Dusza Resources

Hand Crafted Web Development

Web development is generally divided into two key areas: front-end development and back-end development.

Front-end development is sometimes referred to as public facing, and this literally describes the website that your visitors will see. Front-end programming is all about aesthetic design and programming. The back end development is often where the time-consuming programming is.

Back end development describes programming the Content Management System that will manage your entire website, from enquiry processing to website content.

For any of you with programming knowledge, Dusza program using a combination of the following technologies:

CSS
XHTML
Javascript
Ajax
PHP
ASP
XML
MySQL
Flash

Utilising any one of these coding techniques or a combination thereof, Dusza are able to meet the requirements of even the most complex websites. Dusza also 'hand codes' their websites, which means we do not rely on applications to write the underlying code for us. We are skilled at writing code!

The main advantage achieved from this is that our websites contain no redundant code. Good quality code should be clean, intelligently laid out, easy to edit and well optimised, allowing it to be quickly processed by Browsers and Search Engines alike.

Furthermore, it is a requirement by law (through the Disability Discriminations Act) that websites must be accessible to the less able, so Dusza take this into consideration and program websites to standards set out by governing bodies like the W3C.

Easy to use Content Management Systems

Bespoke Content management systems (CMS) are the only type of CMS you will find at Dusza. Our approach is a vastly different approach to building CMS than others.

We have developed our own hand-coded code library from which we build each CMS as an individual unit, tailored to the exacting needs of our clients. We continuously improve our library and when new technology emerges we integrate only the elements that have true commercial value. These have recently included extensive Usability and Accessibility Modules, Advanced Search Engine Marketing Modules, Comprehensive Individual User Tracking Modules and HTML Email Management to name just a few.

The only blue-print we follow when considering the functionality of any CMS is what brings the best return on investment for the client coupled simply with what the client wants. This approach has helped achieve a real transparent working relationship with our client base which has brought return custom for Dusza other web and print orientated services. Our CMS' are a flat one-off fee for a lifetime license and because they are built modularly can be extended with ease.

As much effort goes into the usability and intuitiveness of our CMS' as the public facing website. We combine what ever technologies we require to get the job completed correctly including PHP, MySQL, Ajax, Javascript and Flash to create hybrid websites that utilise the very slickest of technologies.

Our bespoke CMS' can be built so that you can maintain, in-house, all the management of your website or if budgets are more restrictive only core sections that update frequently can be content managed.

Our CMS' are intuitive and really are very easy to use, we have found that our clients rarely require more than only a single hour's training session (our training session is included free of charge), but if you are concerned with technical ability and would prefer, with Dusza, you can always have the experts on hand when ever you need them!

Secure Resiliant Hosting

Hosting is typically such an under-valued service as many ecommerce owners never see behind the scenes and therefore, understandably, rarely realise the difference between good hosting and inadequate hosting. Depending on whether or not a website and email is mission critical to the success of that business fundamentally underpins where the hosting should be placed. If the host server fails then there is no website - it is as simple as that.

Dusza have a range of hosting suppliers and thus we have a range of packages. We have cultivated relationships with tried and tested suppliers and we only use the best. It is worth realising that there is sometimes a compromise to be made when budgets are entered into the equation - as with hosting you really do get what you pay for. Server up-time, Server loads and redundancy, configurable back up options and support considerations will help us choose where your website is placed.

Our fully managed hosting packages start from £150 + VAT per annum for base packages. Fully managed means exactly that - we look after everything!

We prefer you to host with us, because we have in-depth knowledge both of the servers and the companies behind the servers. We know what to expect and how to overcome problems more efficiently in a familiar server environment. Our hosting packages cover all your hosting support costs.

Secure hosting requires a secure certificate and static IP. Both of which Dusza are skilled at setting up. Depending on where we host your website the process of setting up secure certificates can take between 24 hours to 5 days. A secure certificate encrypts your confidential data whilst in transit over the web so that the information is inaccessible to data thieves. A secure certificate authenticates your website and adds credibility to your company and helps to safeguard your business and your visitors.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) encompasses any activity that will effectively market your website utilising any approaches via Search Engines.

We try never to daunt our clients with geeky terminology or technology and we never attempt to baffle them. SEM is not a black art, it is simply a complicated-ever-evolving art. It takes time and resources to accomplish truly successful websites.

A fundamental Search Engine Marketing principle is to always follow a strategy.

Dusza's is always: Plan > Implement > Track > Analyse > Refine

Without analysis as the focus, SEM success will always be compromised. Targeting too many services or keywords will create data sets that are almost impossible to analyse. As a general rule, Dusza and the client collectively focus and narrow the initial marketing activity.

This aides measurability; so you, as the client, can clearly understand the return on investment and judge the success of search engine marketing.

Search engines represent a very unique medium, which allows you to precisely target an interested audience. In other media, the audience is looking at something, and your advertisement is simply a distraction. With search engines, people are looking for something, and are far more likely to respond to an appropriately targeted offer.

The various activities within SEM should all be implemented to achieve the highest rate of success. Budgets, however, may dictate a slimmed down approach. Luckily for Dusza clients, the ability to Search Engine Optimise can be built into our content managed websites. Dusza follows a holistic approach to Search Engine Optimisation.

Our websites have always ranked well in Search Engines because we always take a lot of time helping to structure the content correctly, follow Search Engine guidelines and draw on our extensive experience.

Creative Concepts - The Ideas People

Defining creativity is a tricky task. There is much debate regarding the definition of creativity with some arguing that creativity is a gift some are born with, some believe it is linked to mental illness, or genius and some believe that creativity can be taught through processes.

This article is based on my perceptions of creativity and not the definition of others. Whatever the definition of creativity, for those that have it, it can give a unique perspective on the world and its contents

Creativity appears to initially happen randomly, one gem of an idea coming into existence at the most peculiar of moments. It takes time to fully understand your own creativity, to nurture it and develop skills that allow you to tap into it, on demand. In business creativity can help in many ways, from the traditional 'design' to thinking about processes and people.

Help or hindrance?

Without the necessary skills to nurture creativity and channel it, the end result, often, does not bear fruit. Conceptual ideas can change the world, but in business, truly conceptual ideas can be sometimes be met with scepticism. This is usually due to a lack of effective communication between the creative person and their audience.

Creative agencies can only be effective if there is clear communication between the agency and the client. As a measure of an agency's worth, you could argue that if they cannot communicate with the client, so that you understand the concept, then they will not be able to communicate the client's message to the target audience. This is not necessarily the result of a lack of creative skill, but a lack of direction and experience to implement creative ideas into effective solutions. The truth is that creativity, without guidance, is interesting but seldom profitable. Some examples of this failure in implementation are the Abbey National's re-brand, which was withdrawn within months, or, dare I mention it, the 2012 Olympics logo? Both designs are from respected creative agencies, but even large agencies can get it wrong if they have not researched the market, communicated with the client and implemented the creative idea correctly.

Logo creation and development

Logos, otherwise referred to as brand identities, start their existence as the vision of their creator, your design agency. Design agencies usually need to create many identities just to refine them to a set of three. The skill is to only put to paper (or computer) a selection of semi-refined ideas. This becomes the ideas board and a client rarely sees the ideas board. The volume of ideas in a creative person is immense. The skill is to only put to paper (or computer) a selection of semi-refined ideas If a client was to see potentially thirty ideas of their brand they could get distracted and the design process could grind to a halt. Your chosen design agency should ideally present to you a refined set of three to five concepts for an identity. Dusza lean towards three, as the final two can often be easily discounted as effective brand identities. Dusza's selection usually encompasses one idea that we believe you will feel safe with, which interprets your requirements as you desire. The second idea we present will be what we believe your identity should be. This idea is sometimes a little more radical than the first but it is genuinely creative. As for the third idea, this one is the wild card. It usually is the one that came out of nowhere but could offer a completely different take on the identity.

During the first presentation it is essential that the agency listen carefully to the initial reactions of the client. When looking at prospective logos it is important to bear in mind that the logo is focused to communicate with you target audience and that is not necessarily you, so even if you do not initially identify with the proposed identity, give it time and always consider your design agency's rationale.

Creativity and innovation within your materials

Whether it is a website, printed stationery or business management process, creativity and innovation help you and your company succeed. If you would like to learn more about creativity and innovation within websites we have authored another article that may be of interest titled 'fundamentals of a great website'. If you're interested in printed material then our article 'achieving stunning print' will give you some good information.

Conclusion

So you should now be able to identify a truly creative agency, but also have the skills to know if your chosen agency also can evolve that creativity into something that ultimately will help you communicate with your audience. Your chosen agency should have clear communication with you at all times and create an honest and transparent working relationship, after all you both have the same goals. If your agency helps you to succeed then that will help them to succeed.

If you do not understand a concept then ask to have it clarified. Good communication is fundamental to any relationship so always have your questions answered.

Dusza are a creative agency, and one that has integrity. If you would like more information on Dusza have a quick read of our vision statement and our mission statement. These offer you an opportunity to find out the personality behind Dusza. Alternatively get in touch now on 0845 094 6442 or email hello@dusza.co.uk and book a free, no obligation creative consultation with the lovely people at Dusza.

The Appropriate Use Of Flash

Flash is the ultimate plug-in for displaying rich interactive games, video, audio and high quality user experiences. With 99.8% of the internet population (in mature markets) using flash, the fear that users will be excluded is no longer a major concern. Developers can rest assured that their content will be visible by near-as-makes-no-difference everyone.

99.8% is an impressive statistic, however where Flash excels in some areas its falls massively in others. In this article we talk you through the benefits of using Flash on your website and why you shouldn't rely on Flash for everything. Dusza appreciates the importance of Flash in the web environment, but also understands the limitations imposed. Gone are the days where a complete Flash website is commonplace on the internet. Gone are the days where Flash is all the rage and the hip thing to be using.

User Experience

Creating the ultimate user experience is not down to maximum interactivity or bulking your website out with animations and sliding effects. This is the problem when in-experienced developers create Flash websites; they believe that simply using flash will give your users a brilliant user experience. Scoping your user's to analyse their desired experience is imperative. For example an ecommerce website should not be utilising flash for its entire operation; you shouldn't put any unnecessary obstacles (flash animations) In the way of your users buying products of your website. This is a shining example of using flash incorrectly. The golden rule in flash implementation is, use it when it adds value not because its desirable. Desirable animation often leads to user frustration and can detour users from getting the best user experience possible.

Used correctly flash can create a phenomenal user experience. It is now possible to create virtual worlds within flash which takes interactivity to a whole new level. Users can experience rich 3D animations and complex game play within there web browser. Flash developers can even create atmosphere effects like smoke, fog and dust. Used in this respect Flash is untouchable and cannot be beaten by other methods.

Search Engines

The whole driving force behind building a web project is for users to visit and experience it, search engines help massively in providing your web project with users. The major draw back of Flash is that the content inside a flash file is not easily readable by a search engine, which means if your ecommerce website was built entirely in Flash none of your products would show in search engines. Flash is becoming better at dealing with search engines but its still years behind HTML. Considering Google alone gets 90 million searches a day through its search portal, it would be unrealistic to ignore the potential offered by search engines. Thus already we have established two key areas; user experience and search engines where too much Flash can actually harm your project. Yes, it may look very nice with its colourful and seamless animation, but there are many ways to achieve sleek, non-disruptive animation and stunning design without the drawbacks of flash.

Content Managed Flash

The ability to update and control the information on your website, without the need to use your web agency for every amend, is a desirable feature. Dusza build most of its website with this functionality built in, we even build it bespoke to your requirements so your not wading through unwanted functionality to do something simple. What does this have to do with flash? Well it takes extra time and cost to build functionality of this manner. This means to get a website with the same functionality could cost more in Flash than if you were using HTML.

Conclusion

Flash can be a very powerful tool when used correctly and appropriately. The Most successful websites use Flash in moderation, utilising Flash for small elements of a websites design, when required. Combining Flash elements with a slick HTML template gives you the best of both worlds. Search Engines will index most of your content, users will get a frustration free experience when using your website but they will still get the benefits of interactivity through Flash elements.

The most important thing is ensuring your web agency properly scopes the use of Flash and uses it when it adds value not because they want to. Dusza never use Flash unless its necessary, we prefer to use lean HTML and reap the benefits of search engines

Web 2.0 is not design

If you are a web developer, a web designer, or you work in a company involved with producing material for the web; you will have no doubt heard the phrase, 'Web 2.0'.

The hype has been out of control for many months now between individuals within the trade. The problem however, is that it's now our clients who are using the phrase. They want web 2.0, whatever that is? They are doing so because many people in our trade have been using the term in the wrong way. Let me get this straight, web 2.0 is not meant to be a look or style of design, which is what many of clients refer to when they ask for web 2.0.

'Web 2.0 refers to a perceived second generation of web-based communities and hosts services which aim to facilitate collaboration and sharing between users. Although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to an update to any technical specifications, but to the change in the ways software developers and end-users use the internet.' This definition was cited from Wikipedia.org, which itself is a 'web 2.0' application. In this definition is design mentioned at all? No, it isn't. The reason web 2.0 has become a term for describing a look or way of design, is the flood of certain design trends across a lot of websites designed around the highest point of the web 2.0 hype. High contrast colours, gloss, gradients, reflected logo's etc etc are all common web 2.0 clichés.

Can we now accept web 2.0 as describing both design and development of web usage? Maybe. Originally web 2.0 was not set out to describe design but because so many people refer to web 2.0 in a design sense, and a lot of design clichés can be traced to the web 2.0 hype era, I think the meaning of the phrase web 2.0 can be development of web usage and design clichés. Of course whether you should use design clichés in the first place is another discussion.

The fact of the matter is the definition of a word can be different (in real life cases) depending on the context in which the word is used. For example, I could say, 'That car is sweet'. Whereby you could obviously fathom I don't mean that the car tastes sweet! The same can be applied to web 2.0 as a definition; many like myself will argue the use of its correct definition. However, people will still use the term with reference to design regardless, and those people are wrong!

Why optimise your website for Search Engines

When we get clients asking us not to optimise their website for search engines our response is always the same, our jaws drop. We quickly follow with, why? For many clients their decision is based on two main factors. The first is cost and the second is often a lack in understanding the term SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). In this article we are going to look at the reasons why SEO is important, the benefits of SEO and the drawback (yes there is really only one).

Firstly, let me explain the term SEO. SEO is the practice of constructing a website so that the content is accessible by search engines in the best possible structure and form. The result of great SEO should be a climb in the organic search engine rankings for specific keywords. Organic search engine rankings are the non-sponsored, free listings. SEO is different to PPC (Pay-Per-Click) where you bid on specific search terms, in order to be displayed high on sponsored listings. These are often found in the top three places or in side panels within the search results. Many clients mistakenly believe that these two listings (organic and PPC) are the same and this is normally one of the reasons behind our clients cost worries, as keyword bidding wars can be costly.

The practice of integrating many key SEO features is actually not much more time consuming than developing a website without these in mind. It's really down to knowledge; a web developer who has a good understanding of SEO will build websites with key SEO features already implemented and a developer with a poor understanding will often ignore this functionality. Every developer within the Dusza team has been trained to a high level of understanding in both SEO and PPC. This enables us to develop every website with many key SEO features already implemented and frees up our SEO specialists, allowing them to concentrate on harder and often more rewarding SEO tasks. This delegation of SEO practices allows us to reduce the cost of basic SEO to almost nothing, thus massively increasing our clients SEO ROI (return on investment), in-fact it's so low basic SEO is a standard practice in every website we build.

With regards to our original question, many of our clients believe that basic SEO is an extra cost. They are under this impression because many agencies offer SEO implementation at a cost, which is understandable. As altering the code and structure of a website so that it is SEO friendly can be a timely task; of course this only applies to pre-built websites. Many clients don't realise basic SEO can just be another way of building a website, not an add-on. Of course there are some agencies that wish to charge extra whether they are altering a website or starting from scratch, which is rather cheeky. This also shows a lack of basic SEO knowledge. After explaining that basic SEO is included for no extra charge in all of our solutions our clients response is always the same, they jump for joy.

Let's look at the benefits of SEO for those who wish to further understand why we should all love SEO and for those who may need to invest in SEO on an existing website. We're first going to look at the sheer volume of users using search engines on the Internet. In March 2006 (and in just the US) over 200 million searches where performed by leading search engines (cite) every day. Considering that since March 2006 the number of Internet users worldwide has gone from 1 billion to nearly 1.3 billion (cite), it would be un-natural, to not want a slice of that cake. However, with so many different search engines which one to target has to be a consideration. For most this is obvious, with a 77% market share as of December 2007, Google is the clear winner. Fortunately for us though, a lot of basic SEO works across the board.

Is SEO really worth all the effort? This question should have been answered for you by now, but in case you're still unsure, yes it is. Even if you have a website and are already running PPC campaigns, SEO can still be beneficial and actually save you a lot of money. A fantastic SEO success story can be exemplified by one of our clients who came to us in 2007. They were spending in the region of £1000 a month on PPC and receiving a good volume of traffic because of it. However they wanted a website which not only reflected their business more accurately but also conveyed their products exceptionally well and performed in organic SEO results without the need for intense PPC campaigns. We developed a pioneering structure and coupled it with highly optimised content to match their targeted keywords. Their website now lists in the top three for each of their targeted key words and was so successful in the first few months that they decided to stop their PPC campaigns altogether as the demand for their services was so high.

This nicely leads me on to the only drawback, too much potential. It is possible to gain so much business via SEO that it could require you to scale back your SEO efforts whilst your business catches up. But can this really be considered a drawback? Is it really a bad thing that your business has to expand to meet the needs of new clients?

So there it is, put simply implementing basic SEO into a new build website requires little or in our case no cost and can reap superb reward. Implementing basic SEO on a current website can have cost implications but can still result in a positive ROI. However, in many cases the restructuring of a website to benefit from SEO can be more expensive than a new build. In either case Dusza love to give guidance, which is why we offer a free consultation service.

Hosting - The Facts

What is hosting? Web hosting is the term used to describe placing your website on a "Server" (a computer which has a permanent and high speed connection to the Internet). This means that your site can be accessed anywhere around the world at any time.

Are there different types of hosting?

Yes, they are many and varied. Most hosting is carried out on extremely large machines which host many different websites. You purchase space on the server. Generally speaking the more space you need, the more expensive the hosting will be, but there are many other factors which affect the cost of hosting. It is possible to purchase an entire machine, but this is extremely expensive and only necessary for very large websites.

So how much space do I need?

Space on servers is generally measured in terms of bandwidth and disk space.

Bandwidth is a measurement of the amount of data that can be moved between two points in a given period of time. Bandwidth is measured in megabytes and then gigabytes (a thousand megabytes). When referring to websites the amount of bandwidth required will equate to the number of visitors your website receives. The more visitors you have, the more bandwidth you will need.

Disk Space is a measurement of hard drive storage space. Disk Space is also measured in megabytes and then gigabytes (a thousand megabytes). When referring to websites the amount of disk space required will equate to the amount of content (text, images, downloads etc) that you have on your website. The more content your site contains, the more disk space you will need.

So, how much space do you need? It is not something which can be easily calculated and it is likely to change as your site becomes more popular. Dusza has a variety of packages with different bandwidth and disk space limits, as a rough guide they are as follows:

250MB of disk space and 500MB of bandwidth per month would be acceptable for a small website (perhaps no more than 5 pages which does not expect to receive high volumes of traffic).

500MB of disk space and 1GB of bandwidth per month would be acceptable for a medium sized website (perhaps featuring 2 content management modules which does not expect to receive high volumes of traffic).

2GB of disk space and 10GB of bandwidth per month would acceptable for a large website (perhaps entirely content managed which expects to receive high volumes of traffic).

Much of the decision on how much space you will need will depend on estimated traffic levels. It is safe to say that if you do not carry out an search engine optimisation (SEO) you will be in the position of not expecting to receive high volumes of traffic. The more SEO you engage in the more traffic you can expect to receive.

Dusza has the experience to be able to estimated traffic levels and thus bandwidth and disk space required and can recommend the best package for your website. Of course it is always likely that you may require more bandwidth or disk space in the future as your website expands or becomes more popular. If possible you should consider this from day one and choose a solution which is expandable, as changing hosting provider can cause an interruption to your website service.

What other factors do I need to consider?

Other factors which need to be taken into consideration when choosing a hosting provider include:

Configuration of the Account - Do you need to know how to configure the hosting space, or will this be done for you. If your provider is configuring the account will you have to pay extra for this? Are you sure that the standard account configurations will support your website and it's systems.
Uptime and Downtime - Is it critical that my website is live all the time? Does the hosting provider offer any guarantee of uptime? What is the guaranteed up-time of the server?
Redundancy - This means that if the server hosting your website fails for some reason it will detect this failure and transfer your website to a different server, so that your website performance is not affected. Redundancy is normally only a consideration for very large, critical or ecommerce websites and is normally extremely expensive. Dusza's first package which offers redundancy costs over £5,000 per annum.
Backups - Does the hosting provider offer back-ups? If so, how often do they take place and where is the data stored. If not you will need to take measures to back up the information on your website, so if the worst were to happen you would not have to start from scratch.
Support - What support does the hosting provider offer? Is it in the UK or abroad? Is it available only in office hours or also in the evenings and at weekends? Is it by email only or also on the telephone? Am I going to need technical knowledge to talk to the support team and get any problems solved?
Emails - Does the website hosting come with email hosting? What kind of email accounts do I get (the standard is POP3)? Do I get any help setting up my email accounts? Can I also set up email forwarders?
Parked and Sub Domains - Does the hosting include parked or sub domains, for example your website may be www.thecompany.co.uk, but you also own www.thecompany.com and www.the-company.co.uk. Will your hosting provider charge extras for these domains?
Geographical Location - Where is the server based? Is it in the UK? Problems could take longer to solve if your server is in a different country to you or the support team.
Secure Certificates - This is normally only a concern for ecommerce sites or sites which hold sensitive or confidential information. Does your chosen hosting service allow you to have a secure certificate? Even if you don't need one now, you may in the future.

These are the main factors that need to be considered when choosing a hosting provider, but there are other more complex issues. Unfortunately we don't have space here to go into all of them. If you would like more information about hosting you are welcome to contact us, we are always happy to give help and advice.

So I guess the last question is - what does Dusza offer? Well we have a variety of packages which we can tailor to meet your individual website needs. Give Dusza a call on 0845 094 6442 or email hello@dusza.co.uk for more detailed information.

One Twentieth of a Second

Imagine you are giving a presentation, you have one twentieth of a second to convince your audience that your company is the company for them! After that they will have made a pretty firm decision on whether you are the company for them and if not they will simply walk away, never to be seen or heard from again. Sounds worse than Dragon's Den and American Inventor put together! Welcome to the wonderful world of the internet.

Many people believe that the internet is the place for their business. An easy place to make money. You don't need a shop front, you don't need a massive warehouse, you don't need television adverts or a massive workforce, just get a website, set up a Paypal account and start selling - right? Wrong! You don't just need a website - you need a great website!

A Canadian study in 2006 found that it takes a website visitor just one twentieth of a second to decide whether a site appeals to them; and more importantly they found that this first impression is unlikely to change. The studies volunteers were shown a fraction-of-a-second glance at a website and asked to rate how the site appealed to them. They were then allowed to visit the website and look around, after which they rated it again - the two ratings tallied closely!

The study concluded that if a website looks good, professional, reliable etc then that positive impression is carried through the whole website experience.

So, how on earth are you going to win over your visitor in such a tiny space of time! Is it all about design? Not necessarily, most people will spend a few seconds on a site before they click away, but it is certainly important that your first impression is spot on, so here are a few things to bear in mind:

make sure your website looks professional, if it doesn't you would be better off not having one at all
make sure your home page has interesting content
make sure that you have information about your products or services on the home page
if you are an ecommerce business try and give you visitors the ability to buy directly from the home page or within at least 3 clicks
don't use complicated navigation
have easily accessible contact information

First impressions count - if you want to get your website design right contact Dusza the website design specialists on 0845 094 6442

The Business Card

Your business card is one of the most used and least appreciated tools in business. It is one of your most important marketing tools and yet many people still choose to design and produce their business cards in motorway service stations at DIY Business Card machines!

Every person you meet in your business life, will be handed a business card and it is absolutely true that you only get one chance to make a first impression and if that impression is a bad one, then you might as well forget it!

Your business card must represent the values of your company, if it has a shoddy design with no thought to priority of information and with poor printing, on cheap material then the message your prospective client is getting is just that - shoddy, no thought, poor and cheap. Not the words that anyone wants associated with their business!

When it comes to the first impression your company is making on a prospective client image is everything. If you buy the cheapest business cards you can find, the fact is that you are going to get what you paid for - cheap!

Having said that great business cards don't have to cost the earth, but time does need to be spent thinking about your cards. When it comes to business cards there are some important points to bear in mind:

Make sure your business card is the traditional size, so that it fits into people's business card holders/wallets. The standard size is around 88 x 55mm.
Use a quality card, nothing less than 300gsm
Consider matt or gloss lamination for a really quality look and feel
Use a large enough font to make the details easy to read
Including all key information, which could include; your name, job title, telephone number, fax number, mobile number, website, email, address and possibly your skype.
Don't use distracting imagery - your logo and tag line will be enough
Don't forget to ensure your logo and company name are prominently displayed
Keep the design simple - business cards are a small space for a lot of information!
Consider a double sided card to leave more room for all your details, you may even be able to fit a small list of services on the back.

Always carry business cards with you - even at the gym! You never know when a business opportunity will present itself. Invest in a business card holder, so that your cards do not become dog eared - no point in investing in great cards that look like they've been through a mangle!

Even in the digital age most people still want to meet face to face, especially when spending large amounts of their hard earned money, so quality business cards will be a great investment for years to come.

Dusza can print 250 full colour double sided business cards on 350gsm card with matt lamination including delivery for only £43! Get in touch for more information on hello@dusza.co.uk