Design Up!

  • The Logo represents the most visible expression of any organization's image, and is at the heart of any corporate identity program.
  • Everyday documents should share a family resemblance: consistent placement of logo and masthead, with matching typefaces, colours, and formats.
  • Documents should be designed with both electronic and print applications in mind.
  • Documents designed in a logical and systematic manner improve information flow and reduce processing costs. After all, a large portion of office worker's time is spent handling documents and compiling information.
  • Advanced security features and design discourage fraudulent abuse of vital corporate documents. The Canadian Payments Association began implementing new standards for cheques in 2007 and expects all preprinted cheques to be converted by the 2008 deadline. Mostly Forms is intent on helping its clients make this conversion as easy as possible.
  • Review your rivals' printed brochures and documents; this may inspire some new thinking about the design of your own printed material.
  • Use screens and reverse type sparingly on manually faxed documents to minimize transmission time and to avoid obscuring information.
  • Studies have shown that custom printed product packaging will attract attention in a crowded retail environment when marketers out-design their competitors by using a superior combination of package colour, shape, visual icons and finally, printed text.
  • Men and women absorb printed information differently, so design accordingly.
  • Direct mail containing both graphics and white space is generally more enticing and likely to be read.
  • Documents designed to standard sizes and ordered at the same time as other identically-sized documents can help reduce ongoing costs.
  • Though company slogan "Making Paper Work!" direct mail packages designed to standard envelope configurations have lower postal costs, the response rate for oversized pieces is actually higher so consider costs and benefits carefully.