In this modern age, where most communication is electronic and paper mail is mostly advertisem*nts, you may reasonably ask, “Who the heck writes letters anymore?” (Or perhaps, “What the heck is a letter?”) You may, therefore, be excused for not knowing what “letterhead” is, what it’s for, or how to design a good one.
(For those too young to remember: Letterhead is a business’s custom pre-printed stationery. Before personal computers were common, when a company wanted to communicate with the outside world, someone would grab a sheet of the company’s letterhead, put it in a typewriter, and type out a letter, which would be placed in a matching envelope, sealed, stamped, and put in the mail.)
So, why would anyone care about letterhead anymore, much less spend money to have some printed up? Because there are still occasions when sending messages on paper is advantageous (and sometimes even required), and your letterhead is a component of your brand image. A well-designed letterhead, printed professionally on premium paper, is a way of saying, “I care about quality in every aspect of my business.”
Designing Effective Letterhead
Here are some things to consider when designing your letterhead:
- The basics:Who you are, where you are, and how to get in touch with you–that is, the same stuff you’d put on a business card: company name, logo, physical address, email, phone, fax, and web address, and perhaps a tagline.
- Beyond the basics:Other ways to keep in touch, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Skype.
- Standard industry practices:You could stop with the necessary information about your communication channels, but in specific industries, it’s common to include additional design elements. A medical clinic might list the names of the doctors in practice. A law firm might list the names of the partners. Some charitable organizations list significant donors or sponsors or the names of their directors.
- Don’t go crazy:It’s easy to get carried away when designing a letterhead. Just remember that the purpose is a meaningful platform for sending written communication. This means you need to leave room for the content, and the visual design of the letterhead should not distract the recipient from the content. Keep it simple and keep it usable.
- Color or no color:Color is usually good—it says, “I cared enough about my image to show I didn’t just print this on my office laser printer.” Just don’t go overboard; your logo and one or two other places are probably all the colors you need.
- Fancy add-ons:There was a time when raised lettering, cutouts, expensive linen paper, and custom watermarks were essential, but considering the limited applications for which you will use letterhead, these are probably no longer worth the extra money.
Some final thoughts: Unless you know you are going to make extensive use of your letterhead, don’t buy a ton of it. All it takes is one change, such as your physical address or a phone number, to render your letterhead useless. This is another argument for keeping it simple; the more information you put on your letterhead, the more likely it is that something will change before you use all of it.
Of course, you could use the backside for scratch paper, but who uses scratch paper anymore?
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FAQs
Don't forget that your letterheads will be used to write to clients and suppliers so there is additional information we would advise including:
- Contact telephone number.
- Email address.
- Company logo.
- Website address.
- Social media profiles.
What Is a Letterhead?
- A person or business name.
- An address.
- A phone number.
- An email.
- Contact details.
- A company logo/brand logo.
- Occasionally a background or border design.
The basics: Who you are, where you are, and how to get in touch with you–that is, the same stuff you'd put on a business card: company name, logo, physical address, email, phone, fax, and web address, and perhaps a tagline. Beyond the basics: Other ways to keep in touch, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Skype.
What should letterhead contain? ›
The letterhead usually includes a business's logo, name, address, and contact information such as phone or fax number, email address, and company website URL.
What is not included in a letterhead? ›
It is not mandatory to include contact details such as telephone numbers, email addresses, or websites on the letterhead, but it is recommended.
What are the first two lines of the letterhead? ›
When the recipient' name, title and position are known, they should be included as the first two lines in the inside address and placed directly above the name of the business or organization.
What goes first on a letterhead? ›
First include your name, address, phone number, and the date. This information should be located at the top of the page, either in the center, or indented on the right side of the paper. You then include the name and address of the person to whom you are sending the letter.
How to properly format a letterhead? ›
Most business letterheads contain no more than two fonts, with the larger font for the company name appearing in 15-point size and the next line containing contact information in 10-point size. Colors on the letterhead should be used sparingly to avoid competition for the reader's attention.
What does standard letterhead look like? ›
Letterheads are typically 8.5″ x 11″ in size and are printed on the top or bottom of a business document. Your business letterhead should also have bottom and side margins of 1/4″ and be at least 0.8″ from the top of the page.
What makes company letterhead official? ›
A printed or digital graphic element that appears at the top of a document, generally on official letters or business stationery, is known as an official letterhead. It usually contains the firm or organization's logo, name, address, and contact information, as well as other branding features.
Letterhead Use
Both left and right margins should be set at 0.65”. The upper margin should be set at 2.25” and the bottom margin at 1.25”. The salutation should be set flush left. The body copy is always flush left, not justified.
What legally has to be on a letterhead? ›
Your business name. Your own name (if your business's name is different from your own name) Your business address.
What is the proper format for a letterhead? ›
Letterhead often includes a name, address, title, phone number, email address, logo, and brand colors (or, if it's personal letterhead, maybe just your favorite colors). Sometimes, letterhead can include a motto or mission statement.
What constitutes official letterhead? ›
A printed or digital graphic element that appears at the top of a document, generally on official letters or business stationery, is known as an official letterhead. It usually contains the firm or organization's logo, name, address, and contact information, as well as other branding features.
