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How to Create Artsy Business Cards

By Whitney | Designer Tutorials

It doesn’t matter what field you work in, business cards are an important part of the branding process. What does matter is that your card stands out and makes a great first impression – this is crucial to good branding etiquette. Not only does it make for a stronger brand, but it also shows quality on the part of the business! 

Instead of hiring a graphic designer for your business cards, BeFunky has a creative set of customizable artsy business card templates to use as a starting point to customize them yourself!

If you want to get creative and think beyond your standard business card design (you know, a solid-colored background with text on top), pairing your business card template with BeFunky’s Photo to Art effects is one of our favorite ways. They’ll transform any photo on your business card into watercolor, cartoon, sketch, and pretty much any kind of art imaginable – all in a few clicks. 

How to Create Photo to Art Business Cards

If you’re ready to get creative with your artsy business card design, head to BeFunky's business card templates and follow the steps below: 

Step 1: Choose a Business Card Template

After clicking the link above, you’ll be directed to the Business Cards templates in BeFunky’s Graphic Designer. 

Choose a business card template

Browse through the different layouts and click on the thumbnails to get a closer look. Focus on templates that best represent you and your brand. Once you’ve found the perfect business card, select the Use This Template button. 

choose template for artsy business card

Step 2: Add a Photo

Next, add a new image to replace the current one on the template. To do this, click on the Image Manager in the left-side menu. Once there, you can use the Computer button to upload an image from your computer, the button to add an image from your Facebook or BeFunky account, or choose the Search Stock Images button to browse over a million free stock photos to use. 

Find image manager artsy business card

When your images are uploaded to the Image Manager, they’ll appear as thumbnails on the left-hand side. If your template already has an image, drag and hover a thumbnail over the template’s current image until it turns opaque, then drop to replace it. 

Choose image business card

If your template doesn’t have an image, you can still drag and drop an one into the template and resize it to your liking. 

Step 3: Add an Artsy Filter

Click on the image in your template to select it and choose Edit Image from the Image Properties menu that appears. This will allow you to edit your image with a huge library of the tools and effects in BeFunky’s Photo Editor. 

edit image of artsy business card

To turn the photo to art, click on the Artsy tab in the main menu on the left. 

find artsy tab for artsy business card

Browse through the different categories and effects until you find the perfect look for your photo. For ours, we chose the Cartoonizer DLX effect, located in the Digital Art category. 

find digital art sliders for artsy business card

After you click on an effect, you can use the slider on its thumbnail to adjust the intensity. You can also click on the Settings menu to see additional customization options. 

Adjust digital art for artsy business card

Each Artsy effect’s Settings menu will have unique options for customizing. In this case, the Cartoonizer DLX effect settings allow you to control the amount, sharpen the details, and erase the effect from portions of the photo if you wish. When you’ve got your Artsy effect looking just right, click Apply.

apply cartoonizer to artsy business card

Feel free to layer as many Artsy effects as you want, or continue editing your photo with BeFunky’s other tools and effects. When you’re finished, click the Done Editing Image button at the top of the page to be redirected back to your business card design with your edited photo.

Finish editing business card photo layer

Step 4: Add Your Business Details

To change out the text on the template with your own details, double-click any textbox and type something new. 

change text of artsy business card

Any time you have a textbox selected, a Text Properties menu will appear on the left. This is where you’re able to change the font, font color, letter spacing, typographical emphasis, and so much more. Click and drag any layer (text, graphics, or image) to reposition it on your template. 

artsy business card change text color

To make some of the text on our card stand out against the background, we added a rectangle behind it and turned down the opacity to let the Artsy photo show through. To do this, click on the Graphics tab in the menu on the left. 

artsy business card choose graphics

Under the Basic Shapes section, choose the rectangle (or whatever shape you need). Click and drag the white circles and rectangles around the shape to resize it. To move it to a new position on your template, simply click and drag the shape. 

Change graphic properties artsy business card

Click the Options button in the properties menu on the left, followed by the Move Backwards button to move the shape behind the text. To allow part of the image to show through the shape, decrease the Opacity slider until it looks just right. 

artsy business card add opacty

Step 5: Save Your New Business Card

Once your business card looks just the way you want it to, click the Save button at the top of the page. You’ll be presented with several options for saving your business card design. 

artsy business card save

We recommend saving your business card as a PDF to keep it in high resolution for printing, and as a project, just in case you need to make any future changes. 

Artsy Business Card Results

See how easy it was to make a standout business card with BeFunky? You won’t find customizable Artsy effects quite like these anywhere else, so your business cards are sure to be one of a kind. 

artsy business card final result

Artsy Filter Inspiration

BeFunky has a huge library of Artsy effects that turn photos into art for any kind of project. These are great because they can enhance your branding in a flash and give you some added style!

Here are a few of our favorite effects from the Digital Art category paired with that same business card design to show you how easy it is to change the vibe:

Photo to Watercolor

When it comes to modern art, watercolor is always a trend. With BeFunky’s Watercolor DLX effect, you can add some minimal, modern flair to your artsy business card in a single click. 

Watercolor artsy business card

Photo to Sketch

It’s hard to believe that this is the same image we’ve used throughout this article because the Crosshatch DLX effect changes the mood entirely. It creates a well-defined sketch drawing out of your photo – with shading and tonal changes.

artsy business card crosshatch

Photo to Pop Art

If you want to go bold with your artsy business card, the Pop Art DLX effect is the best way to add bright colors to your business card. You get all the fun of the cartoonizer with a vibrant, offbeat color scheme. What’s not to love?

artsy business card pop art

Design Standout Business Cards With Photo to Art Effects

Ready to have more fun creating your next business card design? We bet you are! Head to BeFunky’s business card templates to choose the perfect starting point and to take your branding to the next level and create a really quality design.

Show Them You Mean Business.


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