Maybe you’re the owner of a micro-business, hoping to gain some visability through printed mailings, business cards, or company stationary, but lacking the budget to work with a designer on each of these individual elements.
Or maybe you’re a designer, looking for ways to work with clients who have very limited budgets. These clients want to create printed materials that represented and market their companies in positive ways. Where do you direct your energy when a client is able to buy just a couple hours of your time?
Even if you can’t afford to invest in top-of-the-line paper, or carefully customized design, the fact remains: it’s possible to make your design look good without breaking the bank. Focusing your budget in one place can be surprisingly effective. Even simple marketing pieces can hit the mark and help your company or client stand out.
Here are our suggestions for creating meaningful printed marketing pieces on a budget:
Focus On One Great Element–
Put your budget towards one great stand-out element, such as embossing, a die-cut, engraving, foil-stamping, varnishes, or heavy paper. Or throw your money towards a logo design, and have it printed in black and white (or limited colors) on ordinary paper stock. Play with attention-grabbing paper colors.
Get Creative–
Check out these great examples of creative direct mail use, and these ideas for business cards. How can you do a lot with a little, using creative marketing methods? Maybe you follow this suggestion, and use your return address stamp on eye-catching paper stock for an inventive business card. Try using a personal photo, or copyright-free image to give your printed design personality.
Rather than fighting your budget constraints, why not embrace them? Committing to printed materials in black and white, for instance, can become a positive distinguishing characteristic of your company.
Freshen Up An Old Logo–
Rather than leaving an old logo completely behind, tweak it to make something new. What about changing color or typeface? What about positioning? Sometimes simple changes can create a completely fresh new look.
Use A Template–
If you’re overwhelmed by design possibilities, or struggling for inspiration, try using a web-to-print template. A simple web-to-print design can create clean, effective pieces, especially when printed on beautiful paper. For optimal results, make sure you’re printing in high resolution.
Have you created effective marketing pieces on a budget? Share your tips with us on our facebook page.