Now that you've made the wise decision to incorporate gift and/or loyalty marketing into your business, you've got a number of decisions to make. One of the first - and most critical - is the decision regarding the card you will offer to your customers. In this article, we'll examine your options and explore some common design and artwork mistakes and what you can do to avoid them.
A Custom Card or a Standard Card?
After you've chosen a card supplier, one of the first things they will want to discuss with you is your card design and whether you want to go with a custom design or a standard design. Custom cards are just that -- they are unique to your company. They pull together your identity (your logo and artwork) to maintain your branding.
Standard designs, on the other hand, are ready-made designs that your gift card supplier has in stock. Many gift card providers have designs that cater to specific categories of business. Therefore, they do not have to be bland. These standard designs also can be personalized by adding your business name, website and telephone numbers and even a logo (but usually in a single color).
Choosing the best option for business takes an understanding of your options. Custom designed cards have several key advantages. You will often see the "big box" retailers use these because they are able to carry their same branding and marketing with a custom design. These custom cards are usually very attractive. An attractive card makes an attractive gift and you can often increase impulse buys with this added eye appeal. Merchants also can try some unique things such as custom die cuts to make specially shaped gift cards. Merchants can use more distinctive materials (such as metallic inks, foils and different card stocks). There are even some cutting edge ideas where the cards have additional digital information or can even play music. The two disadvantages to a custom card design are that the price is more expensive and that the turnaround takes a little more time.
Standard cards can also utilize unique printing features like metallic inks, clear card stocks and die cuts. However there are limitations as to how much a standard card can be personalized. You may be limited in terms of how many characters of text you can use. There are usually only certain color options for the overprinted type. And the number of standard card designs available is a limitation. But there are advantages to standard cards as well. Standard cards are usually less expensive for most businesses because the vendor has printed a large quantity of each design. Standard cards can be personalized and shipped in a matter of days instead of the several weeks it takes to design and produce custom designs.
Creative Considerations
With standard cards, your job is pretty easy -- select your card design from your choices and determine how to personalize it. For the custom card, however, there are more choices. If you have an existing agency that handles your creative work, you will likely work with them to create your design. If not, you will work directly with the supplier. Some suppliers may even have their own in-house creative departments to help you with your design. Either way, you will need to provide the designers some direction. You may need to supply them with some of your existing artwork so that they can base their designs on your current branding. For example, if you run a restaurant, you may want to provide them with the art from your menu. Or, maybe your business has brochures or ads that use your art and would be suitable for this purpose. These materials will help tie in your current marketing to the card.
Here are some good ideas of things to do and not do when going through this design process:
1. DON'T use artwork from the Internet. Graphics that are used on the web are not of adequate resolution (graphic clarity for lack of a better term) for print use.
2. DON'T provide graphic images that need to be enlarged from their existing size. This lowers the quality. As you make the image bigger, the resolution gradually decreases.
3. DON'T use images that have already been printed. Any artwork that has been printed commercially has likely been converted into a series of microscopic "dots" that make up the printed image. This works well the first time the image is printed but when the same process is repeated on a previously printed image, the result is an image that has what is termed a "moir" pattern and the artwork will not print satisfactorily.
4. DO find your original computer files of these various materials and use these. These originals will likely be of high quality and will allow the designer to quickly convert the images into a good design.
5. DON'T clutter your design with too much info. It's a very common error that people make, trying to hit every marketing point. Keep the design simple to keep your visual impact high.
6. DO maximize your logo on your design. Your gift or loyalty cad serves as a miniature billboard for your business. The main thing you want a customer to remember is the name of your business. Your logo is the one constant your customers expect to see on your marketing materials and your gift cards should be no exception.
7. DO look into using custom merchandising vehicles. By coordinating your package (which might include a custom card on a custom card hanger or card carrier) you help increase your perceived value...and that helps improve sales.
Whether you choose to go with a standard card with some personalization and want to begin in a week, or whether you want to go for a full-custom package and coordinate all your marketing efforts, there is nothing like receiving that first box of cards and seeing your attractive, glossy gift cards. Once you start making your customers aware that you offer gift cards, you will also love the increased revenues to your business. - 15485
A Custom Card or a Standard Card?
After you've chosen a card supplier, one of the first things they will want to discuss with you is your card design and whether you want to go with a custom design or a standard design. Custom cards are just that -- they are unique to your company. They pull together your identity (your logo and artwork) to maintain your branding.
Standard designs, on the other hand, are ready-made designs that your gift card supplier has in stock. Many gift card providers have designs that cater to specific categories of business. Therefore, they do not have to be bland. These standard designs also can be personalized by adding your business name, website and telephone numbers and even a logo (but usually in a single color).
Choosing the best option for business takes an understanding of your options. Custom designed cards have several key advantages. You will often see the "big box" retailers use these because they are able to carry their same branding and marketing with a custom design. These custom cards are usually very attractive. An attractive card makes an attractive gift and you can often increase impulse buys with this added eye appeal. Merchants also can try some unique things such as custom die cuts to make specially shaped gift cards. Merchants can use more distinctive materials (such as metallic inks, foils and different card stocks). There are even some cutting edge ideas where the cards have additional digital information or can even play music. The two disadvantages to a custom card design are that the price is more expensive and that the turnaround takes a little more time.
Standard cards can also utilize unique printing features like metallic inks, clear card stocks and die cuts. However there are limitations as to how much a standard card can be personalized. You may be limited in terms of how many characters of text you can use. There are usually only certain color options for the overprinted type. And the number of standard card designs available is a limitation. But there are advantages to standard cards as well. Standard cards are usually less expensive for most businesses because the vendor has printed a large quantity of each design. Standard cards can be personalized and shipped in a matter of days instead of the several weeks it takes to design and produce custom designs.
Creative Considerations
With standard cards, your job is pretty easy -- select your card design from your choices and determine how to personalize it. For the custom card, however, there are more choices. If you have an existing agency that handles your creative work, you will likely work with them to create your design. If not, you will work directly with the supplier. Some suppliers may even have their own in-house creative departments to help you with your design. Either way, you will need to provide the designers some direction. You may need to supply them with some of your existing artwork so that they can base their designs on your current branding. For example, if you run a restaurant, you may want to provide them with the art from your menu. Or, maybe your business has brochures or ads that use your art and would be suitable for this purpose. These materials will help tie in your current marketing to the card.
Here are some good ideas of things to do and not do when going through this design process:
1. DON'T use artwork from the Internet. Graphics that are used on the web are not of adequate resolution (graphic clarity for lack of a better term) for print use.
2. DON'T provide graphic images that need to be enlarged from their existing size. This lowers the quality. As you make the image bigger, the resolution gradually decreases.
3. DON'T use images that have already been printed. Any artwork that has been printed commercially has likely been converted into a series of microscopic "dots" that make up the printed image. This works well the first time the image is printed but when the same process is repeated on a previously printed image, the result is an image that has what is termed a "moir" pattern and the artwork will not print satisfactorily.
4. DO find your original computer files of these various materials and use these. These originals will likely be of high quality and will allow the designer to quickly convert the images into a good design.
5. DON'T clutter your design with too much info. It's a very common error that people make, trying to hit every marketing point. Keep the design simple to keep your visual impact high.
6. DO maximize your logo on your design. Your gift or loyalty cad serves as a miniature billboard for your business. The main thing you want a customer to remember is the name of your business. Your logo is the one constant your customers expect to see on your marketing materials and your gift cards should be no exception.
7. DO look into using custom merchandising vehicles. By coordinating your package (which might include a custom card on a custom card hanger or card carrier) you help increase your perceived value...and that helps improve sales.
Whether you choose to go with a standard card with some personalization and want to begin in a week, or whether you want to go for a full-custom package and coordinate all your marketing efforts, there is nothing like receiving that first box of cards and seeing your attractive, glossy gift cards. Once you start making your customers aware that you offer gift cards, you will also love the increased revenues to your business. - 15485
About the Author:
Al Duggan specializes in custom gift and loyalty cards and is the VP of Business Development for Valutec Card Solutions, LLC, a Metavante (NYSE:MV) company, the nation's largest provider of gift card programs to small to mid-sized businesses.
