Tips to Create Attractive Letterheads for Your Business

Despite today’s reliance on digital communication, there is still tremendous value in traditional letters and well-designed stationery. Whether you’re mailing out a thank you note or pitching your services to a professional agency, one thing is certain—a letter shows that you put in the effort to create, print and post it. And that’s enough to make any recipient feel lucky and special.

In order to frame your message beautifully, it’s essential to have a well-designed letterhead. Put simply, a letterhead is a design at the top or bottom of a sheet of letter paper. It will typically consist of your name, address and company logo. Background patterns are not necessary, but can certainly make your letterhead pop.

Handling your communications in style with well-branded stationery that convey professionalism and quality can make all the difference for your business. Here are some tips on creating an attractive letterhead for your business.

1: Figure out the basics

Before throwing around a bunch of ideas, get the basics down first. Think about what kind of software you’ll be using for the job. Applications like Microsoft Word or Pages are fine, but be aware they might pose limitations if you’re looking for high-impact graphics or an unusual layout. Adobe InDesign, or it’s more affordable counterpart QuarkXpress, offers more flexibility and will help you develop your print design in a more professional manner.

You also need to consider the sizing. Depending on where you live, there are standard sizes for letterheads. If you’re printing and mailing a letter within Canada or the U.S., set your page up to 8.5 by 11 inches. This will ensure your letter can be folded to fit in standard-sized envelopes, which are more economical to print and buy. Printing 8.5 by 14 letterheads costs slightly more than 8.5 by 11, but this legal size letter can also be folded down.

2: Incorporate a strong brand design

Before designing the actual letterhead, it’s important to have some essential elements in place. All good letterhead designs should begin with a visually stunning logo and branded palette, which you can then build on. If you don’t have a logo, start here first. Hire the services of a professional logo graphic designer or spend lots of time creating one yourself. Whatever route you take, remember that this is the foundation to an awesome letterhead and brand.

3: Make good use of colour

The most attractive letterheads are the ones that feature bold, well-coordinated colours. Don’t be tempted to restrict yourself to a monochromatic layout. Feel free to experiment with creative use of colour to really make your letterhead stand out from the competition. Startup companies, creative agencies and technology firms can appear more innovative and forward-thinking with an eye-catching colour choice.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when choosing a colour scheme:

• Introduce colour to your layout in a gradual and elegant way
• Ensure the colours do not distract from the content of your letterhead, but rather enhance it
• A good way to incorporate colour in a minimalistic way is through a well-designed border

Printing technology has really advanced over the past years, allowing businesses to capture the true pigmentation of full-colour letterheads. In-office printers will diminish the quality of your design, especially if you try to print bold colours on a non-colour printer. Instead, opt for professional printing services with offset or digital printing to avoid compromising the integrity and quality of your customized stationery.

For the best value, consider bulk printing your letterhead. This allows you to stock up in advance so you never run out, or simply store them for a larger bulk mailing campaign. A company like Troi Mailing Services offers letterhead printing services in various sizes and colour options to differentiate your business from the rest.

4: Consider geometric vectors

Geometric shapes are a fabulous way to increase the style factor of your letterhead. This is a rather new trend that gets its inspiration from digital design, so it’s an effective option if you’re reaching out to tech firms or app design agencies. Repetitive shapes in visually stunning layouts are a simple yet engaging way to captivate your audience. If you hope to extend your design to envelopes and business cards, simply copy and paste these geometric vectors to your other templates.

5: Use a watermark

If you have a tendency to write long letters or simply hate the idea of sacrificing space for a letterhead, then a watermark can get you around this issue. Watermarks are one of the oldest stationery tricks in the book. They allow you to incorporate your logo and other graphics without taking up any extra room on the page.

When adding a watermark, be sure to get it right. If it’s too dark, it can obscure your text. But if it’s too pale, it can lack visual impact. Set the tint of your watermark to much paler than what you would first envision. A 5-10% colour tint will actually look just right, even if it appears very pale on your computer screen.

An attractive letterhead design is one of the best investments you can make for your business. On occasions when a professionally printed letter will do, ditch or complement the emails by sending your clients a beautifully constructed letter instead. Not only will they appreciate the tangible gesture, but your well-designed letterhead will keep them thinking about your business in the months ahead.

For more information on printing letterheads and other stationery, please call Troi Mailing Services in Toronto at 1-866-486-0423 or contact us here.