Do you know what company letterhead is?? It is a very important element for a company, especially for the identification, promotion and positioning of the brand in the market.
Although, in the context of the corporate world and the document management, much is said about the need for a letterhead with the company logo, there is not always much clarity about what this material actually is, or even how it should be elaborated.
That's why we, at ZapSign, created this content on the subject. Throughout this article, we will explain everything you need to know about letterhead: from what it is, through its importance and valuable tips on how to do it, to a detailed step-by-step guide so you can create it yourself. it.
Come on?
What is letterhead?
It is basically about a form used in contracts, letters and other documents of a company, containing the name, logo and other relevant information of the company, in order to represent the brand positioning in a graphic, personalized and bold way.
There are several different ways to make this document, varying color palette, fonts, weight, paper type and other characteristics. However, it is a fact that, invariably, there are elements considered to be main, and that a letterhead should always contain. They are: the logo, the brand name and the company contact.
How important is letterhead for companies?
Without a doubt, letterhead is one of the most efficient ways to present your company's visual identity and to show, right away, what it came for.
When presenting a document with letterhead to a client, employee or other professional, the impression caused is, at the same time, of impact, boldness, credibility and professionalism - thus, a resource at the same time elegant and powerful in the execution of a excellence document management.
However, in addition to making a good impression, the correct use of this type of form is essential to identify the brand to its customers, partners and related quickly, objectively and directly, reinforcing its image and position with the public and the market. , and increasing its competitiveness.
All this makes letterhead a totally indispensable item for the corporate stationery of any enterprise, since its use in all the company's printed (and even digital) material facilitates the assimilation of the main information about it and points in towards the robust construction of an image of trust and solidity.
What should be considered when creating a letterhead?
Okay, now you understand what letterhead is and why it matters, and it's time to create one for your business.
To do so, however, it is necessary to know exactly what should be taken into account at this moment – what information to place, what size to choose, what type of paper, fonts, colors, etc. So, follow the tips that we will give below.
What information to include on the letterhead?
Usually, it is customary to place a header and a footer on a company's letterhead, taking care that only the most important information about the brand is inserted in both.
This is due to the fact that the excess of information can make the document visually confusing, and the person who has it in hand can, in the end, end up not paying attention to anything that will be there.
Furthermore, there needs to be plenty of space available on paper for the objective content of the business document in question (considering that it is a letter, official letter, etc.).
The main information to include in the header and footer of your letterhead is the company logo/name and some contact (normally, telephone and/or email), but it may also happen that there is a CNPJ, opening hours, slogan or some other particular information that may be relevant.
What should be the size and type of letterhead?
ABNT establishes that, as a rule, when creating letterhead, A4 size should be used, since it is the format normally used in most documents, as it offers good space and is easy to store.
However, there are cases and cases, and there is nothing to stop you from being creative and using other sizes. It is also worth noting that, with the increasing diffusion of digital documents, other formats have been further explored, bearing in mind the screen formats of electronic devices.
For printed letterheads, the paper normally used is 75g offset.
It is important to respect the visual identity of the brand
By visual identity, we mean nothing more than a set of visual and graphic characteristics that define, in an imagery way, the concept of a brand.
Notice how major companies around the world are tightly bound to specific combinations of colors, fonts, and shapes. Perhaps one of the best examples is Coca-Cola, practically inseparable from the combination of red and white, and typography, which are so characteristic of them.
When creating your letterhead, it is very important to follow these parameters, or the document will not fulfill its main objective, which is to reinforce the brand image for the public and the market.
Therefore, one cannot forget that the letterhead must contain the same elements as the rest of the company's material: logo, colors, fonts, images, shapes and others must be the same as those present on cards, badges, website, social networks, etc. .
Positioning elements on letterhead
An elegant letterhead should have your information well distributed, so that it is very clear, while not fighting with the content of the document. Prioritize header and footer. In some cases, certain elements may be inserted in the background, such as a watermark.
Be careful with the fonts you choose
It is very important that the written information on your letterhead is perfectly legible – remember that it will be placed in not very large areas of the print.
Therefore, the rule of “less is more” applies; forget about fancy typography, full of elements and serifs, and prioritize the simplest models.
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Step by step on how to make letterhead in Word
Although it is so important and its preparation requires a lot of care, the good news is that your company's letterhead can easily be made using Word, maintaining personalization and without losing credibility or professionalism.
Basically, there are two possible ways to create a letterhead using Word: the most practical is using a pre-existing template, but there is also the possibility of starting from scratch, starting from a blank file - which, although be more labor intensive, it provides a greater degree of customization in the document preparation process.
See below how to make your brand letterhead in Word, according to each way.
How to create your company letterhead in Word, starting from a pre-existing template
- Open Word, go to New, and select your preferred template from the available ones.
- Download the ready-made template you chose.
- Start customizing the header and footer by inserting your company information in the right places.
- Save the changes and you're done! Your letterhead has been created. You can also make a copy of it so you can edit it later, if you think it's necessary.
How to create your company letterhead from a blank document
- Open Word and under “New”, choose the option to create a blank document.
- By clicking on “Insert”, and then on “Header”, you will create your letterhead header. Enter the information you prefer, such as company name, contact telephone and/or email, etc.
- Add your brand logo by clicking on “Insert” and then on “Image” to choose your logo image from the files on your computer.
- After choosing the logo image, adjust its size and position in the document.
- It's time to add a footer. By clicking on “Insert” and “Footer”, you can choose a template and adjust the information as you prefer.
- You can also add other elements like lines and other shapes to make your letterhead more attractive. Just click on “Insert” and “Shapes” to choose and edit the shapes you want to add to your document. But remember: don't overdo it!
- Save the changes and you're done! You created, completely from scratch, your own letterhead. As in the previous example, you can also make a copy of it so that you can edit it later, if necessary.
Now that you understand better what letterhead is, as well as your role in making your brand easily identified by your audience and well positioned in the market, you are certainly better prepared to promote a real connection between your customer and your business. your company's visual identity.
And since the subject is document management, why not read our article on how to make a free digital signature in Word? Check it out here and happy reading!
