Essential Designs for Your Business: Digital And Print

In a previous article, we provided a guide on how to create a strong brand identity.

In it, we covered the essential elements of a brand’s visual identity – its logo, font selection, color palette, imagery, etc.

We said that these elements should complement and support each other, and be designed with a unifying vision in mind.
 

Moreover, to keep the brand consistent and to protect it from damage, there should be clear rules on how, when and where to use the brand’s elements.
 

In a separate article, we discussed the role of the brand book as a key business asset.

In it, we wrote that the brand book, guide, or manual is the place to showcase the brand’s elements and list rules and restrictions on how and where to use them.
 

We concluded that the brand book is a key deliverable in the brand creation process, which you should expect to receive when working with a graphic designer or agency.
 

We also said that the brand book typically includes example uses of the brand’s elements in business cards, packaging, outdoor advertising, social media profiles, etc.
 

In this article, we will provide a guide to the essential designs that you will need when starting your business.
 

Our goal is to help you prioritize among the long list of design assets to ensure a successful launch of your business while staying within budget.

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Before you can begin to think about specific branded assets like business cards and brochures, you will first need to have a brand identity.

We believe that this is a crucial step to get right, so we suggest working with an experienced graphic designer or agency to help you.

You should expect to engage in an iterative process with them to create your brand’s visual elements and set rules for their use in a brand book.

These elements include:

• Your brand’s logo

• Your brand’s font selection

• Your brand’s color palette

• Your brand’s illustrations, graphics and icons
   

Additionally, you may wish to invest in high-quality photos and videos for your business.

As we discussed in this article, these photos can include:

• Business photos of you and your team

• Photos of your business location (e.g. your office, your café, your restaurant)

• Product photos, including lifestyle photos of your products in use

• Photos provided by your customers, used with their permission

Once you have a set of high-quality visual elements for your brand, you can use them for any digital and print assets as long as you adhere to the guidelines outlined in the brand book.

In the following section, we will provide an overview of the most common types of design assets that you can consider for your business.

Depending on your specific needs, some of these assets may be essential, while others may be good to have, or optional. Some may be completely irrelevant and unnecessary.

If you choose to work with us on your branding project, as an experienced graphic design agency, we will help you find the right set of designs for your needs.

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As a business owner or first-time founder, you may be overwhelmed by the number of design assets advertised by freelancers and agencies.

To make matters worse, some assets seem to have alternative names or are referred to in jargon terms only familiar to professionals in the industry.
 

For example, as a client of design services, how can you know the difference between a roll-up banner, a retractable banner, a pop-up banner, or a banner stand?
 

These terms are often used interchangeably in the design industry to describe portable, vertical banners typically used at trade shows, events, or in-store displays.
 

Despite the different names, they all refer to a similar product with a graphic panel that retracts into a base for easy transportation, but how could you know?
 

In our experience, the terminology, the complexity and the number of options available for each design asset can be quite intimidating.
 

As a business owner, how can you know what design services you need? If you do, how do you accurately describe them? How do you prevent misunderstandings?

If you choose to work with us on your branding project, we will explain all the available options in detail so you can make the right choice.

In the following section, we will provide an overview of the most common types of design assets.

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Here are the digital and print design assets you are most likely to need as a business owner:

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In recent years, digital design assets have gained in importance relative to printed ones. In fact, some businesses rely almost exclusively on digital branding, such as mobile app companies and streaming services.

As a small business owner or first-time founder, it is important to establish a strong digital presence.

This can be achieved through the following assets:

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Your brand’s logo is arguably its most important element and a key business asset. Because of its importance, we suggest hiring a professional designer or agency to create the logo with you.

In a previous article, we discussed at length the dangers of cheap design solutions like AI logo generators and logo design competitions. While the logo is a key element of your brand, it is not synonymous with the brand itself.

A key mistake first-time business owners make is to only invest in a logo and neglect all other brand elements. This leads to poor business results.

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As a business owner, your website can serve as a digital storefront, your main presence on the web.
 

In a previous article, we discussed how your business can benefit from a website, even if it runs well without one.
 

In it, we said that a well-designed website can allow potential customers to find you, giving you the opportunity to make a great first impression by displaying your brand.
 

In another article, we discussed what you can show on your website, even if your business is brand new and you don’t have customer reviews and testimonials yet.
 

In it, we said that you can build trust with potential customers by including FAQs, writing blog articles, providing contact information, listing your products and services, etc.
 

If you choose to work with us on your next web project, we will build your website on Webflow. We discussed what a custom Webflow website can do for your business in this article.

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For most businesses, creating and developing social media profiles is a powerful way to reach potential customers and interact with them.
 

To make a good first impression with users and stand out in their crowded feed, you need to make sure that your brand is presented in the best possible way.
 

To do this, you should only use high-quality profile photos, cover images and post templates. We highly suggest working with a designer to create them with you.
 

If you use your logo in your profile picture, make sure that it’s clearly visible, in the right size and quality, and is not in any way distorted, cropped or squished.
 

To keep your posts visually consistent and on-brand, we suggest using a limited number of reusable templates.
 

Different social media have different size and dimension requirements for different types of images.
 

Once you have decided on a general template, you need to make sure that you have a copy of each template in all necessary dimensions.
 

Here are the dimensions of the most important image types for Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

• Facebook:

Profile Picture: 180 x 180 px
Cover Photo (Banner): 820 x 312 px
Post Image: 1200 x 630 px

• Instagram:

Profile Picture: 320 x 320 px
Post Image: 1080 x 1080 px (square) / 1080 x 1350 px (portrait)
Story Image: 1080 x 1920 px

• LinkedIn:

Profile Picture: 400 x 400 px
Cover Photo (Banner): 1584 x 396 px
Post Image: 1200 x 627 px

If you choose to work with us on your social media design templates, we will make sure that you have them in every size and format you need.

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Another popular marketing tool is to create an email newsletter for your business, in which you regularly send subscribers updates, news, and promotions.
 

To be effective, this strategy requires content to be planned and created on a regular basis. One way to reduce the complexity and costs of content creation is to use email newsletter templates.

You can create a limited number of distinct email templates for different occasions. This will allow you to remain flexible while staying on brand with your email communications.

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Digital brochures are a powerful and popular tool to promote your products and services online.
 

You can allow potential customers to download them, for example on your website, or send them directly, for example as email attachments.
 

You can particularly benefit from digital brochures if you run, for example, a real estate firm (for showcasing property portfolios), a travel agency (to present travel destinations and packages), or an online retailer (for promoting products and packages).

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In recent years, the pitch deck has been recognized as key for any startup’s success. A well-designed pitch deck allows you as the founder to effectively tell your story and present your brand.

In a previous article, we provided a guide on how to craft the perfect pitch deck for your startup. In it, we showed how custom design can help improve every key slide in your pitch deck.

In addition to founding a startup, you can particularly benefit from marketing presentations if you run, for example, a consultancy, a financial advisory, a healthcare organization, or a marketing agency.

As presentations change and need to be updated regularly, we suggest investing in custom-designed presentation templates in PowerPoint, Google Slides or Keynote.

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Good graphic design and branding is crucial to make your digital advertising a success.

In today’s crowded ad market, you will likely be competing with numerous businesses for customers’ attention on Google, Facebook, and other platforms.
 

That’s why we recommend working with an experienced designer or agency on your digital ad creative.
 

Similar to your social media images, you are likely to need ads and banners designed in multiple formats.
 

For example, popular banner formats on the Google Display Network include:

• Leaderboard: 728 x 90 px

• Wide Skyscraper: 160 x 600 px

• Billboard: 970 x 250 px
   

While digital design assets have grown in popularity in recent years, in our experience, print design assets can provide a lot of value to your business.
 

In this section, we will explore the most popular types of print brand materials.

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Although it is now easier than ever to look up information online, the business card remains a key business tool.
 

Investing in high quality printed business cards can send a powerful signal that you take your brand seriously and pay attention to detail.
 

With a well-designed business card, you will have the opportunity to leave a lasting first impression with potential customers.
 

Business cards are an especially powerful tool if you are a professional in, for example, law, medicine, or real estate.
 

Just think of the professionals whose services you use and want to have a business card handy, should you need it. If your business involves person-to-person contact, we suggest investing in high-quality custom business.

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Although almost no one writes letters by hand anymore, using a branded letterhead and envelopes can be a powerful way to build trust with customers.
 

Recognizing your branding on an envelope and the paper you print your message on is the signal they need to know the message comes from you and is legitimate.
 

By using a branded letterhead and envelope, you also ensure that your message stands out.

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Similar to the digital brochures we discussed in a previous section, printed brochures and flyers can be powerful branded assets.
 

That is because investing in high-quality print is a signal to existing and potential customers that you are willing to go the extra mile.
 

In our experience, the feeling of browsing a high-quality printed brochure is incomparable to reading a digital one online.
 

Outside of the high-end area, printed brochures and flyers are also useful if you run, for example, a restaurant or cafe, a retail store, or a local services company.

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Posters and banners will allow you to capture existing and potential customers’ attention in spaces they inhabit or pass through.
 

For example, you can strategically position posters indoors in spaces likes offices, malls, hallways of health institutions, retailers, etc.
 

You can also place banners outdoors at key locations your customers are likely to visit or pass by.
 

Knowing your audience well will help you determine the appropriate locations.

If you sell physical products, there is perhaps nothing more important to your marketing efforts than the packaging your products come in. After all, the packaging is often the first aspect of your product the customer encounters.

Packaging encompasses everything from boxes to labels to tags. It’s important to get all these elements right to create value for your customers and avoid brand damage.

If you sell physical products, we highly suggest ensuring that your packaging is well-designed before most other marketing considerations.

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Branded stationery is another marketing tool you can use to create an emotional connection with your customers.
 

Notebooks, pens, pads, and other stationery items you give your customers are things they are likely to use on a daily basis for a long time.
 

For example, every time they write something down in their notebook, they will be exposed to your branding.
 

You may consider investing in stationery design particularly if you run a law firm, consultancy, a real estate agency, a coworking space, a financial advisory, or a bank.

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While advertising is increasingly moving to the digital domain, we think that print advertising still has its place.
 

Appropriately designed and placed print ads can have a strong effect. For example, there may be a specialty magazine in your industry that is popular with your customers.

As with all others marketing materials, in print advertisements, it is important to stay consistent with your branding.

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Although much of retail and commerce has moved to digital along with much of its advertising, printed product catalogs can still be used to great effect.
 

Similar to business cards and brochures, printed product catalogs can create value for your brand by allowing you to showcase your products in a visually appealing way.
 

Printed product catalogs are especially useful if you’re running, for example, a furniture and home décor store, a fashion and apparel business, or have a beauty and cosmetics brand.

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Organizing an event for customers, business partners, employees, or suppliers, can be a powerful way to engage with your audience.
 

In addition to giving you the chance to create a particular atmosphere and engage directly with people, events can enable you to display your branding in multiple ways.
 

You may need a number of branded assets designed for an event, e.g.:

• Banners, posters, and flags

• TV screens with static images, slide shows, or video

• Invitations, name tags, menus, badges, brochures

• Branded stationery, product samples

• Stage design and branding, photo walls
   

Depending on the size, type, location and budget of the event, you can choose to brand as few or as many assets as you need, but It’s key to keep the brand consistent.
 

Organizing events is particularly useful if you run, for example, a beverage company or brewery (for tastings), a car company (for shows and test drives), or a fashion and apparel brand (for fashion shows).

Finally, you may consider investing in branded merchandise, e.g. t-shirts, mugs, etc.
 

With branded merchandise, your customers will become your brand ambassadors. Wanting to associate themselves with your brand, they will proudly display it to their peers.

Selling merchandise is particularly useful if you’re an influencer, celebrity, content creator, musician or artist. It can also help your marketing if you run a sports team, an entertainment brand, or an educational institution.

As we have shown, creating, maintaining and developing a brand involves much more than choosing a logo for it.
 

On the contrary, it involves creating an encompassing visual and verbal identity for the brand which you can then use in your marketing materials.
 

As a new business, the number of options available for digital and printed design assets can be overwhelming.
 

Depending on your industry and specific needs, you should prioritize them to ensure a smooth start to your business while staying within budget.
 

For most businesses, following a complete brand design process, we recommend investing in a custom website, social media templates, and ads design (if applicable).
 

Need comprehensive graphic design and branding support? Send us your brief!
 

Get in touch today!