What are some common mistakes or pitfalls to avoid when creating or updating your stationery and collateral?

Stationery and collateral are essential components of your corporate identity, as they convey your brand values, personality, and professionalism to your clients and prospects. However, many businesses make some common mistakes or pitfalls when creating or updating their stationery and collateral, which can undermine their credibility and impact. In this article, we will discuss some of these mistakes and how to avoid them.

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1 Inconsistent design

One of the most common mistakes is to have inconsistent design elements across your stationery and collateral, such as fonts, colors, logos, images, and layouts. This can create confusion and dilute your brand identity, as well as make your materials look unprofessional and amateurish. To avoid this, you should create a clear and comprehensive brand guideline that defines your visual identity and ensures consistency across all your stationery and collateral. You should also use a professional designer or a reliable online tool to create your materials, and review them regularly to ensure they are up to date and aligned with your brand.

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Chava Oropesa
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Brand guidelines should always precede the creation of any stationary or any marketing material. Helps plan and foresee any potential challenges with how the logo may be displayed down the line.

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Dara Chilton

Product Designer | User-Centered Design and AI Integration | Crafting Intuitive Experiences that Drive Business Growth | AI, Growth Design, Figma, UX, UI, Visual
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Agreed. A brand guideline defines everything visually that sets your organization apart from your competition and provides consistency across all marketing channels – print and digital. Here are a few tips: • Include the smallest size of your logo that can be used without losing legibility in your guidelines • Ask your design team to provide an editable one-color and a white version of your logo for future projects, wearables (like t-shirts), and promotional products. • Specify RGB color breakdown and the Hex # in the guidelines if you're working in the digital space. This includes your logo for your website, digital banners, presentations, and motion graphics.

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2 Poor quality

Another common mistake is to compromise on the quality of your stationery and collateral, such as using cheap paper, low-resolution images, or faulty printing. This can reflect poorly on your brand image and reputation, as well as affect the functionality and durability of your materials. To avoid this, you should invest in high-quality materials that match your brand standards and expectations, and use a reputable printer or service provider that can deliver the best results. You should also check the quality of your materials before distributing them, and replace them if they are damaged or worn out.

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Chava Oropesa
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Working with a designer that knows about printing methods is very important. That would help consistency as well. Having good brand guidelines are half the battle. Being able to execute them properly with consistency is the larger benefit. For example: Screen printing will yield different results than digital printing or process printing. Make sure your designer knows how to talk to the vendors who will print your materials and ask the right questions.

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3 Irrelevant or outdated information

A third common mistake is to include irrelevant or outdated information on your stationery and collateral, such as incorrect contact details, expired offers, or obsolete products or services. This can create confusion and frustration among your clients and prospects, as well as make your brand look unresponsive and out of touch. To avoid this, you should update your information regularly and ensure it is accurate and relevant to your target audience and market. You should also avoid including too much information that can clutter your materials and distract from your main message and call to action.

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4 Lack of differentiation

A fourth common mistake is to lack differentiation from your competitors or industry standards on your stationery and collateral, such as using generic templates, clichéd slogans, or boring graphics. This can make your brand look bland and forgettable, as well as fail to communicate your unique value proposition and competitive edge. To avoid this, you should research your competitors and industry trends, and identify what makes your brand stand out and appeal to your clients and prospects. You should also use creative and original design elements that showcase your brand personality and style, and convey your message clearly and effectively.

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Kung Pik Liu

I help femtech and women’s health + wellness companies build fundable brands. Why? Because women deserve to be seen, heard, and shine!
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For stationery, a simple design with just the logo and company information is sufficient. However, for marketing collateral, using a unique brand graphic can help showcase your brand personality and stand out from competitors. Simple shapes like circles, curves, squares, triangles, and lines, as used by Adidas (the 3 stripes) and Target (circle), can create a versatile and memorable visual identity. When incorporating shapes into your brand, it's best to keep them simple and avoid complex designs like globes or 3D shapes.

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Dara Chilton

Product Designer | User-Centered Design and AI Integration | Crafting Intuitive Experiences that Drive Business Growth | AI, Growth Design, Figma, UX, UI, Visual
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One thing that I found helpful in differentiation is to make strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT), and competitive analyses, as mentioned in the article above. NOTE: If you're a solopreneur, then you are your company. Here are some questions to ask yourself: • What does my company do well? • How does my company do "X" differently from my competitors? • What additional value does my company bring to its customers/users? Use your differentiators as a springboard to generate ideas and translate them into visuals to help set you apart. For example, you're a veterinarian in a city full of pet parents but no mobile vets; become the only one in town. Ideas: Circle of Life, Medical Bag + Dog/Cat, Dog House + Tires + Medical

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5 Inappropriate tone

A fifth common mistake is to use an inappropriate tone on your stationery and collateral, such as being too formal or informal, too serious or humorous, or too salesy or vague. This can create a mismatch between your brand voice and your audience's expectations and preferences, as well as affect your credibility and trustworthiness. To avoid this, you should define your brand tone and voice, and tailor it to your audience's needs and wants. You should also use clear and concise language that is easy to understand and engaging, and avoid jargon, slang, or errors that can undermine your professionalism and authority.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are some common mistakes or pitfalls to avoid when creating or updating your stationery and collateral?

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1 Inconsistent design

2 Poor quality

3 Irrelevant or outdated information

4 Lack of differentiation

5 Inappropriate tone

6 Here’s what else to consider

Corporate Identity

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