8 tips to help you design a professional business letterhead

A professional, well designed letterhead can make all the difference to your business and leave a lasting impression.

Not to blow our own trumpet, but we know a thing or two about designing and printing letterheads so we thought we’d share with you 8 tips to help you design the most professional of letterheads.

Tip no. 1 What should you include?

Typically, your letterhead will include the following things…

  • Company logo
  • Contact information
  • Business name
  • Address
  • Email
  • Phone numbers
  • Website address

You may also want to include social icons if you’d like to increase awareness of your presence on your active platforms.

Tip no. 2 Simple is best, better than all the rest

If in doubt, keep it simple.

Your letterhead shouldn’t detract from the letter itself. Instead it should present your business in the best possible light.

Your letterhead should be clean, professional and a true reflection of your brand identity.

Tip no. 3 The devil’s in the detail

Attention to detail is important so you might want to have various versions of your letterhead prepared.

If you’re planning on sending a more personal letter, your letterhead could include your personal contact details.

If the letterhead is more generic to your business, then general business information may be more appropriate.

Tip no. 4 Be on brand

Your letterhead design must be 100% on brand and in line with your company guidelines.

It needs to pair up beautifully with your business cards, company brochures, website and any other collateral you have for your business.

Before going to print be sure that you’ve used the right fonts, colour scheme, icons and logos.

Tip no. 5 Special effects, not just for movies

If you decide to use a professional printer (like us!) for your letterheads, there are various options you can apply to give your letterhead that wow factor.

Spot-UV is a good example of an effect that can give your final design that extra bit of flare. The spot-UV areas will have a glossy finish compared to the rest of your design. It just adds that point of difference and makes your design more tactile.

Tip no. 6 Structurally sound

When it comes to determining the order of information on your letterhead, it’s important to consider hierarchy in your design.

Typically, the most vital pieces of information will be the writer of the letter – (is it coming from an individual or company?), contact details so they can respond, company logo, call to action etc.

There’s no one size fits all approach to a letterheads structure. It really does depend on the objective of your letterhead so take your time when determining the layout.

Tip no. 7 Crazy for colour

Colour is a fantastic way to draw attention to your letterhead design or any design for that matter.

Not only can colour highlight certain parts, but it can also communicate specific ideas and emotions, create associations and, of course, reinforce your brand.

Colour will make any design stand out but don’t go too crazy with it. You don’t want to detract from the overall design. Use colour sparingly to maximise the impact it can bring to your letterhead design.

Tip no. 8 Tools to perfect your letterhead

There are so many options when it comes to designing your letterhead. Do you do it yourself, do you get in the professionals?

If you do decide to go it alone try to equip yourself with the best tools for the job. If you have access to the Adobe suite, opt for Illustrator or InDesign over Photoshop.

Both are vector based and have great typography controls, so it’s easier to draw simple elements and reposition as you see fit.

If you’re printing your letterheads commercially, don’t forget to setup a bleed.

There are also some brilliant tool out there to help design your letterheads or even just to give you a bit of inspiration.

Take a look at Canva who have various designs to choose from and make your own.

The letterhead might seem like a humble item in your business stationery pack, but never underestimate its impact.

Take your time to perfect the design and it’ll add so much value.

Need a hand with your letterheads?

From branding through to design and print, we can support you with all aspects of your letterhead. If you’d like to discuss your requirements contact us on 0113 210 0055 or complete our contact form and we’ll get back to you.

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