Letterhead isn’t just something your write business correspondences and memos on. It serves as a physical representation of your business. In a few cases, it may even be the only physical representation of your business a customer or investor may interact with. If you’re ready to create a fresh set of customized letterhead for your business, here are a few important do’s and don’ts to take to heart.
3 Do’s for Customized Letterhead
Do include contact information
One important function of customized letterhead is to make it easy for potential customers, suppliers, and investors to contact your organization. Current telephone numbers and email addresses should be included, and as well as any social media page that you actively manage. Remember to update these details when necessary, as outdated information on your letterhead can reflect poorly on your brand.
Do take your time creating a timeless design
Don’t make hasty design decisions with your letterhead, as perhaps thousands of people will be in contact with it in the course of your day-to-day correspondences. Instead, take as much time as you need to come up with a final design. And after you have chosen a final design, give it a once-over to ensure all the information is accurate, and that there are no glaring spelling errors or grammatical lapses to be found. This will help you avoid the costs of constant redesigns and help keep your brand credible.
Do get a professional graphic designer to work on it
Regardless of whether you want the design done in-house or by contract, it’s crucial that a professional graphic designer will be the one executing the final studies for your selection. There’s quite a bit more than meets the eye when it comes to designing customized letterhead, especially if special details such as images, embossing, foil, or engraving are involved. Going with a pro means that less time and fewer revisions will be needed before you’re able to get viable letterhead designs and layouts that meet your organization’s objectives.
3 Don’ts for Customized Letterhead
Don’t go off brand
If your organization has already committed itself to a specific set of branding elements, any customized letterhead should follow the same branding guidelines. Letterhead, while important, is only one part of an organization’s suite of branding materials. As they often serve as stand-ins and representations of a brand, it’s critical that all branding materials should be as uniform in appearance as possible to avoid confusion.
Don’t use a cluttered design
There’s a fine line between a design that is “richly-detailed” and one that’s simply cluttered. While a good graphic designer might be able to make a cluttered design work, any amount of unnecessary visual detail will often make the contact information and other important elements of your letterhead harder to discern. Unless such ornate visual design is an important part of your brand image, it’s best to just keep things a bit minimalist when it comes to letterheads.
Don’t use elements that get dated quickly
Avoid using design elements that are only just now becoming popular. While going with trendy design elements on your letterheads can make them look cutting-edge, chances are they will just look amusingly outdated in just a few years. If you do want to use trendy design elements on your letterheads, keep the orders small relative to your usage so you’re not stuck with too many should the trends pass.