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5 Design Tips for Crafting High Impact Letterheads

What is letterhead – and why is stationery, such as letterhead, so important for your business? What purpose does it serve? Why should you care about an old piece of paper? You may think of letterhead as a relic of carrier pigeon days, destined to be forgotten and tossed aside like common junk mail – Don’t worry, we’re not going to let you make that mistake.  

The fact that most business communications are done digitally these days gives traditional print a massive boost – the presence commanded by a quality, well-designed letterhead conveys distinct importance. Think of how much more impact an employee bonus letter or business reference would have when presented on company headed paper. When standing out is as easy as putting in a little extra attention to detail, why wouldn’t your business want to take advantage of this tried-and-true tactic? 

Keep reading for 5 tips on how to create high impact letterheads! 

1. Letterhead Lends Itself to Brand Consistency 

When designing your letterhead, find peace in knowing that you don’t have to completely reinvent the wheel. Your company’s signature branding exists for a reason, and it makes creating new collateral a whole lot easier. Use your existing logos and brand colours in a fresh way for new impact that aligns with your business. To read more about the importance of brand consistency, check out this article we wrote about how it can be the key to your business success. 

Don’t forget that brand consistency goes beyond colours. When coming up with the layout of your letterhead think about the way it will be used: How can you design your letterhead in a way that will best represent your message? We’ll touch more on layout and formatting shortly.  

2. Letterhead Design is all in the Details 

By looking into the possibility of creating custom letterheads in the first place, you’ve already shown that you are someone who pays attention to the details. It only takes a couple of seconds to make a first impression and these seconds’ matter when you are setting the tone for a customer’s experience. Show your audience that you go above and beyond for quality service by presenting your company in a visually appealing, organized manner. 

Think about what information is important to include in your design; You may want to have your contact information and location where its memorable and accessible to the reader or alternatively create a simpler design with your company name. Ultimately your design is all about what’s going to work for your business, so consider these factors when drafting up a sample. 

3. Choose Stationery that works for you 

Maybe it doesn’t make sense for your business to design a custom letterhead, but you can see yourself getting tons of use out of envelopes or notepads. You do you! The key to becoming successful is by customizing your approach in a way that most benefits you and your clientele.  

Minuteman Press Calgary Shepard offers a variety of stationery such as envelopes, notepads, and business cards to suit your needs. Browse our website’s products and solutions and our value-add  services to get more inspiration about the available options.  

4. Explore Different Letterhead Layout Options 

When it comes to the nitty gritty of design, the possibilities are truly endless. To provide an entry point for those who may have never ventured into the world of letterhead design before, here are a couple of ways you could start to format your layout:   

  • Full border
    Decorate the outside border of your paper with colour and design in a consistent square shape, leaving the middle free for any text or images you may later want to share. 
  • Graphic border
    Use shape and colour around the border of your text for a unique look. 
  • Header and footer
    Keep your design to the top and bottom of the page, leaving the middle and sides available. 
  • Background graphics
    Watermark your paper with graphics in a muted shade so that text can be written over top.  Think you might like some help? Our graphic design professionals will make sure your business stands out visually across all advertising and marketing platforms, we offer graphic design services for all kinds of projects! 

5. Pick your paper wisely 

Your paper is the foundation of your letterhead so choose wisely! Pick from light to heavyweight stock and different textures and colours. Generally, the heavier a sheet is, the more important it feels. Want to add a tactile pleasing touch? Embossing or debossing adds a little extra. Distinguish your design with a satin, matte, or glossy finish to make the colours pop and there you have it – the ultimate finishing touch!  

Post Press 

Feeling ready to create your own letterhead? We can’t wait to help you dive in. Contact the team at Minuteman Press Calgary Shepard today to chat about how we can help you achieve your goals. 

We Design. We Print. You Profit! 

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5 Ways to Elevate your Custom Stationery

Custom Stationery

First impressions are important, don’t you agree? One of the best ways to impress your customers in the early stages of your relationship is by presenting your communication in a clean, consistent, beautifully formatted package. Custom stationery has a long and fascinating history as an artform dating all the way back to ancient Egypt where they first developed parchment out of things like animal skins! While we have refined papermaking techniques since then, the idea behind custom stationery is timeless.

Stationery gives you the opportunity to define yourself on your own terms and present your desired image to the world. By having unique and beautiful stationery you will set yourself apart and portray your company in a professional, put together manner. Follow these 5 tips to turn a plain office essential into gorgeous custom stationery your clients will remember!

1. Incorporate Your Branding

If your goal is to increase and maintain brand recognition, you need to focus on developing custom stationery that represents an accurate portrayal of your brand. With an amazing print partner like Minuteman Press Calgary Shepard, you can turn letterhead, envelopes, invoices or order forms into visually pleasing sources promoting your brand exposure by changing the paper’s color, fonts, or adding your logo as a watermark. Developing a brand guide, is an incredibly helpful tool you can use to nail down your signature colours, imagery, and personality. Every time a client or potential client comes across your stationery, they will become more and more familiarized with your company’s main identifiers, which is fantastic promotion for you.

2. Spice up Your Format

Changing up your formatting can be a great way to add interest to your company documents while maximizing their potential to communicate information. Adding custom headings and graphic organizers with coloured sections in your signature colour palette can be extremely helpful for viewers, plus it has the added bonus of making you stand out. Other things you can do with formatting include:

  • Adding patterned borders to frame your documents
  • Tinkering with your letter and line spacing until it looks just right
  • Putting in a header or footer

It’s important to remember not to overwhelm your design with too many elements to keep things looking professional. Our expert team is happy to help with your formatting needs and get you looking great!

3. Customize Your Font Styles

One-of-a-kind font is a sure way to differentiate yourself and make an impression from the very first look a customer has at your stationery. Straying away from traditional styles will give people a fresh experience with your print materials and create a unique brand identity. Want to convey a sense of elegance? Use a decorative script font! Looking for a more modern, professional vibe? A clean looking sans-serif font is a great choice. Brand consistency is the key to pulling off a cohesive overall look. Check out this article Why Brand Consistency is Key to the Success of YOUR Business | Printer Near Me | Minuteman Press Calgary Shepard to find out why brand consistency is the key to your business’s success and how you can use it to boost your company’s value.

4. Bring in the Heavyweights

Consider the kind of paper you choose for your various stationary needs. A thicker cardstock makes an impression on the viewer and comes across with an air of importance. We can print on a variety of differently weighted sheets to suit your preferences, as well as on colored sheets so that you have the option to choose what best represents the look and feel you want.

5. Develop a Custom Signature

Arguably just as important as your first impression is your sign off. Finish strong with your personal signature and brand logo. You can include your name, title, and contact information in a signature or keep it simple with your business’s name and logo. We can even help you turn your signature into a stamp to make signing off simple and look great every time.

Post-Press

Ready to get your business looking sharp? Let our team at Minuteman Press Calgary Shepard help you put your best foot forward by designing and producing your professionally printed custom stationery. Contact us for a quote today! 

We Design. We Print. You Profit!