Letterhead Design and Desktop Publishing

If you are starting up a business, or trying to upgrade your look and feel, one of the things you have probably considered, or should have considered, is business stationary. There comes a point where sending out letters, bills, and advertisements on blank paper out of your fancy printer just doesn’t cut the cake.

One easy solution is to go to a professional. There, for just an arm and a leg, you can, if you’re lucky, get something really fine. If you’re lucky, and get a pro who also knows how to listen, you’ll actually get something that fits you, and not just their idea of what looks hot or in fashion. But in the computer-heavy world, there is another option.

Desktop publishing is a fancy phrase meaning, You Have The Power. No matter what computer you work with, you can find an easy-to-learn, easy-to-use program that will enable you to design your own headings, stationary, invitations, and general design.

When you start out, you’ll find yourself pushing every button, adding every frill, and generally making some of the ugliest things you can imagine. Calm down. It goes away. Once you have learned what you CAN do, you can start working towards what you can do. Remember that once you’ve bought the software, it’s free, not $500-a-shot, so you can really, and usually quickly, make something that suits your needs and maintains the character of your business.

A couple of tips will, if not make you a professional, at least put you out of the rank amateur category, and feel competent at what you’re doing.

You’re trying to create a feel. Take an idea, and repeat it. The consistency of any one idea will bring everything together. Figure out what is the main idea, and make sure that this remains the focus. Either it should be bigger, or central, or in some way clearly the dominant idea on the page. Other wording should NOT be similar. Your design takes shape by having contrast. Think of how many ways you can contrast the different items on the page. Use size, color, and style of font to focus where you want the focus, and keep the minor information as background.

It doesn’t really matter whether you are trying for a classic look or a creative feel. These principles cross all boundaries. Balance them on one hand, with the image you’re trying to convey on the other, and you can design yourself right onto the map.

For more information on this subject and many others, please visit Stationary Place.

Sam Jordan

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Exit mobile version