Corporate Gifts for 2012? It’s in the Bag!!

Posted on February 15, 2012 by promotional

Personalised products are likely to continue to be popular this year after I recently read the the number of UK exhibitions and exhibitors are on the increase in 2012.

As I have mentioned on previous posts, there are a variety of promotional products available at present, but making a final choice if you are new to this with a limited budget can be difficult.

For that reason I am wanted to talk more about printed bags – the only solution that provides plenty of print space at a cost effective price for all of your brochures and products to be given away in.

Printed Plastic Bags

Probably still the most popular choice is the plastic bag although options are available from the white plastic carrier. Choose from a variety of colours as well as different print styles that cover the whole or just part of the bag. Bag materials also vary, with some more heavy duty plastics used by those who are selling heavy items or giving out a lot of literature.

Printed Green Bags

Not just for those in the Eco and green industries, these bags can be created to look highly fashionable and desirable with the right style and design technique. Jute, Cotton and Cardboard bags are all suitable in this category as they are either made of recycled materials or are fully recyclable.

Luxury Printed Shopping Bags

Luxury Printed Bag

Boutique style bags like these are popular with shoppers, who often see them as a luxury item! Stores in well known fashion districts and by designers often use these, so they are well suited to high end events and products and specifically for those in the clothes industry.

Sports Bags

For something a bit unusual there are bags specifically for sporting activities such as gym bags, rucksacks and swimming bags with drawstrings.

As will all other promotional items, the personalisation added is your choice and in some cases full colour options are available. Choosing the right style and colour of bag is a good starting point and ensuring your goods can be carried by the bag is another important factor.

How to create design ideas for your 2012 promotional products

Posted on January 3, 2012 by promotional

The world of promotional marketing has changed over recent years and the availability of new and improved design software and capabilities means it is possible to come up with far more elaborate and personal designs than ever before.

For example, new simple to use software makes it easier for companies to provide staff with the tools they need to create designs suitable for use in a variety of ways, including:

Company stationary (such as letterheads, comp slips etc)
Promotional Products
Company Uniforms
And many other items

So if you are thinking of creating a design like this for the first time, then what should you consider when creating the images? Here are a few pointers suitable for use on marketing items and other promotional products.

Start with your logo

If you are creating your own logo then start with any images of shapes you want to use and build around them. Think about font styles and sizes that suit the business well, for example serif fonts not so well suited to builder or construction workers, but would work well as a gift shop logo.

If your logo has already been created by a designer ask for a copy of it electronically that you can alter – you might need an EPS file, JPEG or similar.

Make notes about your logo

However your design ends up, be sure to make plenty of notes including where you saved it, the size and type of file, the dimensions of the image and what the pantone references or RGB values for the colours are. All this information will be highly valuable for the next stage.

Use image editing software to create a promotional message around your logo

Of course, depending on the size requirements for the product, your picture can be big or small. Most good photo editing software will allow you to set the image size in pixels, which is what most printing companies will require. Be sure to ask yours for the dimensions needed before starting the design, or you may find it doesn’t fit!

Using the pantone and RGB references you took note of you can add text in matching colours and use effects such as shadows or highlighting to make it stand out. I normally come up with a few design ideas to showcase before setting anything in stone.

There are many things to consider when creating your own artwork, but doing it yourself is one of the best ways to learn and with software becoming more accessible you might even find you save some money in the long term.

Are digital banners losing their appeal?

Posted on December 12, 2011 by promotional

I have found that many marketing professionals are currently pooling their resources to try and decipher which promotional products are most suitable for the New Year that is fast approaching us. Items down for consideration have included anything from promotional banners, exhibition attendance, staff and customer functions to products such as corporate pens, mugs and the like.

Never an area to be missed, the internet has become one of the most important places many businesses are spending money, with advertising available in a variety of digital forms.

I read recently that some are starting to re-consider digital banner advertising because some users are no longer able to see banners depending on the platform and browser they are using. In some cases “readers” are now being used that remove all images from a page and only present the text available. At this stage it is almost impossible to say how many people will or will not be able to see an advert like this as there are so many variables, but it does make you wonder how to best spend your money digitally.

Designing and creating online media is something that should be passed to professionals, and some believe that this consideration alone can cause design and implementation costs to soar.

The use of mobile internet and tables PC’s is commonplace in most businesses these days and as a result it seems companies are looking for new ways of reaching these audiences. App development for Apple, Android, Blackberry and other smartphone type devices is becoming common practice and some businesses use exhibitions as an opportunity to promote these online services, although the same cost considerations still have to be taken in to account.

Unlike the physical banner stands I have spoken about on here, digital media is an ever changing beast and as a result i’m sure there will be an alternative advertising stream suitable for the platforms mentioned previously in the very near future.

In the meantime I will be sticking to my traditional banners and exhibition stands and waiting for a more cost effective digital campaign to appear.

Printing choices for Conference Folders

Posted on November 18, 2011 by promotional

With the variety of designs and products available today for personalisation, it is no surprise this printed products are becoming a marketing staple for small and large businesses alike.

But the printing processes available to the masses have also changed over the years and the quality of finish on your product can be enhanced if you make the right choices.

Zipped Conference Folder

Folders are a good example of this – many people now purchase zipped conference folders as a marketing product that is personalised with a logo and contact details. And although we have all seen these products before most people would think they can only be printed when personalised, but there are far more choices available today:

Laser Printing

Still the most popular and possibly cost effective choice out there, laser printing onto a conference folder normally requires a canvas finish which often makes the folders themselves the most cost effective solution too. Often your will find the whole of the front of the folder can be personalised, giving you lots of space.

Personalised Embossing

Embossing is only available on certain styles of folder that have been created for this purpose. Normally made of a black plastic, the cover is heated and your logo embossed onto the front of the folder forever! Like the last printing, there is normally plenty of space for your logo, but as there will be no colour you should make sure anything you print is clear and concise.

Promotional Embroidery

Embroidering the front of a conference folder is often the happy medium between printing and embossing. A quality finish, in colour, that won’t rub off. However, depending on the size of your required logo the costs can vary so be sure to get the dimensions of the logo right. If your uniform supplier has already embroidered products for you then you might be able to use the same template for the front of a conference folder too. Just ask your supplier for more information as this could save you set up costs in the long term.

Most promotional product supplier will be able to advise you on the right printing methods based on your logo and size requirements. Before setting up any promotional printing you will need to make sure you have a high quality copy of your logo and details of the colour references you use for other printing.

New 2011 products including Fluorescent Promotional Pens

Posted on November 2, 2011 by promotional

I am always on the lookout for new ideas to use within the promotional market and some product lines seem to have a new design available on a monthly basis.

Personalised Velocity Ball Pen

The velocity ball pen (pictured) is still a popular promotional pen choice and there have been several updates in its style and design over the years. Specifically I like the silvery metallic finish and find the comfort grip and ball ink very comfortable to use.

Fluorescent Pen Designs

This and a couple of other brands I have seen now offer varying colours on the grip as well as the body of the pen and a new selection of colours that are sure to suit most logos.

If you are looking for an alternative style to the traditional promotional pen, then what about these fluorescent colours on the original design. Additionally the manufacturer has introduced a “translucent” style of pen that has an almost see-through body – quite a modern and trendy look for a printed pen!

To top it off there is now a Gold coloured trim also available for a different finishing touch – the black pen style shown in the image works well with this.

If you print pens for the holidays then the green colour would have made an excellent choice for Halloween and possibly the all red colour might make a good corporate gift for Christmas.

With prices starting from around 36p per pen, these are a low cost, quality item that will work well as part of a marketing campaign, exhibition giveaway, handout or as part of a mail shot.