Business card

Business Card Designer

A professional SVG business card design system following a four-phase workflow: interview, concept exploration, selection/refinement, and production export. All output is pure SVG with interactive HTML preview galleries featuring front/back flip animation.

Entry Points

Trigger	Action
/card design	Full flow — interview then generate
/card quick	Minimal interview, smart defaults, 6 concepts
/card back	Design or redesign back of card only
/card export	Production SVGs from existing chosen design
"design business card", "buat kad bisnes"	Full flow
"create name card", "reka kad perniagaan"	Full flow
"I need a business card"	Full flow
"design kad nama"	Full flow

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Design Options Menu

When interviewing the user, present these options. User can mix and match freely.

Layout Styles

Style	Description	Best For
Minimal	Clean whitespace, left-aligned text, no decorative elements	Tech, startups, freelancers
Corporate	Centered layout, logo prominent, structured hierarchy	Finance, consulting, enterprise
Creative	Asymmetric layout, bold color blocks, unique composition	Design agencies, artists, media
Elegant	Thin borders, refined typography, generous margins	Luxury, fashion, law firms
Bold	Large name, strong contrast, dark backgrounds	Personal brands, speakers, coaches
Tech	Monospace hints, code-bracket accents, GitHub prominence	Developers, engineers, DevOps

Color Schemes

Scheme	Description	Characteristics
Monochrome	Single color + black/white	Professional, versatile, print-friendly
Brand Colors	Derived from project/brand palette	Consistent with existing identity
Gradient	Linear or radial gradient accents	Modern, tech-forward, dynamic
Dark Mode	Dark background, light text	Bold, distinctive, premium feel
Light/Clean	White background, subtle accents	Classic, safe, works everywhere
Accent Pop	Neutral base with one vibrant accent color	Eye-catching yet professional

Typography Emphasis

Emphasis	Description	Effect
Name-focused	Name large (28-36px), other details smaller	Personal brand prominence
Title-focused	Role/title prominent, name secondary	Position/authority emphasis
Balanced	Equal visual weight across elements	Traditional, formal presentation

Card Orientation

Orientation	Dimensions	ViewBox	Best For
Horizontal	3.5" x 2" (standard)	0 0 1050 600	Most uses, traditional
Vertical	2" x 3.5" (portrait)	0 0 600 1050	Creative, distinctive, modern

Back Design Options

Back Style	Description	Best For
Blank	Empty white/colored back	Cost-effective printing
Solid Color	Single brand color fill	Clean, bold statement
Pattern	Geometric or organic SVG pattern fill	Distinctive, memorable
Logo Centered	Logo mark centered on colored background	Brand reinforcement
Information	Secondary contact details, tagline, or QR code	Maximizing card real estate

Special Elements

Element	Description
QR Code	Placeholder rect for vCard URL (120x120px, actual QR needs external tool)
Social Icons	Row of social media icon placeholders (LinkedIn, X, GitHub, Instagram)
Logo Placement	Top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right, or centered
Decorative Lines	Horizontal dividers, accent bars, corner accents
Accent Shapes	Geometric elements (circles, triangles, diagonal cuts)

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Phase 0: Contact & Brand Interview

0.1 Core Questions

Ask conversationally in one message. Extract what you can from context (CLAUDE.md, project files) and only ask what is missing:

1. Full name and any credentials/suffix (e.g. "Dr.", "PhD", "CPA")
2. Title / Role (e.g. "Senior Software Engineer", "Founder & CEO")
3. Company / Organization name
4. Phone number(s) (mobile, office)
5. Email address
6. Website URL
7. Physical address (optional — street, city, state, zip)
8. Social media handles (optional — LinkedIn, X/Twitter, GitHub, Instagram)
9. Logo file path (if exists in project — SVG preferred)
10. Tagline (optional — company slogan or personal motto)
11. Brand colors (specific hex values, "use project colors", or "you decide")
12. Layout style — present the 6 options, or "you decide"
13. Card orientation — horizontal or vertical
14. Back design — present the 5 options, or "no back" / "you decide"
15. What to avoid — styles, colors, cliches to skip

0.2 Smart Defaults

If user doesn't specify all options, apply smart defaults based on industry/context:

Industry	Default Layout	Default Scheme	Default Orientation	Default Back
Tech / Startup	minimal	dark mode	horizontal	solid color
Corporate / Finance	corporate	monochrome	horizontal	logo centered
Creative / Design	creative	gradient	vertical	pattern
Luxury / Fashion	elegant	monochrome	horizontal	solid color
Freelancer / Personal	bold	accent pop	horizontal	information
General	minimal	brand colors	horizontal	solid color

0.3 Confirm Selections

Before generating, summarize the user's choices:

Name:        Jane Doe
Title:       Senior Software Engineer
Company:     CleaniqueCoders Sdn Bhd
Phone:       +60 12-345 6789
Email:       [email protected]
Website:     cleaniquecoders.com
Layout:      Minimal
Scheme:      Dark Mode
Orientation: Horizontal (3.5" x 2")
Back:        Logo Centered
Colors:      #1e293b (slate-800), #3b82f6 (blue-500)

Get confirmation before proceeding to Phase 1.

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Phase 1: Concept Exploration

1.1 Generate 12 SVG Front Concepts

Create 12 front design concepts as individual SVG files.

Naming: card-{01-12}-{description}.svg

• Example: card-01-minimal-left.svg, card-05-bold-dark.svg

SVG Requirements:

• Horizontal viewBox: 0 0 1050 600 (3.5" x 2" at 300dpi ratio)
• Vertical viewBox: 0 0 600 1050
• All text as <text> elements with font-family="system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif"
• Self-contained — no external fonts, no raster images
• Include background <rect> for preview (production versions strip it)
• Safe zone: 30px inset from all edges (0.1" print margin)
• Use the user's brand colors consistently

Text sizing guidelines (horizontal card):

• Name: font-size="32" to font-size="36", font-weight="700"
• Title/Role: font-size="16" to font-size="20", font-weight="400" or "500"
• Contact details: font-size="13" to font-size="14", font-weight="400"
• Social handles: font-size="11" to font-size="13", font-weight="400"
• Company name: font-size="14" to font-size="18", font-weight="600"

Diversity rules across 12 concepts:

• Cards 1-3: Direct interpretation of user's brief (safe/expected)
• Cards 4-6: Different layout arrangement of same information
• Cards 7-9: Stylistic twist (different color treatment, typography weight)
• Cards 10-12: Experimental/creative direction

1.2 Generate Back Designs (if requested)

Create 4 back design concepts if user wants a back design:

Naming: card-back-{01-04}-{description}.svg

• Example: card-back-01-solid-blue.svg, card-back-03-pattern-dots.svg

Back designs must use the same viewBox as the front (horizontal or vertical).

1.3 Build Preview Gallery

Create preview-gallery.html — a grid gallery of all concepts.

Read references/card-gallery-template.md for the HTML template.

Gallery requirements:

• Dark background default
• 3-column responsive grid (cards are 7:4 landscape rectangles)
• Each cell shows the SVG at realistic proportions with subtle shadow
• Click to select with brand-color border highlight
• Dark/light mode toggle
• "Show Backs" toggle if back designs exist
• Card numbers and descriptions visible

1.4 Build Individual Showcase

Create showcase.html — individual card showcase with flip animation.

Read references/card-showcase-template.md for the HTML template.

Showcase requirements:

• Card displayed at realistic scale (350px wide) with subtle shadow
• CSS 3D flip animation (click or spacebar to flip between front/back)
• Navigation arrows for browsing all concepts
• Download SVG button
• Background toggle (brand color, dark, light)
• Thumbnail strip at bottom

1.5 Present Phase 1 Output

Tell the user:

• "Open preview-gallery.html to see all 12 front designs in a grid"
• "Open showcase.html to browse each card individually (click to flip)"
• "Tell me which card number you prefer, or describe what you like"

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Phase 2: Selection & Refinement

2.1 Gather Feedback

User picks a concept direction. Clarify:

• Which card number?
• Any changes to layout, colors, or typography?
• Adjust spacing or element positions?
• Keep same back design or change?

2.2 Generate 4 Refined Variations

Based on selected concept, create 4 polished variations:

File	Description
final-01-{name}.svg	Primary refined version
final-02-{name}.svg	Typography variation (different weight/size balance)
final-03-{name}.svg	Layout variation (repositioned elements)
final-04-{name}.svg	Color/style variation (different accent or treatment)

Plus back design refinement if applicable: final-back-{name}.svg

2.3 Build Refinement Preview

Update preview-gallery.html to show the 4 refined versions with:

• Large preview (prominent, centered)
• Side-by-side comparison of all 4
• Front/back pair view
• Dark and light background comparison

2.4 Present Phase 2 Output

Ask: "Which version is the winner? Any final tweaks before I prepare print-ready files?"

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Phase 3: Production Export

3.1 Create Production SVG Set

From the chosen final card, generate:

File	Spec
production/card-front.svg	Front design, NO bg rect, production-ready
production/card-back.svg	Back design (if exists), NO bg rect
production/card-front-dark.svg	Front for dark contexts (inverted if needed)
production/card-front-light.svg	Front for light contexts
production/card-print-front.svg	Print-ready: bleed area + crop marks
production/card-print-back.svg	Print-ready back: bleed area + crop marks

Production rules:

• NO background <rect> in non-print versions
• Print versions include:
  • 0.125" bleed extension (37.5px at 300dpi each side)
  • ViewBox expanded to 0 0 1125 675 for horizontal (with bleed)
  • Thin crop marks at corners (0.5px stroke)
  • Content within trim area via <g transform="translate(37.5, 37.5)">
• Unique gradient/pattern IDs per file
• Optimized text elements

3.2 Build Final Preview Page

Create card-preview.html with mockup sections:

1. Front & back side-by-side — on dark and light backgrounds
2. Realistic card mockup — card with perspective shadow, slight rotation
3. Size comparison — card at 100%, 75%, 50% scale
4. Print specifications — dimensions, bleed, safe zone, color info
5. Brand color palette — swatches with hex codes used in the design

3.3 Export Assets Summary

Present a table of all generated files:

production/
  card-front.svg
  card-back.svg
  card-front-dark.svg
  card-front-light.svg
  card-print-front.svg        # 1125x675 with bleed + crop marks
  card-print-back.svg         # 1125x675 with bleed + crop marks
preview-gallery.html
showcase.html
card-preview.html

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Business Card Design Principles

Typography Hierarchy

Information should follow this visual weight order:

1. Name — largest, boldest element (28-36px)
2. Title / Role — second level (16-20px)
3. Company name — third level if separate from title (14-18px)
4. Contact details — phone, email, website (12-14px)
5. Social handles — smallest, least prominent (11-13px)
6. Address — if included, smallest tier (10-12px)

Safe Zone

Keep all critical content 30px inset from all edges (trim line). This represents approximately 0.1" margin at 300dpi — the standard print safety margin. Text too close to the edge risks being cut off during trimming.

Layout Balance

• Left-aligned — most readable, natural eye flow, works for most styles
• Right-aligned — elegant, works for creative/fashion cards
• Centered — formal, traditional, works for corporate cards
• Split layout — divide card into zones (left info / right logo, or top/bottom)

White Space

Overcrowding is the most common business card mistake. A card with 6 clean lines of information is more effective than one cramming 12 items. If the user provides too much information, suggest moving secondary details to the back or dropping optional fields.

Logo Integration

• Logo should be sized proportionally — typically 60-100px wide
• Common positions: top-left (corporate), bottom-right (minimal), centered-top (formal)
• If no logo exists, use the company name as the brand mark with distinctive typography
• SVG logos should be embedded inline, not as external references

QR Code Guidelines

• Size: 120x120px minimum for reliable scanning
• Position: bottom-right corner or centered on back
• In SVG output, render as a placeholder rect with "QR" label
• Actual QR code generation requires external tools (recommend qrencode CLI)
• Content: usually a vCard URL or LinkedIn profile

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Efficiency Rules

1. Bulk color changes via sed — when changing colors across multiple SVGs, use sed -i '' in a loop, never rewrite files individually
2. Template-driven — use reference HTML templates, don't write from scratch
3. Confirm before generating — validate all contact details before producing 12 concepts
4. Preview-first — always provide HTML preview, don't just list SVG files
5. QR placeholder only — use a visual placeholder rect; actual QR generation needs external tools like qrencode

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Reference Files

File	Purpose
references/card-gallery-template.md	HTML template for Phase 1 grid gallery (landscape card proportions)
references/card-showcase-template.md	HTML template for individual card showcase with flip animation
references/card-design-patterns.md	SVG code patterns for card layouts, typography, decorative elements