Whether you’re at a networking event, trade show, or lunch meeting, business cards remain one of the quickest and easiest ways to trade contact info. But if you settle for “quick and easy” when it comes to designing your card, you could seriously damage your chances of ever hearing back from that person.

People receive dozens of business cards at a single event—many of which are based on similar templates. That makes it hard for them to distinguish one card from another or remember why, exactly, they were supposed to call you.

That’s why 2017 is the time to ditch your boring, template-based business card. After all, you aren’t a cut-out copy of some other person—so why settle for a business card that copies someone else’s design? Now, the team at Company Folders shares some of their best tips for creating a better networking business card:

Get creative with shapes

The typical American business card is a 3″ x 2.5″ paper rectangle. Yawn! If you want to be stand out, a custom die-cut shape is a great way to go. Printers can precisely cut your card to look like a miniature replica of your product or a cool 3D shape.

You can still opt for a custom die-cut if you’re selling services instead of products—something as simple as rounded corners or a circular card will be intriguing enough to catch recipients’ attention.

Give it texture

When people’s brains gather visual and tactile data at the same time, they form strong “sensory memories” that help them retain information faster and for longer periods of time. Just seeing your business card takes care of the visual part—so what about the texture?

You can opt for a textured imprint method like foil stamping, which adds a slight indent and satiny smooth foil. Embossing raises the card stock, while debossing and letterpress printing indent it. These textured imprints let you emphasize a logo, image, or other part of your design.

Give new materials a chance

Most business cards are made of paper stock—so your connections would be surprised to receive a card made out of metal. Or wood. Or quilted leather. Or chocolate. (Yes, that’s a real thing.)

These unusual materials make your business card much more memorable. This design tactic is especially cool if you choose a material that’s relevant to your business, like a metal card for a mechanic or a chocolate card for a bakery.

Business cards are breaking out of the box in 2017. Here are more cool ways you can design a business card that showcases your brand and your creativity: