subject: Design for print – why anything you design and print must acknowledge the laws of branding [print this page] Design for print why anything you design and print must acknowledge the laws of branding
Designing items for print, whether it be a business card or a 124 page brochure in some clients eyes is easy.
Logo on, couple of nice images from the internet inserted, garish big comic sans style text and some bright colours, press print. Job done.
It's not.
Every element of a letterhead for example should be thought out carefully, from the position of the identity to the size of the safe area, to the size of the address, to the amount of clear space, to the width of the columns, to the choice of colour, and more beside. And that's before the decision on the stock, or even how many folds you see it having.
These choices for some may seem 'over designed' or pedantic, it's not, a good piece ofdesign for print is a well thought out and well laid out structured piece of design.Direct mailcan, when designed correctly be an excellent piece of design for print, for many clients - the first interaction they have with a potential client is through direct mail. That first look at a piece of direct mail is the start of the conversation between customer and a business. If it's a well thought out, well structured piece with goodcopywriting and good information it'll be remembered and acted upon, such is the power and effect of good design. If it's not, it'll be filed in the bin.
But a really good, a really good successful piece ofdesign for print is also on-brand. With onebestway, it has to be.
Being on-brand isn't about having the identity everywhere; it's the differentiator, the message and the reason why you are the only choice for your target. onebestway know this. Being on-brand communicates the key message of the business. Every piece ofdesign for printshould carry that business's core message and help build thebrand and the business.
If it doesn't, well... it doesn't work no matter how nice the typeface is.
