Top Design and Marketing Tips from a Branding Expert
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 small
business out of your home - it greatly increases your credibility and makes you
look much more established! If you're concerned about privacy, a Post Office box is
a 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 of
the typical "P.O. Box", and the store will accept shipped packages from UPS, FedEx
and other carriers for you, so you won't need to give out your home address as a
shipping address. Never be caught anywhere without business cards again! Carry a supply of cards in
your car so that if you can restock when purse or wallet stash runs out. The same
applies 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 a
business card and brochure? Why not combine the two into a folding business card
and save on the printing costs? Is your logo designed in so many colors that printing
becomes too costly? Try having materials printed digitally by an online printing
house like psprint.com or vistaprint.com - they're often much more cost-effective
for 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 printed
materials - unlimited colors on a website don't cost extra! We're always thinking up
creative ways to save our clients money, and we're happy to offer many more
suggestions like these based on your individual needs - just contact us with your
questions. Do you want the professionalism of having a printed letterhead, but don't expect to
write 500 letters (the minimum quantity for most printers)? There are two options to
avoid this: Design a letterhead that can act as a base for your printed invoices,
flyers, report or proposal covers, articles, client intake documents and everything
else! This way, all of your materials will be professionally branded - and you'll go
through "all that letterhead" quicker than you think! Or, recreate your letterhead
design as a Microsoft Word template, so that you can print sheets one at a time
from your desktop printer. Just pick up a ream of specialty paper from the local
office supply warehouse to avoid that "home printed" look. If you frequently drive for your business, or if your parking spot happens to be on a
busy street, make the most of it by having a set of car magnets designed and
printed with your logo, phone number and website address on them - they make a
big impact, spread the word all over town and, after the initial investment, it's free
publicity! 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 graphic
design expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean and
effective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. elf design offers
the comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one-
on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin works
closely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible and
memorable ? and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistent
way. For more information about elf design, please visit: Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com
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