Five tips to help you create a beautiful postcard
In this digital age, nothing still beats the feeling of giving and receiving personal postcards.
It makes family and friends feel special and is also a great way to reach out to your market or your clients.
While some postcards come ready-made, you can take it up a notch further by creating a customized one.
Even if you aren’t an artist, there are still ways for you to learn how to make a postcard. You only need to put in a little drop of creativity plus the following five steps.
1) Use sturdy paper
This first tip may seem like an all-too-obvious one, but it’s essential: when making a postcard, make sure that you’re using a sturdy piece of paper.
It doesn’t matter how beautiful your painting or illustration may be, or how crafty it is, your postcard will only get bent or crumpled in the mail if it isn’t sturdy. (Remember that postcards aren’t meant to be placed in an envelope.)
Think of this process as that of making a painting. For you to have a beautiful painting, you must start with a quality canvas. Otherwise, it’s only going to look cheap and not well thought through.
2) Incorporate colors
You will want your postcard to look lively and appealing. And one of the best ways for you to achieve this is to incorporate strategic use of color in your postcard design.
If you’re sending one from your home town, then perhaps you’d like to have colours that represent it. Or, if you’re sending a postcard for business purposes, you could include the logo of your company. Just also remember to keep the whole design simple yet elegant.
3) Don’t limit yourself to just painting
If you don’t have the talent to draw or to paint, don’t worry; there are many other ways you can make a beautiful postcard.
You can also incorporate calligraphy if you have the skill. Or, perhaps you’re someone who does better with arts and crafts? There are many other little knick-knacks that you can place in your postcard. Just make sure that you secure them well to avoid getting damaged in the mail.
Examples of things that you can stick on your card include:
- Sequins
- Magazine clippings
- Newspaper clippings
- Ribbons
Even if you’re sending a business postcard, these items can still be applied successfully. Just do so at a minimum to avoid your card from looking too cluttered.
Remember that the most important part of your postcard is the message that you’re trying to convey or send. Make sure the sequins and ribbons go with your company logo or colors. And the magazine clippings could be write-ups or news about your products.
4) Use your own digital photos
To keep your card simple but still special and beautiful, you can use your digital images. Just printed them out to postcard size and stick them onto thick card. If you’re the one who personally took the photos, it makes the postcard even more special.
This method also applies when you’re sending a company postcard. Print out good quality photos of your products; you can even stage the photos to make your products stand out and are beautifully displayed.
5) Seal the card
Sealing the card simply means applying a coating or layer of protection. You have to ensure that all of the materials that you used to create the postcard adhere together. This will give your card a quality and professional-looking finish.
You can use mod podge or clear craft sealant for this. All you have to do is to paint it over the card. Give it a few hours to dry. Then it’s all set and done.
What will you create?
When you’re sending out a postcard, you can send almost anything virtually. The only tip for you to remember is to ensure that it meets the right dimensions. And, whatever you put in your postcard, think about the purpose or the people that you’re trying to reach out to.
