Approaches in Designing Stationery Systems 08/28/2016 Design for Advertising Miriam Ahmed
Letterhead: First Things First When designing a letterhead, start by placing the most important elements on the art board first, and design those. First, most important: the graphic mark On stationary, graphic marks do not need to be more than 1 inch big, (unless you’re deliberately designing unconventionally). Scale your graphic mark down to suit. Then decide on a placement. One that is unconventional so that your design will stand out from the crowd and be memorable. Keep practical letter requirements in mind and leave a large, clear area for typing an actual letter. Unless bleeding, keep your graphic mark at least half inch margin away from the edge of your paper and within 3 inches from top or bottom, or 1.5 inches from either side. 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Letterhead: First Things First 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Letterhead: First Things First 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Letterhead: Contact Info Then insert the second most important information: contact info including address, phone, fax, email, website, social media icons, etc. You can also add the name of the contact person and his/her title. Place this information in harmony with the graphic mark. In an unconventional place. 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Letterhead: First Things First 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Letterhead: Typography Then DESIGN the text. Select a legible typeface that complements the graphic mark design. Quite frequently, the typeface used in the logo, as long as it is legible at small sizes, will work well. Your contact info should not be smaller than 8 points, and should not be more than 12 points unless your unconventional design demands it. Add type treatments like tracking, leading, weight, italics, uppercase letters, corporate colors, rotation, type-on-path. Use type treatments to emphasize and differentiate information 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Letterhead: First Things First 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Letterhead: First Things First 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Letterhead: First Things First 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Letterhead: First Things First 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Letterhead: Graphic Elements Then add secondary design elements Place in unconventional locations Try large-scale cropped designs that bleed You may need to slightly reposition previously designed elements (graphic mark and contact info) Avoid the cliché watermark, instead use saturated colors and opaque elements Do not take away from the space for typing the contents of the letter Remember to design the reverse side of the letterhead page 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Letterhead: First Things First 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Letterhead: First Things First 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Letterhead: First Things First 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Envelope: Consistent Design Envelope design should contain the graphic mark, contact info, and design elements in locations and sizes that match the letterhead Remember to design the reverse side of the envelope, and the flap Flaps can be die-cut into shapes that complement your design theme Insides of envelopes can also be designed – eg. With solid colors, or patterns Use US Post Office restrictions Name and address in top left To: address in middle Clear space on top right for postage stamp Clear space on bottom right for barcode printing 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Envelope: Post Office Requirements 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Business Card: Consistent Design Business card design should contain the graphic mark, contact info, and design elements in locations and sizes that are consistent with the letterhead and envelope BUT: business cards should stand out more therefore they should be designed more boldly or innovatively Business cards have 2 sides. Place the graphic mark on 1 side, and contact info on the other. Don’t put the graphic mark on both sides. Business cards can be die-cut into shapes that complement your design theme 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Business Card Design 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Business Card Design 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Business Card Design 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Business Card Design 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Business Card Design 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Business Card Design 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Business Card Design 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Business Card Design 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising
Business Card Design 09/5/2013 Design for Advertising