This question, posed to any Opposable Thumbs employee, inevitably leads to perplexed conversations that end up in an “Aha!” moment.

We don’t do business cards.

Not to make a statement, but because we truly don’t see the need for them anymore.

In this day and age, where WhatsApp and emails are the modus operandi of introductions, does one really need a card?

Picture this.

You’ve met someone for the first time. You’ve exchanged basic pleasantries, discussed the weather, sipped some tea, and then asked for their number or email ID. Addresses are exchanged via location pins. Once those numbers are inputted and the email dashed off, do you know where those cards go? Poof! They seem to vanish into thin air!

You may ask, “But how will that other person know what your designation is?”

They can find it in my email signature. Or they would have known it already before meeting me or speaking to me.

But my card is eco-friendly, you say. It even sprouts flowers when it ends up in a vast garbage dump.

Well done! We have no arguments with you. But the fact remains that the business card is a vestigial organ in the body of brand identity. Its purpose is not to sprout flowers. And by the very logic of what you’ve done, you expect it to be dumped.

At Opposable Thumbs, we truly believe in living decluttered lives. We are offered business cards on a regular basis, but we reject them (for reasons stated in this article). We politely make note of the details, and return the card with great respect to the owner.

We bring this approach to our work too. When brands engage us to work on their stationery, we ask them, “Do you really need a card?” And, honestly, no one has a specific answer anymore. They mumble things like, “Our sales team needs to give them out”, or, “Our CEO will meet high flying people…he’ll need one for sure”. But when we break down the logic to them, it does not lead to a concrete reason.

We grew up with cards being exchanged as icebreakers. But we must accept that it is just a ritual. And if we treat it as one, we can all reduce waste (flower-sprouting kind or not), declutter our lives, and spend time on more productive creative pursuits.

Think about it.