Card Art and Digital Wallets

Introduction

Card art gives you the chance to make your card program stand out. Whether you want to have your brand shine with branded cards or let your customers use their own photos to create custom cards, Synctera’s platform allows you to easily issue beautiful and unique cards. Synctera Cards can be issued as physical cards, virtual cards, or used in mobile wallets, each of which can use either branded or custom card art. 

This article will provide you with details on the card art guidelines for both custom and branded cards to ensure that your cards are compliant and compatible with Synctera’s platform. 

We’ve also included card art templates for you to use that are formatted according to compliance and design best practices.

Card Art Guide

What are branded cards?

Debit card specifications and considerations:

• The front of the card must have the word "debit"
• The front of the card must have the red/yellow Mastercard logo
• The back of the card must have a Licensee Acknowledgement Statement: *This card is issued by [Sponsor Bank Name] pursuant to license by Mastercard International.*
• If your use case is business-to-business, the front of the card must have "business debit" 

Card material and art limitations

• Card material is white or black (additional charge) plastic, Synctera does not support color core plastic or metal cards
• The back of the card can only contain black ink
• Matte finish is not available on contactless / DI cards
• No engraving or laser cut

What finishes and additional elements are supported for physical cards?

Selecting a font for your card

For the dynamic text on the cards, only a select number of fonts are supported in order to ensure legibility and compliance. All of the supported fonts are listed in this PDF for reference. 

All other text on the card can be in any preferred font but must be OUTLINED before submitting. Note that ASI doesn't have all fonts in their system, and outlining ensures that the font you use won't be replaced by a different one.

Card art templates

The templates attached are formatted to ensure your imagery is printed quickly, accurately and in compliance with network needs. Files are in Adobe Illustrator format and editable layers are unlocked by default. If you experience any issues with the file, or require design support, feel free to reach out to us and we'll be happy to help. 

Although you can quickly swap out logos and colors, there's no substitute for getting a designer or agency to craft a card that enhances your brand.

cosmic blue-horizontal(1).zip		moon grey-horizontal(1).zip		quasar purple-horizontal(1).zip		red giant-horizontal(1).zip
supernova yellow-vertical(1).zip		nebula pink-vertical(1).zip		blue planet-vertical(1).zip

Card carrier art

When shipping cards to your customers, it will be shipped in a standard envelope to protect the privacy of the recipient. Along with your Card Disclosures and Agreements (which will be included during your work with Synctera), you will also need to provide a designed carrier sleeve. This is generally an 8.5" x 11" tri-fold sheet, with the card glued to the middle, right side.

Some elements can't be moved, but quite a bit of space can be designed with logos, instructional content, support information and anything else. Behind the card itself you will be presented with a choice to have a barcode or QR Code for activation. 

Below is a link to a card carrier template you can use:

Digital wallet art

Design Requirements

• Card image should include Card background, network logo, and FinTech logo
• Size is 1536 x 969 pixels in .png format
• No shading or three-dimensional elements in an attempt to have the card look like a physical card
• Generic art should be avoided. 
• Card background images should not include cardholder name, PAN, or expiry (either generic or actual values)
• Rounded corners are not allowed

Example card

Consumer Card

Commercial Card

Additional details on dimensions

What are custom cards?

Allow your customers to upload individual images for their card, providing them with a personalized experience and a sense of pride about their card.

Custom card specifications and considerations:

• Custom card art should be at least 300dpi in order to print as sharply as possible
• It's easy to make a mistake and not provide enough contrast for legibility on the printed details, the network logo, and your own company logo
• Consider including terms of use and acceptance for customer artwork when offering custom cards
• You'll likely still require a standard "brand" card for digital wallets and marketing materials
• Often, the image itself needs to be reviewed and approved to ensure it aligns with the intent of your brand and doesn't show anything offensive or inappropriate. Using the Custom Card Review case type in Synctera Cases makes reviewing and approving artwork a straightforward experience. 
• Prohibited background images include but are not limited to:
  • Sexual subject matter
  • Political subject matter
  • Offensive racial / prejudicial subject matter
  • Offensive religious subject matter
  • Advertising
  • Self-promotion (e.g. personal business card)
  • Copyrighted material
  • Branded products / services, including abbreviations, acronyms, and / or symbols
  • Solicitations, including telephone numbers or services (e.g. 900 or 800 numbers)
  • Celebrities, musicians, athletes, entertainers, public figures, etc.
  • Affiliation with groups that are determined to be of a "socially unacceptable" nature, including scenes, names, or symbols
  • Subject matter that might result in card acceptance confusion by merchants
  • Subject matter that might result in card fraud
  • Any graphic design element that might reflect poorly or might engender hostility toward or derision of all or any of the Mastercard family of brands