Have you thought about the value of having custom envelopes as part of your marketing strategy? We often take the humble envelope for granted, but did you know that colourful envelopes are as much as nine times more likely to be opened? If you want the envelope’s contents to be read then you’re going to want to invest in custom, colourful envelopes that will stand out from the pack.
There are any number of ways that an envelope can be customised. Some of the most effective techniques, however, have come from the most simple ideas.
1) Experiment with different envelope sizes
Before you even start to think about the design that will go on the envelope, consider experimenting with the dimensions of it. Even a slight deviation away from the norm would be enough to catch the eye from within a pile of mail. A good dimension to consider here is 6×9-sized envelopes.
The other benefit of having a slightly larger envelope is that you’ve got more real estate on the envelope to fill with your designs. That, in turn, allows you to get more creative. There will be times that you’ll want a standard envelope (for formal business mailings, for example, standard format conveys the sense of professionalism), but in most cases, alternative envelope sizes are a good place to start your custom envelope designs.
2) Make good use of white space
You want to catch the eye with your envelope. Not overload it. One of the most important elements of good envelope design is an understanding of how white space works; the empty “whiteness” that surrounds the text and visual elements worked into the design.
You may even want to go minimalist, with the bulk of the envelope being white space, aside from one specific logo or design in a corner (or the middle) designed to draw the eye and focus it on that element. Minimalism is a very in-vogue approach towards marketing collateral at the moment, so feel confident going with the “less is more” approach if that suits your brand.
3) Use complementary colours, not a lot of colours
Colour is what will make your envelope really stand out, and as the studies show, it’s the colour itself that makes an envelope more likely to be opened. The question then becomes “what colours should I use?”
It’s best to take a “less is more” approach here, too. Just as conventional wisdom around logo design suggests that you stick to one or two colours, you want to limit the amount of colour on the envelope to one or two colours. Modern printing means that you’re not restricted by what colours you want on there, but study your colour wheel and make sure that they work together.
4) Have the envelope and the contents inside it aesthetically match
A useful trick for creating a sense of respectability and professionalism around your brand is to make sure that there’s a consistency in the visual presentation of it. When consumers see that your logos, design elements, letterheads, and the envelope itself all share an aesthetic consistency, they’re much more likely to pay attention to your brand, across the brand.
This means that your envelope should have the same colours as the letterhead and logo – you may have different design elements or variations across each, but maintaining the consistency in structure and colour is key.
5) Use high quality paper
There are two reasons that you should use high quality stock for your envelopes. The first is perception. People have an ingrained resistance to low quality paper in their mailbox. They’ve been conditioned to see low-quality stock as “junk mail”, and colourful or not, they’re more likely to glaze over it.
The second reason is more practical; higher quality paper means that anything printed on it looks better. Colours are bolder and richer, text looks more crisp and clean. High quality paper helps to provide a pristine aesthetic and further capture the audience’s attention.
6) Don’t just rely on the logo!
Having imagery that represents your brand can be even more effective than sticking your logo on the envelope. After all, your goal here is to catch the audience’s attention, and unless they’re very familiar with your brand, a logo isn’t going to mean much to them.
There are any number of directions you could go with imagery. You could hire a graphic designer to come up with something exciting and interesting that reflects your brand in some way. Alternatively, if you’re looking to establish a human connection with your audience from the outset, then the image of a human face might do the trick. Work out what your brand represents, and then have some art that is consistent with that on the envelope for maximum impact.
Coming up with a killer design for an envelope is one of the most effective branding and marketing exercises that you can undertake. Need some help printing off your custom envelope design? Contact MVP Print today or head directly to our envelope page or alternatively visit our custom quote page for a truly unique printed product and rest easy knowing that your finished product will be of the best quality in Australia.
