This month, we wanted to share some general tips relating to your graphic design that we've come up with over the past year:
Always include an address on your business card, even if you are operating a smallbusiness out of your home - it greatly increases your credibility and makes youlook much more established! If you're concerned about privacy, a Post Office box isa great way to go. When signing up for a Post Office box, consider using a"Mailboxes" store instead of the Post Office - you'll get a street address instead ofthe typical "P.O. Box", and the store will accept shipped packages from UPS, FedExand other carriers for you, so you won't need to give out your home address as ashipping address.
Never be caught anywhere without business cards again! Carry a supply of cards inyour car so that if you can restock when purse or wallet stash runs out. The sameapplies for brochures, articles, promotional postcards, samples, informational flyers,and presentation folders with information about your company and capabilities -you never know when you'll have an opportunity to hand them out!
Look for ways to make producing your designed materials less expensive. Need abusiness card and brochure? Why not combine the two into a folding business cardand save on the printing costs? Is your logo designed in so many colors that printingbecomes too costly? Try having materials printed digitally by an online printinghouse like psprint.com or vistaprint.com - they're often much more cost-effectivefor materials printed on white paper stock. If you want to print on a specialty paper,consider converting your logo to a one- or two-color version just for your printedmaterials - unlimited colors on a website don't cost extra! We're always thinking upcreative ways to save our clients money, and we're happy to offer many moresuggestions like these based on your individual needs - just contact us with yourquestions.
Do you want the professionalism of having a printed letterhead, but don't expect towrite 500 letters (the minimum quantity for most printers)? There are two options toavoid this: Design a letterhead that can act as a base for your printed invoices,flyers, report or proposal covers, articles, client intake documents and everythingelse! This way, all of your materials will be professionally branded - and you'll gothrough "all that letterhead" quicker than you think! Or, recreate your letterheaddesign as a Microsoft Word template, so that you can print sheets one at a timefrom your desktop printer. Just pick up a ream of specialty paper from the localoffice supply warehouse to avoid that "home printed" look.
If you frequently drive for your business, or if your parking spot happens to be on abusy street, make the most of it by having a set of car magnets designed andprinted with your logo, phone number and website address on them - they make abig impact, spread the word all over town and, after the initial investment, it's freepublicity!
We hope these tips help you promote your business.
About the Author
Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphicdesign expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean andeffective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. elf design offersthe comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one- on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin worksclosely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible andmemorable - and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistentway. For more information about elf design, please visit: Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com |
