- Before the advent of the internet and email,
every business and individual
had custom designed stationary systems,
which communicated professionalism and stability.
While email is the dominant media
for informal business communication,
a printed letterhead addresses formal needs
or signifies a vital message.
Every company or organization benefits
from a stationary system to maintain a unified voice
for correspondence and communication.
I had a client once who came to me with 20 variations,
designed by each department at his company.
The message to the outside world
clearly communicated was we're disorganized.
A stationary system manages production costs.
If I print the group of business cards
with multiple names once every three months,
it will be less expensive
than printing one business card this week
and another two weeks later.
The specific elements of a stationary system
will vary by client.
A smaller company
may only need letterhead number 10 business envelope
and business card.
Larger organizations might require several versions
of a letterhead for different divisions.
A window envelope, a nine by 12 catalog envelope,
mailing label, or specialty business cards,
and monarch size letterhead, and envelope for the CEO.
I work with a client to get to the heart
of their needs before I begin any creative work.
Sometimes people are convinced they need 10 envelope sizes,
when a mailing label may be more flexible
and cost efficient.
Or they may only mail a few letters a month.
Ordering a case of 5,000 envelopes will be a waste.
I work with a printer to determine costs.
And again, work with the client to decide
which items to order, decrease the quantity, or delete.
Now, I can start designing.
I design each item individually,
but I think of them as a group.
An identity system will have a logo,
color palette, and typography guidelines.
I use these guidelines when I design the system.
It may seem tedious,
but the chances are good the viewer may only see
the business card one day and the letterhead weeks later.
It is rare to see a complete suite of all items.
I work with consistent sizes for the elements on all pieces.
If the typography on the letterhead is eight points,
I match this on the business card and all other items.
If the logo is one inch wide,
I use that size on other items or equal divisions,
such as 150% on the business card.
The proportional size relations
maintain a sense of unity and clarity.
Different typographic sizes, or styles,
and arbitrary scale for the logo,
and wildly shifting color choices won't seem attractive.
They simply look sloppy and unrefined.
Many items might make up a stationary system.
Unless your client is a giant worldwide corporation
you probably don't need all of these.
Be judicious and work with the client
and printer to control costs.
And print only the necessary items.
The result will be a happy client returning
to you for ongoing work on reorders
and new pieces to add to the stationary system
and other designed items.