Direct mail can be one of the most difficult marketing methods available; you have to capture attention quickly and powerfully enough to avoid everyone’s first instinct of tossing without reading. This is why postcards are the most popular choice for direct mail: the message is out in the open to easily see when shuffling through daily mail. Postcard designs, however, still have the responsibility to “grab ‘em in a glance.” Without a hit design, a headline that wows, and extra information that draws you in, you may have well just thrown your marketing dollars down the drain.
A project with this much pressure could be hard to begin. But everyone knows that when the blank canvas on your design program is glaring you down, one of the best medicines is browsing through some inspiration to get the ideas flowing. The examples below show just how eye-catching an incredible design in combination with an action-packed headline can be, and will hopefully help those of you who need some ideas to get started. Take a look, be inspired, and feel free to share your own brilliant direct mail postcards with the rest of us!
DISCLAIMER: The following images are not owned by PrintPlace.com and are used only to inspire our readers.
Perfect Clean Postcard by Lukasz Niemczyk
2020 Minneapolis Olympics Postcard by Taylor Pemberton
Museum of the Moving Image Postcard by Tien-Min Liao(student project)
Branding for Science Museum Postcard by Michael Schepis
Postcards are quite the versatile print medium. They can be used as invitations, for sending a quick word of congratulations or thank you, or as a direct mail piece. No matter the use, though, postcards must be eye-catching. While they have the advantage of a message that is not covered by an envelope, take care that the design is captivating enough for your message to be read.
If your goal is to create a floral design, you may be able to find exactly what you need from the following roundup. The best part is that each one of these vector illustrations and patterns are both free and high quality, but some of these do require you to purchase a license for commercial use. Take a look and hopefully your search for a great illustration for your postcards is over!
DISCLAIMER: The following images are not owned by PrintPlace.com and are used only to inspire and to provide design resources to our readers.
Colorful Floral Girl Silhouette
Filed under: Print Place General
Everyone has their preferences and reasons why they want to keep using the printer they have been using for years, which I can understand. You may be comfortable with your printer or maybe you just don’t want to risk changing to another printer and learning a new system. The fact is, though, that you may be missing out if you haven’t tried PrintPlace.com.
Just this past June, 2011, our very own CEO of PrintPlace.com, Shawn Petersen, was named an Honoree of The Dallas Business Journal’s annual 40 Under Forty. To give you a little more background for those of you not local to Dallas, every year The Dallas Business Journal (usually along with a panel of previous honorees) chooses 40 business men and women from the greater Dallas area to recognize. These men and women are those who are considered at the top of their industry as well as who have contributed greatly to the Dallas community. The Journal recognized the 40 Honorees with a cocktail party and a feature in a special section of the journal.
So, does this actually mean that PrintPlace.com is at the top of the printing industry? Apparently so, but let’s break it down:
- In terms of pricing, yes — We have a price match guarantee. We match the advertised price of any other online printing company, even up to 7 days after you’ve placed your order.
- In terms of growth, yes — At the end of our founding year in 2006, we claimed a total revenue of $585,000. The revenue in 2009 was $25 million, which equals a 3 year growth of 4168%. In fact, Inc. 500 named PrintPlace.com as the 54th fastest growing company in 2010.
- In terms of work environment, yes — Here at PrintPlace.com, we can proudly claim the status of an all-American company that is also environmentally-friendly in its business practices. In 2009, PrintPlace.com was named one of the best places to work in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area by The Dallas Business Journal.
In addition to these accomplishments with PrintPlace.com, Petersen also owns UnitedGraphics.com and is launching ModernGreetings.com this year. In his interview with The Dallas Business Journal, Petersen also mentioned that he has more business to business ventures in the works. Quite the inspiring entrepreneur!
When asked about PrintPlace.com’s unexpected growth, he told The Dallas Business Journal that he attributes it to, basically, having fun being the best at what he loves doing the most. “While most motivated by greed are buried in the balance sheet, we are running the business through process, technology and heart,” Petersen told the Journal. “Fact is, when you cut corners, you lose, and it’s easy to become highly successful when success is not defined by a decimal point.”
I’m glad I work for this guy! So, for those of you who are interested in supporting a company full of goodness (just take a look at his feature in The Journal for PrintPlace.com’s charity contributions this year) and committed to quality, you may want to check out PrintPlace.com for future printing jobs. We are definitely worth at least a trial run with these credentials!
Filed under: Print Place General | Tags: business card designs, business cards
You may have been looking to colors for inspiration too much. With the two tones being the extreme contrast of the other, black and white business cards dominate the pack when it comes to clean, striking and professional designs. Mixed with a clever logo or a drop of design humor, here are some practical and inspirational ideas for a black and white business card.
DISCLAIMER: The following images are not owned by PrintPlace.com and are used for the sole purpose of inspiring our viewers.
Filed under: Print Place General
There’s a lot behind the phenomenon of color – graphic and web designers should appreciate this fact the most. There are psychological aspects, color theory, even neuro-marketing applications behind every color choice or palette combination. For your dose of color talk, here are eight website resources that talk all about what’s behind color:
Color Resources is exactly what it purports to be. It’s a collection of resources discussing the meanings, psychology, theory, and nuances behind the nuances. While the website itself may be visually unimpressive, the content is quite hefty and both informational and educational.
Poynter.org is a great Flash-based resource that discusses color theory and psychology in an interactive manner. The site is complete with exercises that can flex your creative muscles at the same time feeding you your dose of color talk.
Maria Claudia Cortes’ color in motion promises a Flash-based interactive experience that focuses on color symbolism and communication. The site can be loaded in English and Spanish and launches a new window after picking a language. (more…)
