9 Tips to Create a Perfectly Simple Postcard
“Look at me!”—is what your postcard needs to scream. The primary objective of the postcard is to deliver your business-promoting message. But, if you can’t first get your viewer’s attention, they aren’t going to read your postcard and it’s away to the trash without so much as a second glance. Don’t overwhelm your audience with visual noise, though. Catch their eye with a clean, uncluttered layout that is perfectly simple.
Below are nine tips to creating a perfectly simple postcard design:
Limit your use of fonts
Use no more than two fonts. Don’t let the sheer plethora of available fonts seduce you. Seriously, pick your two and stop right there.
Limit your use of colors
Just because you can pick 10,000 different colors does not mean you should pick 10,000 colors. Please don’t pick 10,000 colors. Find a palette that works well to communicate your message and work with it. There are some great websites out there that can help you in this department. One of my personal favorites is design-seeds.com. Another bonus, they have pretty pictures to look at and I love looking at pretty pictures.
Don’t be afraid
White space is not the enemy. It gives the eye a resting place. Filling every square inch of space on the card with images or content just garbles your message. Be selective with your images and message. Don’t be afraid to leave breathing room for the eye.
Speak their language
Know your target audience and speak in a voice they are drawn to. The way you speak to a 65 year old retiring physician is completely different from how you speak to an 18 year old video gamer.
You talk too much
You may have a lot to say, but you don’t need to say it all here. Refine your message to its essence. Less really is more. Trust me on this one, limit your word count.
Catch and deliver
Once you have caught their attention it’s time to deliver your message. Have a clear message with great call to action. Focus the piece to a singular message with a call to action that supports that message. If your audience likes what they see and read, they will seek you out. With that, make certain to provide a way for them to get more info. Certainly provide a phone number, but also a website they can peruse for more information about your offer, your company and your services is optimal.
Get touchy feely
We experience our world through our senses. The most obvious and relevant way we sense postcards is with sight. But consider the sense of touch when choosing your paper stock. Try using an unusual paper. A thicker stock. A larger size. Explore paper texture options and different coating options. Use the best and thickest card stock your budget will allow and go with that.
It’s ok to steal
Look at other great designs and steal it! Well, don’t literally steal it, but figure out what makes that design work and adapt it to suite your needs.
Finally, once you think you have finished your postcard design, ask yourself this one question: If my postcard came to me in the mass of mail, would I stop to look at it? Be brutally honest. If you wouldn’t take pause to look at the card, it’s back to the drawing board. Refine, refine, refine that design! Clear away the clutter and be perfectly simple.
