I am a freelance writer, which is just a fancy way of saying that I need all the help I can get when it comes to finding work. I do not limit myself to asking established companies for an assignment; I ask almost everyone I meet if they need any writing done. My biggest tool in that quest is my business card.

I have long been interested in ways to make my business cards stand out. I refuse to get the same business card printing done twice. Every time I get my cards printed, it is something new and unique for me. But since I've been doing this for several years, I have been running out of ideas.

So I had to get a little crazy. I started thinking of ways that I could make my business card not only unique, but unconventional. I just didn't have any new way to present my information on the same old, small piece of paper. There had to be other forms of business cards that were not really “cards”, right?

Well, I was right. There are a whole bunch of different forms that business cards can take. Take a look at the following, brief, list and prepare to be amazed.

Dog tag business cards

Before I was a freelance writer, I was in the Navy. As a member of the military, I had my own set of dog tags. So when I came across a website that offered to make my business card in the form of dog tags, I was very intrigued. With this design, the business card is divided into two sections, and each is put on a piece of business card-type paper in the shape of a dog tag. How clever is that?

Matchbook business cards

As amazing as dog tag business cards were to me, I was even more blown away when I saw a design for a business card printed on a book of matches. Of course, it wasn't a real matchbook, because on the inside was more information about the business. But the idea was incredibly clever. Color business cards hold more information than a standard card, because of the increased surface area with the curves and bends. More information is always a good thing when it comes to promotional material.

Paper airplane business cards

When I saw a design for a color business card in the shape of a paper airplane, I thought that I really had gone crazy. But there it was, a complete business card, stretched out into the shape of a little Cessna. Even though the information on it was distorted to fit into the appropriate shape, it was still understandable and still caught my eye.

Book marker business cards

Millions and millions of people read. Book stores can be found on almost every street corner, and they all make a lot of money selling book markers, so obviously they are a hot item, right? Why not put your business information on a book marker, so that a reader will see your company name every time they crack open a book? I was struck by how simple this idea sounded, and yet how ground-breaking it seemed.

It is evident that business cards can come in every shape and size. I no longer have to find ways to make the same, boring business cards interesting.