Modernism is a philosophy that permeated art, theater and writing in the early decades of the 20th century. It was predicated on the notion that traditionalist schools of thought were done to death, and that they should be deconstructed to form a new framework that artistic people could follow for the foreseeable future. Suffice it to say that modernism continues to hold sway at this current point in time, even though other movements such as postmodernism and, more recently, the New Sincerity have also come to light.
Even something as seemingly mundane as business cards can be taken to another level by the integration of modernistic designs. If you want your Metal Kards to look more modern, you can take inspiration from the creatives that worked over a century ago. For example, Brutalist architecture valued simplicity and function over form without a shadow of a doubt, and as a result of the fact that this is the case, you can use the same approach in your designs! Another thing that is worth trying out is subscribing to design magazines due to the endless stream of inspiration they can send straight into your conscious mind.
Since modernism is all about deconstructing the things that people once took as a given, you can also do something as groundbreaking as avoiding paper entirely. Notice how we mentioned metal cards up above? That wasn’t just an accident. Metallic sheens are a core component of modernism for the most part, so if you were to use metal in your own business cards, there would be an inherent modern touch that would be immediately apparent to anyone that lays eyes on them. Using other techniques such as laminating the cards or alternative going for a matte finish instead of something glossy can also be well worth your while as long as these choices are implemented the right way.