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Very Valuable Insight Into Illustrator Taylor

Gavin Campbell — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 10:24:36 +0000

This Pittsburgh Freelance worker is fairly imaginative in Conceptual Illustration, Editorial Design along with Lifestyle Illustration

Freelance Illustration Portfolio – Rich Murray

Kerisha Collins — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 10:47:47 +0000

Freelancing in Canada, Rich Murray is the highly-talented Cartoon and Children's Illustrator, as well as Flash Animator

Basic Tips For Copywriting

Amy Carrington — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 09:10:56 +0000

If you're starting out in a new job that requires some copywriting, or if you're interesting in learning more about it in order to pursue some extra work, then this article is for you. Herein lies some of the very basics for making an impression with your copywriting; it's easy.

Letterheads

Guest — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:48:08 +0000

One of the most common products in every office is the A4 or letter sized notepaper and if it is customized its called Letterhead. Since personal computers and domestic printers became so popular – modern housekeeping include A4 sheets too.

Making A Good Impression With Business Card and Letterhead

Guest — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:47:51 +0000

Many corporations often neglect the importance of having a good business card and letterhead design. If you’re unaware of the effectiveness of having a professionally designed business card and letterhead, do note that you can literally turn these two materials into an excellent, low-cost form of marketing and advertising tool. In the highly competitive business world today, it is crucial that you show people how you value your business by handling the slightest thing professionally.

Making A Good Impression With Business Card and Letterhead

Guest — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:47:51 +0000

A Job Out of a Letterhead

Guest — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:32:45 +0000

I am in my early 20s. I am young compared to my contemporaries at work. But I would like to be modest this time and share how I made a good impression in my application cover letter. The secret? Simple. A personal letterhead.

Of course it’s not usual that applicants have a personal letterhead. But that’s precisely the point. It’s unusual. And it stands out.

I first got the idea from a friend who works in the Human Resources Department of a prominent multi-national company. She says it’s tiring to go over the cover letters of applicants almost every day, with each letter almost containing the same phrases and the same plea for employment. I don’t think it’s an arrogant comment. It’s just merely being human. When you are flooded with letters every working day, you’d surely want to see something that would give your eyes some kind of a feast.

And so I thought, what would make my cover letter stand out? I have no choice but to place more or less the same content as the other applicants. But what would allow me some space to show off some of my character? Personality is the key, my friend would always say. Your letter would show some degree of your character. And what better way to do that than to place some color and style in my cover letter. Hence, I worked on a personal letterhead.

My template does not contain much really. Just the usual names, contact details, address, a personal URL to my website slash blog. But I did some minor design work on the letter. A semi-transparent box with the details inside it, and some color (that actually matches the company’s colors, of course). I made it a point not to make it appear too excessive, so the Human Resources Department won’t think of me that way. I made it formal and stylish. And then I wrote my cover letter as followed by my resume.

When I finished writing the letter, I printed out a sample so I could have a gauge of my magnum opus. Of course it’s not much. I just wanted to be someone different. I suppose, everybody wants to meet someone who dares to be different, who has enough courage to stand out without being intimidating. I understood that companies invest a lot on employees who show potential, who exemplifies a certain dynamism that would bring the company forward as times go by. I want to be that person for the company where I was applying for. I did not want a job. I wanted a career.

As so it happened. I submitted my application (in the letterhead, of course) to the company. I waited for a response for a week, then two weeks, then three. I was nearly out of desperation, and I was planning of moving on to the next phase of my job hunting, but at that point, the good news arrived. I got a call from the company asking me to report to their office for an interview. The rest, so they say, is history.

I am now very contented of that small out-of-the-box effort I did in order to stand out in the application process. Looking back, the letterhead did some sort of magic for me, and it upped my confidence a bit as I faced the people in the interview. And true enough, it’s a worthy story to tell. Stand out. Be creative. Be the person they want.

Read more on A Job Out of a Letterhead…

Private Vs Public: When Should You Make Use of a Letterhead?

Guest — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:34:26 +0000

A marketing officer would surely appreciate receiving a letter from you in your letterhead. A business partner would definitely feel the same way. Someone you would ask professional favors from would surely appreciate the formality of your request. But it is doubtful if your lover would really take a type-written letter in your template as a sign of your deep affection. And it is also doubtful if your mother would want a note written in such medium also. Sometimes, letters from the hand would be the sweeter option.

So your company has a letterhead that you could use on your own choosing. So you have your personal template for a letter as an officer of your organization. But sometimes, people get intimidated by having too many details affirming your credibility in your letters. Sometimes, you might make them feel too unequal to deal with you, which defeats the purpose of communication. Sometimes, you have to write your letter as you, not as an officer, not as a member of your organization, but as you. So when do you draw the line? How do you draw the line?

The letterhead is a representation of your social position. It connotes some degree of power and credibility. It gives the impression of dignity and respect. These are good things in themselves, that is of no doubt. So the first thing to consider in deciphering whether or not to use your template is what hat you are wearing as a writer of the letter. Are you writing as a professional or a family member? Are you writing from the mind or from the heart? As much as it sounds mushy, letters have the power of conveying your most intimate thoughts, and you must find the proper means of saying them.

But there are some instances that you might be able to use the letterhead as a twist to your personal note. Let’s say, to your husband. You write a note using your template saying something like, I am in the middle of work, but all of a sudden, I was bedazzled by a fascinating thought of you.? That would surely bring him to his knees in love of you. Now would not that be something. That’s called strategic use of a simple letter template.

The key to understanding the use of your letterhead is to determine the private and the public space. The private space is supposed to make the people in it comfortable and unconditionally driven to dealing with each other. The public space is where social expectations and conventions operate. Imagine yourself as stepping and jumping in interlocking spheres of interaction. When you have a clearer view of yourself wearing different hats, you will be a more effective communicator.

The letterhead is only a tool. You are not always your job, as well as often you must project yourself formally as it is needed. Strategy and consciousness must take precedence in knowing when to use your formal template, or when not to use it.

To Have or not to Have a Personal Letterhead

Guest — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 11:33:59 +0000

Your contemporaries are producing their business cards and that’s fine by you because you have yours too. But all of a sudden, you notice something peculiar: Some of them have their personal letterheads now! You go back to your office, sit down and think a bit. Should you make your own personal letter template? It’s a question you ask yourself again and again. Sometimes you brush the idea off because you think it’s too trivial a thing. But the mere fact the question keeps on bugging you just means it’s something subconsciously important to you. So do you heed to it or not? These are some things that you might consider in answering your career call.

Are you at least in middle management? The good way of measuring your position in the company is if you have a unit or team to manage. This means that you are at some level of authority, with some degree of command to distinguish yourself from the blue-collared jobs. Of course if you are still in the bottom ranks you would not have the audacity to make your own letterhead when in correspondence to your boss, it would be an utmost sign of disrespect. But if you are at least in middle management, you have a leverage to play with.

Are you in constant communication with external entities? If you answer yes, then you might want to venture into getting your own letter template. It only means that you are a face that represents the company in many aspects, and you speak with the credibility of your company. In this case, your personal letterhead should not be far from what the company is using. You might even want to ask them to draft a template that you could work with, so at least you would not surprise your bosses that you have your own template. But fact of the matter is, if you are coordinating with external entities, the company trusts you. The company believes in your capacity to speak in behalf of them. This is credibility enough, and a blank letterhead would not be suitable when you convey your correspondence in writing.

Are your contemporaries really up to having their own personal letterheads? If it’s just one of them aspiring to have his own, then it might not really be a good stimulus that you have to respond to. And what do you think of the character of these people who have their letter templates? Are they the formal type or they are just trying to build up some credibility that isn’t really there? You have to choose the people you will follow. Because it’s not just your impression at stake here, also how your colleagues and bosses view you. You have to play the salient politics of the workplace. You don’t want to stand out in a bad light. Be conscious of the decisions you make.

Given all these, you would somehow reach a decision whether or not it’s time for you to have a personal letterhead for work. It’s of no rush. If you think it’s not yet the time, sooner or later you would be in a position to have it. Timing is the key, and perhaps, a lot of hard work to get the credentials.

Basic Design Preparations for Letterhead Printing

Guest — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:33:24 +0000

Letterheads do not entail as much details as flyer, brochures and postcards, given that they mostly contain contact details of the company only. However, careful planning must still go with the look of your letterhead since they serve a very important purpose. This simple print material will bear professional letters and somehow, give the recipient an idea about your company. Hence, it must represent your company well.

Below is a primer on the details that go into letterhead printing projects.

Content

There are not a lot of texts to play with in order to come up with a very unique look. Instead, most of the aesthetics would come from the design elements that go with these texts.

Common letterhead contents are the company name, its address, contact numbers including landline and fax, email address and website, if you have one. It would be best to limit the texts to these since you have to maintain sufficient space for the letter itself.

The most suitable graphics to add is your company logo. Keep its size proportional to the size of your texts. It should definitely be bigger but not too much that it gets the spotlight.

Some people want to get the watermarked look for their letterheads and this is made possible by printing an almost translucent printout (some require at least 5% color density) of your desired image. This faint print is usually an enlarged and faded version of the company logo.

Typeface and font

If you cannot decide on which typeface would go best with your letterhead, you can try creating several letterheads bearing different typefaces so it would be easier to visualize. Play with the effects such as bold, italics and shadow. For the company name, you can also change the spacing between the letters so it would not appear too cramped.

Color

Aside from the contents, colors help set a tone. Choosing dark and solid colors convey a more professional look while vibrant colors and unusual combinations create a more casual impression. If you intend to include your logo, make sure that it does not get lost in the background color. It should stand out.

Also, be careful with the colors you choose since some do not go well together. Make sure that each hue you add helps create a unified design. When you opt for several strong colors, each one would compete for attention and hence, become compartments instead of elements that make up a single design.

Layout

Letterhead layouts follow a somewhat standard format with the logo and company name printed on the topmost part of the paper, followed by the contact information. However, you can also vary the conventional look by placing some of the texts details at the bottommost part of the page. This way, it creates subtle borders that mark the start and end of the note.

Same with typefaces, it would be best to create different versions of each element so you can decide easily on the look. You can ask a panel to pick the most suitable design or get the opinion of a professional designer before you proceed to letterhead printing.