Mastering PVC Card Artwork Design: Unveiling the Expertise of Card Monster

In today's fast-paced world, personalisation and branding are crucial for businesses and organisations of all sizes. One of the most effective ways to leave a lasting impression and convey professionalism is through PVC cards. 

Whether you're designing ID cards, membership cards, access cards, or event passes, the artwork on these cards plays a pivotal role in their effectiveness. This comprehensive guide'll delve into the world of PVC card artwork design. We will show you how Card Monster's expert team can help you bring your design ideas to life.

The Importance of PVC Card Artwork Design

Creating your PVC card design can be daunting if you do not know the first thing about design. Often design software is expensive and impossible to learn.

We know how stressful design can be, especially if you have no idea where to begin. You want to follow some basic guidelines when creating your cards. 

Visual Impact

PVC cards serve as a tangible representation of your brand or identity. A well-designed card can instantly grab attention and leave a memorable impression.

Functionality

Beyond aesthetics, PVC cards often serve practical purposes. For instance, an access card needs to include essential information such as the holder's name, photo, and access level. Properly designed artwork ensures that this information is displayed clearly and effectively.

Employee ID cards must display the company's logo so that the security guard can see that the employee belongs to their company. This also serves as a way to promote your company's brand at the same time. 

Brand Consistency

Consistency in design across all your cards is vital for maintaining a professional image. It ensures that your brand identity is easily recognisable and leaves a lasting impression. 

Key Elements of PVC Card Artwork Design

Artwork can be created in any software program.

We mainly used Canva, Affinity or Adobe in design software. Artwork must be uploaded in a PDF (print-ready) format.

Canva is free, but you must pay if you want the pro version (we recommend doing this as it will save you a lot of money).

Affinity Design is the best on the market. We find it the best way to design quality cards. Adobe Design is also a favourite but a bit more expensive, so your price range will depend on your choice. 

Designing PVC cards is meant to be fun and easy, so let your imagination run wild while you explore which colour palettes match your brand and include your company logo on your cards to promote your brand.

Remember, cards are another way to get your company noticed so take full advantage of this. 

Card Dimensions and Layout

Understanding the standard dimensions and layout of PVC cards is fundamental. Make sure you design your card in the correct format (86mm X 54mm). Ensure your card is designed as a portrait or landscape design, depending on your requirements. 

Before you start designing your card, make sure that the sizing is correct for your card.

Colour Palette

Choosing the right colour palette is crucial for conveying your brand's identity. When designing your card, make sure that you have selected your brand's colours to make your card pop and be recognised truly. 

Please ensure that you convert your colours to CMYK instead of RGB. This is to ensure you can accurately see what your colours will look like when you print them. The computer monitor displays colour in bright RGB while print uses CMYK.

By choosing CMYK, you can guarantee that the exact colours you have chosen will be printed on your cards. 

If you are struggling with your colour design, Card Monster's designers can help you select a palette that aligns with your branding and message.

Typography

The choice of fonts and text layout greatly influences the card's readability. You want to choose a text that matches your brand text or is easily readable from afar. 

To ensure that your text is the highest resolution and easy to read from afar you need to convert your artwork from text to curves. This ensures that your text is vectorised and of the highest quality. 

If you’d like our experts to help, we can guide you in selecting aesthetically pleasing and easy to read fonts.

Imagery and Graphics

High-quality images and graphics can elevate your card's design. Card Monster can assist you in sourcing or creating custom graphics that enhance your card's visual appeal.

Make sure the resolution is 300dpi before you print or send it off to us. Dpi referred to as dpi or dots-per-inch, means the clarity of the image. The higher the dpi, the clearer the picture. To achieve a crisp, clear image on the finished product, 300dpi images are required. Viewing your proof at 300% will give a good idea of how clear an image will appear on the finished piece.

Usually, if you’d like to use an image on your card, getting a stock image from canva, pexels or unsplash are great places for high-quality images. If you are using your image, i.e. an employee ID photo, then taking it on a DSLR camera or high quality phone will be good enough to display on your cards. 

Lastly, please remember to have your logo design saved as an SVG. Svgs provide an overall crispness versus png or jpg, preventing your card logo from being pixelated. 

Bleed

If you are creating a lot of cards and we have recommended that you use our factory for your card design. We recommend you include a bleed of 3mm around your card. We do this so that the extra artwork or background is printed and trimmed to the correct finished size.

Read more on how to design your card with our artwork guidelines. 

Saving your card

Before you save your card, please save it as a PDF print so that the resolution does not change. 

You can send the card proof to us, or we can help you design your cards at R450.00 per hour. Lastly, check out our card printers to print on demand at your offices. Or we can print them for you in our factory. 

Depending on how much you print will determine what you need to do. Ideally, if you print a lot of cards month to month, a card printer will be better suited to you. But if you need to print only now and then, going through our factory is the best option. 

Personalisation and Variable Data Printing

An excellent plastic card must be easily identifiable among the other cards in a wallet or purse that your customers often use and show off to their friends and family. 

Card Monster can show you how to design a plastic card that stands out from the rest and leaves a statement no matter your industry and needs. 

Importance of variable data printing

Variable data printing refers to any card data and imaging that is different from card to card such as barcodes, member names, member photos, id numbers, QR codes and any other variable information printed that is different for each card.

VDP is a form of mass printing. Allowing you to print multiple cards with many variables on your cards.

Great for:

• Membership cards
• Business cards
• Loyalty cards
• Gift cards

Usually this information is found on a database on Excel or Google Sheets. Here you can print multiple cards with different information on them on each print. 

We can help you set up your existing database for R850.00 per hour and ensure that your cards are generated with different information. 

Industries We Serve

Card Monster's expertise extends across various industries. Here are a few examples of industries we cater to:

Corporate Sector

For businesses, PVC cards often serve as employee IDs, access cards, or loyalty cards. Card Monster can design cards that reflect your corporate identity and meet your specific needs.

Education

Schools and universities use PVC cards for student IDs, library access, and more. Our team can create designs that resonate with educational institutions.

Healthcare

Hospitals and healthcare facilities rely on PVC cards for patient identification and access control. We ensure that these cards are secure and easy to use.

Entertainment and Events

Event organisers can benefit from our expertise in designing eye-catching event passes, VIP badges, and access cards, enhancing the overall experience for attendees.

Check out our different card designs including business cards, gift cards, membership & loyalty cards as well as our employee ID cards. 

How Card Monster Can Help

Design Expertise

Our team of experienced designers understands the intricacies of PVC card artwork design. With a keen eye for detail, we can bring your vision to life, ensuring that your cards are visually appealing and effective.

Custom Solutions

Card Monster offers tailor-made solutions to suit your unique needs. Whether you need a sleek, minimalist design or a vibrant, attention-grabbing one, we've got you covered.

Variable Data Printing

Our database integration services ensure that each card is printed with accurate, personalised information. This is particularly useful for membership cards, ID badges, and more.

Cost Transparency

Card Monster charges a fee of R450.00 per hour for design services. If you require database integration for variable data printing, the cost is R850.00. We believe in transparent pricing to help you plan your budget effectively.

With years of experience in the industry, Card Monster has perfected the art of PVC card design. Our portfolio showcases a wide range of successful projects across different sectors.

Conclusion

PVC card artwork design is an essential aspect of personalisation and brand identity. We know that design can be particularly overwhelming if you do not know where to begin. Card Monster's team of experts is dedicated to helping you create beautifully designed cards for any industry. 

Follow along above on our basic guidelines for designing and creating your own cards or asking us to do them for you. 

Don't miss the opportunity to make a lasting impression with PVC cards designed by Card Monster. Contact us today and let our experts bring your design ideas to life.

If you’d  like alternative options to what we have on the site or would like a customised quote. Please fill in the design brief, so we have an idea of what cards you want to create.