Business letters, in order to be read, greatly rely on letterheads. Letterheads are vital in making that first impression a positive one. When sending business letters, it should be automatic to use a letterhead, so that the recipient would be able to know immediately that the letter is an official one.
With companies realizing that they need to extend their branding to the stationery they use, there are an increasing number of companies who hire professionals to draft letterheads. This is practical for large companies, since the tradeoff for hiring professionals is pretty fair. A premium may be paid to have a unique design made, but in effect, other companies who receive the company’s business letter would take notice of the note because of the letterhead.
Hiring professionals can be advantageous, because the letterheads come out fancier. They can play with textures and colors, thus making the letterheads more interesting and unique. In fancier letterheads, some letterheads even feature an embossed logo or company name. While these letterheads are pricier to produce, most companies believe that it is worth it.
Smaller companies do not hire professionals to create their letterheads. Instead, someone from the company may do the letterhead without the help of a professional. This is fairly easy, because even simple word processing programs can be used to create the letterheads. For fancier stuff, there are already a number of software out there that would make designing a letterhead easier. Still, designing a letterhead requires much planning.
There are several things to think of when one plans to design a letterhead. One should think of the company’s personality and the impression it wants to project. For example, a large-scale business in the food industry would perhaps need a serious looking letterhead in order to command authority. On the other hand, a smaller art gallery has more freedom to explore nontraditional designs, since the business is connected to creativity.
When one has determined the image the company wants to project, he or she can start sketching samples of the letterhead. One does not always get right on the first try, so the sketches are bound to be modified over and over again. This allows the letterhead designer to look at a couple of options before finally deciding which design to pursue.
There are those who print the logo, company name, and other elements on pieces of paper. The pieces of paper are cut out and laid flat on a piece of plain paper. That way, it is easier to manipulate the design on paper. When the designer is satisfied with the letterhead, then he or she can execute it on the computer.
When designing, there are other things to consider. The designer determines if the letterhead is better in using colored ink or just black ink. It all depends on how the company wants to present itself.
With the option to have a letterhead professionally done or not, every company (large or small) should not be without a letterhead. Letterheads become a mark of professionalism, and other companies are bound to pay attention when the company’s business letter is adorned with a letterhead.