We have all heard the importance of first impressions and the sayings of don’t judge a book by it’s cover and so forth. First impressions and looks are everything in business especially in the area of gaining new customers or clients. Often a letterhead and business cards or a small ad is the only information the potential customer has to go on. Just think if it were you browsing through a stack of potential companies you wanted to hire to do some work on your home.

How would you choose from the tons of letters and quotes that have been sent to you? Sure you would look if you recognized any of the names or if there was anyone you knew. However, at the end of the day most potential customers are stuck basing the decision on external factors. Therefore you can see that a professional letterhead and color business cards and nice professionally designed brochures will increase the number of customers that come to you.

Below are some suggestions on getting the right look and feel for your business cards and letterheads.

Consistent Message

You want to send a consistent message to your customers. When designing a letterhead for your business it is important to think about the personality of your business. For example if you are a wedding planner you will want to have a drastically different look then if your company specializing in airplane parts. So having consistency in the design elements between your business type and your message is important.

Colors

If you are planning to sue any color in your letterhead or business cards it is important to think about the colors carefully. All colors send a message of one type or another and you want to make sure the colors you are using are consistent with your message. For example if you are opening a spa retreat you probably don’t want to use a lot of red and black for your business cards these are edgy emotional colors that might work better for a night club.

Important Info

Don’t forget to include all of the important information on your letterhead beforehand. Things like a logo, contact information including email, phone number, fax numbers, website and contacts person’s name are all important. There are some considerations with how and where you present this information so plan ahead and think about what message you want to send. For example if you are a web design firm you might want to include your website address in the top center of the letterhead right under your logo or even included in your logo. However if you specialize in hand crafted soaps then the website might not be a big deal for your company and would be better left off.

Space

With all of the important information above it is also important to take into consideration the issue of space. A letterhead usually doesn’t allow for much space and if you crowd everything in just to include it then the design will look overcrowded and unprofessional. Typically the more space you can leave the more impact your cards will have. So if you can leave off some of the elements above that can always work to leave more space. Also some of the items that are less important can be included at the bottom of the page also.

As you can see working with a professional letterhead designer can really be worth its weight in gold. There are so many tings to consider and you really want to have a quality look and feel to your letterhead and business cards because they will be the first impression most customers see. So often working with a professional can help smooth this process out and make it quick and painless.

Chris Ryerson
http://www.letterheadsbusinesscards.com