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Who are you? How do you look on paper? Despite the surge in email use, professionally designed printed stationery packages are crucial to making a good first impression. The purpose of letterhead and related items is to express an identity, beyond the actual words used in the message.

A basic corporate identity system or stationery package consists of letterhead, envelopes, and business cards. In some cases, labels are also a basic component. If no logo exists and one is needed, logo design may also comprise part of the complete design package.

Whether designing for a client or for yourself, the first steps to developing a successful identity package is getting to know the business for which the package is intended.

About the business and its clients:

• What kind of business is it?
• What type of products or services does it produce?
• How long have they been in business?
• Who are their major competitors?
• Who needs the product or service the business produces?
• How do current or potential customers preceive the business or the industry in general?
• Does the business want to attract or focus on a specific segment of its overall customer base?

About the stationery package:

• If the business already has a stationery package in use, what do they like/dislike about the current package?
• How will the letterhead by used? (That is, will it be run through laser printers, inkjet printers, be handwritten, frequently photocopied or faxed?)
• What kind of budget does the business have and what type of volume is required?
• Will color be used? (And how much color will the budget allow?)
• Does the client have a preference for or against thermography, single, bi-fold, or tri-fold business cards, or other definite likes/dislikes?