Postcards have long been an adaptable and powerful way of communicating and marketing. Whether you’re a retailer announcing a grand opening, a couple sharing wedding details, or a business using direct mail marketing, postcards offer a tangible, personal connection that is sometimes missing in the digital age.
Postcards’ strengths are their simplicity and effectiveness. They deliver a clear message directly into the hands of your audience, establishing an immediate connection.
An effective postcard design is more than just eye-catching; it must be engaging and informative. It requires a strategic balance of visual appeal and clear messaging to stand out. Creating professional postcards with high-quality prints ensures that your design looks polished and premium.
Below, we’ll highlight the best tips for creating a memorable postcard design that captures attention and conveys your message effectively. From layout and color choices to typography and imagery, we’ll cover all the essentials to help you design a postcard that makes a lasting impression.
Whether you’re a real estate mogul or the hottest new salon, these tips will turn your next custom postcards into a powerful marketing tool.
Common Custom Postcard Uses
Before starting the design process, consider their intended use. Below are some popular and effective ways to use postcards:
- Promoting Sales: Inform existing customers about special promotions and sales through direct mail or by including promotional materials in their shopping bags at checkout.
- Market Expansion: Introduce a local product or service using EDDM postcards, also known as Every Door Direct Mail, to capture the attention of potential customers in targeted areas.
- Customer Appreciation: Add a personal touch by sending handwritten thank-you notes or holiday greetings to express your appreciation to your customers.
- Real Estate Marketing: Postcards can help realtors showcase properties recently sold in the neighborhood.
- Event Invitations: Encourage previous participants to attend future events and tradeshows and ensure strong attendance.
Define Your Postcard Objective
Before diving into the design, it’s important to understand the purpose behind creating the postcard. Whether using a professional online printer, tools like Canva, or graphic software like Photoshop, creating custom postcards allows you to align the design with your goals.
Understanding the Purpose
Ask yourself, what do you want to achieve? Are you aiming to raise awareness about your brand, promote a special sale, or invite people to an event?
By clearly understanding your objective, you can craft a message that aligns with your goals and resonates with your audience. For example, if you advertise a sale, your postcard should emphasize the discounts and create a feeling of urgency.
Conversely, if you’re inviting people to an event, focus on the details and what attendees can anticipate.
Defining Target Audience
Once you’ve defined your purpose, the next step is identifying your audience or target demographic.
Knowing who you want to reach is as important as defining your purpose. Tailor your postcard design to appeal directly to your intended demographic. If you’re targeting young professionals, create a more sleek, modern custom design with concise, impactful messaging.
If you want to target families with your message, remember to use warm and inviting images and a conversational tone. Incorporate your own photos to add a personal touch that resonates with your audience. Knowing what your audience likes and cares about will help you design a postcard that grabs their attention and encourages them to act.
Key Elements of Postcard Design
Just keep these important design elements in mind when creating your own unique postcard to really capture the recipient’s attention:
The visual appeal of your postcard is critical for grabbing attention. An eye-catching design can make the difference between being noticed or discarded. Striking visuals draw the viewer in and make them curious about your message. Think of your postcard as a mini billboard; it needs to be visually compelling to make an immediate impact.
Tip: If you can't use a professional designer, you can create one using professionally designed postcard templates offered by tools like Canva, Photoshop, or InDesign. They can help you easily create a visually compelling design.
Incorporate High-Quality Images
Selecting the right images and graphics is important when creating a postcard. While not absolutely necessary, adding images is highly recommended if you want to leave a lasting impression.
Tip: The image and the message you aim to communicate should be relevant to your business.
Use high-resolution images that are relevant to your message and resonate with your target audience. For example, if you're promoting a travel destination, use vibrant photos of the location. Avoid cluttering your design with too many images; choose a few strong visuals that complement your message.
Remember to ensure your photos are high-resolution (300 dpi for printing). If you don't have your own pictures, you can easily purchase affordable, top-quality stock photos from platforms like Getty Images or iStock.
Use Colors Effectively
Often overlooked, the use of colors plays an important role when creating your own postcard design. Different colors can evoke various emotions and behaviors, a concept known as the psychology of colors. For example, blue often conveys trust and calmness, while red can evoke excitement and urgency.
Understanding these emotional triggers can help you create a more impactful design. Pus, color harmony is crucial. Choose a color combination that complements your message and visuals, ensuring the colors work together to create a cohesive and visually appealing design.
This approach enhances the postcard's aesthetic appeal and reinforces the message you want to convey. Just make sure that the colors you selected represent your brand.
To use colors effectively, consider the following tips:
- Consistency with Branding: When selecting colors, ensure they align with your brand's color palette to maintain a cohesive identity.
- Contrast for Readability: Use contrasting colors for text and background to ensure easy readability, such as dark text on a light background or vice versa.
- Highlighting Key Elements: Consider using bright or striking colors to highlight important elements, such as the call to action or special offers.
- Limiting Color Palette: Use a limited color palette to prevent overwhelming the viewer. Generally, 2-3 primary colors and a few accent colors work well.
Psychology of Colors in Marketing
Understanding the psychology behind colors can significantly impact how your audience perceives your postcard. Each color evokes specific emotions and associations, which can be strategically used to enhance your message.
Readable and Appealing Fonts
Remember that choosing the font for your postcard may seem insignificant, but different fonts convey different meanings and can have a psychological impact.
When selecting a font, you should aim to capture your viewer's attention, convey professionalism, and demonstrate an understanding of your niche.
Selecting the right font is a delicate balance. A recent study found that if a font is too easy to read, it may not be memorable. [1] On the other hand, if it's too hard to read, viewers may quickly lose interest.
Keep The Design Simple
When it comes to postcards, less truly is more. Instead of overloading the card with images and text, opt for simplicity. While it might seem contrary to intuition, packing in too much information overwhelms the recipient.
Your main goal is to encourage action. Grab the recipient's attention, communicate the important details, and provide a clear, simple way for them to follow through on your call to action.
Embrace White Space
When we talk about white space, we're not specifically referring to the presence of white space in your design. What it means is that you shouldn't overcrowd every inch of your postcard with text, images, or elements. You should incorporate some areas of your design with a colored background (or white). Having negative space in your design can make it look cleaner and more professional.
Design Tip: When you incorporate white space, you create an opportunity for other elements of your postcard to stand out. This helps transform them into aesthetically pleasing focal points.
Incorporate a Special Offer or Incentive
When creating a marketing postcard to promote your business or services, it's important to consider the recipient's perspective. They will likely ask themselves, "What's in it for me?"
So, you must include an incentive or special offer in your postcard design to grab their attention and encourage them to take action. This approach not only enhances the chances of a better return on investment but also enables you to gauge the effectiveness of your marketing campaign more accurately. Incorporating an enticing offer can make your postcard seem as valuable as currency, making it harder for recipients to throw it away.
Note: Recipients don't have to open anything – your messaging, branding, and CTAs are all right before them, highlighting their next move.
Highlight One Clear Call to Action
Your postcard should only include a single call-to-action. Of course, the person receiving the postcard should check out your website, follow you on Facebook, or make a purchase. However, the main goal of the postcard is to prompt some reaction. Pick the one that aligns most with your desired campaign goals, then make it stand out.
What is the Best High-Quality Paper for Postcards?
Choosing the best paper stock for your postcard mostly depends on your intended use. Here are some of the most popular options:
- 100 lb Cover Gloss: 100 lb Cover Gloss is the most cost-effective option. However, it’s the thinnest postcard paper available, so it’s more prone to bending than other types. Therefore, it’s perfect for packaging inserts!
- 14 pt Cardstock: Known for its durability, it provides a substantial feel that conveys quality and professionalism.
- 16 pt Cardstock: This option offers even greater thickness and sturdiness, making it ideal for postcards that need to stand out and leave a lasting impression.
- Premium Linen Cardstock: For a touch of elegance, this textured cardstock provides a sophisticated look and feel, perfect for special occasions or high-end promotions.
Choosing the right card stock significantly impacts print quality. It ensures that colors pop and details remain sharp, making them visually appealing. Opting for high-quality prints can elevate the overall impact of your postcards, making sure they leave a strong and positive impression.
Once you’ve identified your target audience and established the goal for the post, you can further enhance its effectiveness. No matter the postcard size you need, we’re available to assist you in selecting the ideal card stock for your project.
Did You Know: According to a recent survey, 9 out of 10 consumers believe that the quality of printed materials reflects the level of service a business offers.
Common Postcard Sizes
When designing your postcard, it's important to consider the various sizes available to best suit your needs. From the standard 4" x 6" to the larger 6" x 11", each size offers different benefits for showcasing your message and visuals. Choosing the right size can enhance the impact of your design and ensure it stands out in the mail.
Interested in learning more about the most popular sizes and their uses? Check out our blog, What are the Standard Postcard Dimensions, Your Guide to Postcard Sizes. You'll find all your answers!
Conclusion
As you can see, postcards are a timeless and versatile tool for personal use or marketing purposes. Their tangible nature offers a personal touch that digital media often lacks, making them a valuable asset for any business or personal endeavor.
By setting clear objectives, knowing your target audience, and integrating essential design elements, you can craft postcards that grab attention and communicate your message effectively.
Remember, the power of a postcard comes from its simplicity and straightforwardness. A captivating design paired with a considerate message has the potential to leave a long-lasting impression and prompt the intended response. Whether you're advertising a sale, inviting people to an event, or simply showing appreciation, a well-crafted postcard can effectively convey your message with impact and flair.
Remember the tips and strategies we discussed, whether you're a seasoned marketer or a small business owner. Let your creativity run wild. By approaching it the right way and paying attention to the details, your postcards will reach your audience and make a lasting impression. Enjoy the design process!
Resources:
[1] Varacallo, Dr Patricia, and DO. “Research: Using This Font Can Preserve Your Memory.” The Healthy, 23 Oct. 2023, View Resource.
