Are you planning to design your letterhead? You are taking trouble in preparing the copy, having it printed, and laying out the type. Now that it’s finally finished, do you know what mistakes not to commit when using it? Here are some tips on how to make the best of your new letter designs.
Do’s
1. On the top left corner of your letterhead is where you should place your Company Name and Logo
2. In between brackets under your company name will be where you should place your department or office designation
3. You may also have a tagline or slogan in which you can add to demonstrate the uniqueness of your business
4. On the top right corner, give a clear representation of how people can contact you. Put a “call to action” so that people immediately know what to do next if they want to call or send an email through fax or have an appointment with you etc.
5. Always ensure that every page has the company letterhead unless it does not fit well on further pages for example when it reaches the last page
6. Ensure all pages of your business letter template come with a footer providing important details like your company address and contact number etc.
Venngage
7. The middle of the letterhead should be creatively designed to make it stand out from the rest of the content. It is also where you can put relevant and important information that will keep your clients or business partners updated regarding products and services offered by your company as well as other important news and updates
8. Always check for spelling and grammar errors before finalizing any printed materials, this will not only give you a professional look but also help save money because minor errors can cost you more than what you would have used to print them again without these mistakes
9. Make use of color to highlight sections of your letterhead to make it stand out from the rest. Use colors that will avoid looking dull and monotonous
10. Make use of white space in between sections or design elements in your letterhead for a more professional look, you can leave a lot of space if you want a modernistic feel or minimize the size if you want a minimalistic approach
11. Try to follow a standard format in printing all letters addressed to other people. It also makes it easy to get organized when arranging such documents later on
12. Prepare digital copies so that there is no room for confusion when printing them out, for example, you should have Goldenrod paper ready before starting if this has been decided as the to be used in printing the letterhead
13. For letterheads that are being printed in bulk it is advisable to read through the content out loud before finalizing, this will enable you to catch any slip up of words or errors that might have gone unnoticed during the editing stage
14. Make use of items at your disposal to come up with a unique letterhead template, for example, use paper clips and books for creative effect on your letterhead design
15. Allow ample time for printing since depending on how many copies you need it can take some time to get them ready
16. If this is your first time then keep things simple until you are confident about what you would like on your letterhead later on. Make sure to visit Venngage to see letterhead examples
Don’ts
1. Don’t use unprofessional fonts
2. Don’t leave the center of the letterhead blank
3. Don’t use standard templates when designing your letterhead, you can always download designs that you think can be useful in enhancing your design
4. Don’t try to fit all information on one page
5. Don’t immediately upload the text without adding images, charts, graphs, and other infographics
6. Avoid using Clip Art at all costs since it does not show creativity; stick to simple illustrations for now.
Venngage
7. Don’t hire an inexperienced designer to help out with your letterhead design because this may end up making things worse than before
8. Never make any spelling mistakes especially if they are plain obvious ones like forgetting vowels in words
9. Never use Comic Sans because it is unprofessional and this will give your clients or business partners the wrong impression about how serious or professional you are
10. Avoid using handwritten text at all costs since it looks amateurish
11. Never try to imitate other letterheads without adding any personal touches, always go for something unique that will make people remember your company whenever they come across it
12. Don’t undervalue the importance of a well-designed letterhead, people notice even little things like these
13. Don’t forget to include contact details on your letterhead
14. Under no circumstance should you put fake contact information on your letterhead, this can bring negative publicity “call to action” so that people immediately know what you are offering whether is it free consultation or a special deal
15. Don’t forget to include your business hours on the letterhead but be careful not to make them too prominent since they might take away from the design of the letterhead
16. Never try to put everything on one page, this will give your letterhead an overcrowded look which can lead people astray instead of making them want more information about what you have to offer
Bottomline
Use these tips to design a letterhead that will suit your company best. Remember, there are no set rules on how to create an impressive letterhead so just use the knowledge you have gathered here and come up with something that will suit your taste or preference. If you do not have an idea about how to put the information together then feel free to use the many samples and designs available online to give you inspiration on what to do.