Graphic Design & Print Collateral in Burlington, NC | North Star Marketing-Communicaitons

We do graphic design in Burlington, NC.

We love the web. In fact, if it weren’t for the web, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But it’s amazing how the more things change, the more they stay (more or less) the same.

At some point in your communications cycle, passing paper is still an expectation. And not only is it an expectation, it's an opportunity to give your brand a tangible, unique expression that can be referenced with out aid of electricity or Wi-fi.

To be clear, our normative stance is that your paper should push to the web for richer, fuller detail. But you can’t fold the web. You can’t pass it around the conference room table. You can’t tuck it in a file drawer for future reference, and you can’t rip a corner off of it and tuck your expired Juicy Fruit in it.

There’s just something about a brochure, a flyer, a cut sheet, an information packet or a direct mail piece that says, “We’re established. We’ve done this before. We’ll be here tomorrow, next week, a year from now, 10 years from now...and certainly, when you need us.”

Down the Paper Trail
So where do you begin in assessing your print collateral needs? That's an easy one. Ask your competitors.

Pull together a big, fat library of brochures, sell sheets, business cards and other "stuff" from your competitors, your industry and your past print efforts and categorize it into stacks you like, stacks you don't like, and stacks that you don't necessarily like, but still have some good ideas. When we get together to discuss your print collateral needs, we'll dig through these piles and see what applies to your next-generation print projects.

Make a List. Check it Twice.
What kind of information works well in print? For starters, info that won't change much. The last thing you want to do in a print project is go to press with 2,500 pieces of something that will change in two weeks.

In assessing your print needs, make a list of everything you want people to be able to understand without the benefit of someone from your organization peering over their shoulder, filling in the knowledge gaps.

Armed with this list, make a second list that details how you want to use the collateral. Will you be issuing a proposal in this packet? Do you plan to use it in a brochure holder? Will it be sent through the mail? Does it need to be primarily text or primarily product images? Is it a technical document? Will it be a series of pieces that cover your entire line? Does it need a tear-off, glue tabs or business card slits?

Write, Right?
Just about everyone has a grammarian in the family. So whether you write the copy yourself, recruit an in-house writer, brow beat your sister-in-law, or ask us to do it, give your copy writer something to start with. Copy writers already have a hard enough job as it is without having to become mind readers to get the job done. A simple outline of the essentials will suffice.

Ex Nihilo
Making something out of nothing was the Almighty's approach to creation. All powerful. All knowing. All present. Highly effective. He just said the word, and...WHAM! A firmament.

Unfortunately, the Almighty won't be doing your graphic design, which is why it pays to make sure your graphic designer has everything he or she needs to get your print project underway. The finished product looks collected, professional and on-purpose because it was built with the right tools.

If built correctly, your brochures get the point across. Your direct mail pieces have a clear, effective call to action. Your information packet has an appropriately-sized branded envelope. The business cards look great.

And, best of all, you don't apologize when someone asks for "more information." (Go ahead...reach into your bag and pull out a manufacturer's spec sheet...with your sticker on it....)