What Order To Design In?
 
For a small business, the order that you design your materials in is as important as what you design and how you design them. You want to make sure that you design your materials in order of both importance to your marketing and in terms of cost to produce. Here's my recommendation:
1. Define Your Brand. This is a step that often gets skipped, but will help your entire design process go smoothly. You need to define what your business is all about, what you do, and who you want to work with, so that your marketing materials can be designed in a focused and appropriate way.
2. Logo Design. Your logo should go on all of your marketing materials, and you want all of your materials to match your logo as well — so you have to design it first! It's worth the investment to do this step first instead of saving it for later. Doing this step first will give your materials a polished and finished look that will make your company look established, stable and successful — which makes your company easier for new clients to hire.
3. Business Card. Designing a business card is the next key — so that you'll have these ready to give to new clients to get them in the door. If you're looking to save money, then you might want to print your cards digitally instead of on a traditional press, so that you can get good-looking cards that don't break the bank.
Once you have your Brand Definition, Logo and Business Card, here are the next steps for a small business to consider:
4. Do you need a letterhead? Not all small businesses will need a letterhead as a first step, but some will. It all depends on how you plan to correspond with your customers. If you do want to create a letterhead, then think about whether you'll want to have sheets preprinted, or if you'd rather have your letterhead as a digital file in Word, that you can print out one sheet at a time. If you only print letters occasionally, and email more often, a Word letterhead may be all you need. And, you can use the header from your Word letterhead in Quickbooks, to brand your invoices.
5. Web site. These days, a website is going to be an important part of your marketing and sales strategy. I recommend that a small business start their business literature by creating their site, because it's a great way to work out the text for your other printed marketing materials (there's nothing worse than ordering 1000 brochures and realizing that they don't really say what you want them to!) The text on a website is easy to change, so you can test different messages out before committing to print.
Additionally, a website gives you an active piece of marketing collateral. The website's going to be out in the world, answering prospects' questions, which makes your sales cycle easier. And, if it's Search Engine Optimized well, the site will in new prospects also.
6. Printed collateral. Sales sheets, brochures, packaging, etc. should be the last pieces that you design. And, what you need will depend on how you're planning to market and promote your business. If you plan this section carefully, and make sure that you design pieces that you'll use (meaning that you'll give them out instead of letting them gather dust in your office) and that your prospects will read (instead of throwing them in the trash. So, think of marketing pieces that are going to be helpful to your prospects, so that you'll get the most benefit from giving them out!
Going through this process in the right order will ensure that you create a set of marketing materials that will bring you clients for the life of your business.
About the Author
Erin Ferree is a brand identity and marketing design strategist who creates big visibility for small businesses. Through her customized marketing and brand identity packages, Erin helps her clients discover their brand differentiators, then designs logos, business cards, and other marketing materials and websites to reflect that differentiation, as well as to increase credibility and memorability. As the owner of elf design, Erin is passionate about helping small business owners stand out in front of their competition and attract more clients. Hundreds of small business owners across the US and Canada have relied on Erin to create content and visuals that support their brands.
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