Start with a black and white outline

Use exaggerated spacing

Add natural color and shading

- Lighting should cast some shadows to the back and bottom.
- The darkest part of the design is likely at the bottom thanks to lighting conditions, which normally come from above.
- Avoid content in areas that are required for holding the card.
- Touchpoints (and the associated calls-to-action) should be focal points and easy to interact with. (Just like the face of a playing card is in the center of the design.)
- One card equals one bit of information.
Create simple layers


An application’s behavior mimics the paper’s ability to be re-sized, shuffled, and bound together in multiple sheets. Elements that live outside of applications, such as status or system bars, receive a different treatment. They are separate from the app content beneath them, and do not carry the physical properties of paper.
Break this down and it goes back to making a digital object look and feel physical. And if users want to touch it, they’ll want to click it. The concept is just that simple.
Stick to simple typefaces

Limit UI elements

Conclusion
There isn’t a magic formula for the perfect card, but there are some design choices you can make that encourage every user to click (or tap). Keep your design centered in reality, follow a minimalist approach with plenty of space and contrast, put an emphasis on simple typography, and create a single action for each card. Following this outline will help you best imagine and conceptualize card-style projects that users want to interact with. Combine these ideas with design theory and your mad skills for a great project that will be fun for users and aesthetically on-trend.Carrie Cousins
Carrie Cousins is a freelance writer with more than 10 years of experience in the communications industry, including writing for print and online publications, and design and editing. You can connect with Carrie on Twitter @carriecousins.
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