text, otherwise everything blends together and the reader quickly loses interest. Your information should be broken up into easily differentiated chunks so people can quickly navigate to the parts that interest them.

When you try to make every part of your graphic design the most important part, you actually end up making nothing important.

4. You use irrelevant imagery

I enjoy looking at a sexy woman as much as the next guy does, but when you’re using a picture of a bikini model in an ad for your latest software product, I’m going to seriously doubt your credibility. The same applies to pictures of babies, puppies or anything else that is intended to trigger an emotional response when it has nothing to do with the subject matter. Now, if you happen to run a carpet cleaning company and you have a picture of a cute little puppy soiling the rug, by all means, use it, but if you run a car dealership, find a more appropriate picture.

The idea of images in advertising is to get people thinking about how they will feel while enjoying the benefits of your products or services.

5. You try to cram in your life story

White space does not mean an opportunity to jam a few more sentences in. White space in your design makes it easier to read, which makes your message clearer and produces better results. If you really do need to add more information, buy a bigger ad/brochure/etc..

6. You put text over a busy photograph

Text over a photograph is difficult to read in the first place, especially if you use small text. If you insist on doing this, the photo should have lots of solid space and it should contrast sharply with the color of the text.

7. You use tiny text

Whether you’re doing it because you think it looks trendy or you’re just trying to fit as much text as possible into a given space, tiny text has become extremely common, and I want you to know that people hate it. If they can’t ready your copy, they won’t receive your message and your design is useless. You should ensure that your smallest text is always at least 8pt, or if it’s reversed (light text on a dark background) aim for at least 10-12pt.

8. You use horrible fonts

Many people use fonts because they think they look “cute” and don’t give much thought to the subject matter. You should use fonts that are relevant and legible, and for the love of God, stop using Comic Sans. It serves no purpose in any business marketing materials.

You can’t get get new results by doing the same thing, so if you’re going to have a new logo, website or printed marketing materials designed, heed the advice of the professionals you’ve hired, step outside your comfort zone and take a chance. It’s the only way you’re going to achieve the results you want. This applies not only to design, but also to advertising and even your overall marketing strategy.

Sometimes, knowing what to do isn’t as important as knowing what not to do.

Logo design, unlike most tangible products, is not a commodity. You may be able to find a manufacturer who will sell the same bolts you’ve been buying elsewhere for half the price. This is usually because that manufacturer has developed some specialized process to produce the bolts at a lower cost than their competitors can, or perhaps they have bought their raw materials in significantly larger quantities, earning themselves a volume discount. When it comes to service based businesses, this simply isn’t possible. You are paying for skill and experience.

So what happens when you try to reduce your costs by hiring graphic design companies or freelance graphic designers to design your logo based on price? Well, sometimes you come out ahead, but more often than not, you learn a very expensive lesson. On one end of the scale, you may end up with an unprofessional logo that presents a poor image of your company. On the other end of the scale, you could end up in a situation like a client that came to us after hiring one of the lowest priced design firms they could find.

They had hired a local firm to design their logo, then they had business cards, stationary, brochures and signage printed and even wrapped six cargo vans, only to find out that their logo was almost an exact copy of a competitor in the next city. They were furious and unfortunately, the firm that put them in this situation went out of business shortly afterwards leaving them with no recourse. Needless to say, after saving a few hundred dollars only to then waste several thousand dollars, they now thoroughly understand the cost vs. value equation. In the end, we developed a professional (and original) logo for them along with their new print marketing materials which they were very satisfied with.

When you decide to hire a graphic design company, before you look at their price, look at the quality of their work and how long they have been in business. If it turns out that you can’t afford the services of a top-quality graphic design firm, you may want to consider finding a way to come up with the money – it may save you a more sizable amount in the long run.

What’s the solution? If you’re not ready to hire a graphic designer and you’ll be doing your own design, start with the end in mind. Decide what you want to accomplish and work towards that goal. Remember – your goal is to convert your prospects into paying clients. By making your marketing message, whether in print or online, as clear and compelling as possible, that is more likely to happen.

Simply put, keep it simple.