Most people know what a business card is and what it does, but few realize where this networking tool came from. It may come as a surprise, but the business card was dawned 600 years ago in ancient China.
The other surprising fact is that little about this tool of business has changed over the centuries. Other than changing the name from visiting cards, or trade cards, to business cards, the essential business tool of today is pretty much the same as it existed then.
Visiting cards came about and were designed to announced the representatives name and their proper title, much like the cards of today. Perhaps the only difference between visiting cards and business cards is a telephone number and email address. But that difference is a symptom of technology, rather than an evolution of form.
EUROPE
While the early form of business cards were conceived in China, their use was far more prevalent in and throughout Europe.
There visiting cards were widely adopted as a merchant tool. These early versions of the business card were also used in social circles. Many wealthy family in Europe distinguished their cards be included their family coat of arms, which became the first logos supported on business cards.
In this form, these visiting cards, or calling cards as they were sometimes referred, were often used to announce the presence of a visitor. Just as the name would suggest. In this function they were, in effect, the first instance of personal branding.
Visiting cards became such an intrenched part of the social culture during the Middle Ages that there were many rules and traditions surrounding them, much like the way business cards are viewed in some countries today.
TRADE CARDS
While some upscale merchants used visiting cards, they did not become an important part of the way merchants did business until they were reintroduced as trade cards during the 1600s.
Trading cards were really the first instance of the modern day business card. Since England lacked addresses in the 1600s, trading cards quite literally directed people to the merchant’s store. Though purpose had changed, as they were meant to direct people to a business instead of announcing the presence of a person, function had not and eventually the trade card blended with the visiting card.
Over the years these trading cards begun taking on more qualities that lent to business, like the coat of arms being replaced with a business logo and designs becoming more elaborate in order to distinguish from competitors.
THE BUSINESS CARD
The business card of today is a simple combination of the visiting card and trade card of centuries past. Business cards both advertise the company backing them while announcing information about the bearer of the card.
But the business card is more than just an announcement of individual and company. It is, simply put, the most powerful networking tool in existence today. With the exchange of a card a relationship is forged.
This is the point of the business card, more so than just providing information or directing business. With a handshake and the exchange of the card people connect, discuss, and move forward.
THE FUTURE
In the past, the business card has changed in purpose but not in form. Today technology has begun remolding all forms of media, both new and old. In line with this progression, the next generation of business card will likely come down this path.
However, a change will not happen in purpose but rather in form. The business card is and will continue to remain the most powerful networking tool in existence. Even with its power the business card lacks the ability to nurture the relationship it has forged.
