The Bank of America Debit Card Design Flaw
Sometime in the summer of 2011, I received a new Bank of America debit card with a fancy-pants, red design. See here:
I have found myself repeatedly seating the card upside-down into my carefully-organized wallet for several months. This was a “problem” I didn’t have with my expired former card:
It’s taken me about 6 months to realize why I could not resist this subconscious urge to place the card in my wallet upside-down. It’s likely you’re more observant than I and perhaps you can identify the issue right off the bat.
See the words “DEBIT CARD” in the upper right? That’s the problem. Had Bank of America placed that stupid silver tab on the upper left and rotated the text 180 degrees, I would place the card correctly into my wallet. “Why’s that?” you may be asking (but probably are not).
Typically, when I put the card back into my wallet I see that tab and the orientation of the text. Its design contrasts highly with the red background, catches my eye and I orient the card so the words “DEBIT CARD” are readable like words on a page. Holding this card is like holding the page of a book 90 degrees clockwise.
To me, this is one of those things I imagine designers/deciders in large corporations often miss. They don’t handle the card before they print ‘em. They probably just print the proofs and some executive gives the go-ahead. And it goes. Flawed.
Even looking at the card in the image above, I want to rotate it 90 degrees counter clockwise. It drives me crazy. Maybe I should occupy the Bank of America debit card design team… or just write them an email or something.
File under: Design