How to Design Postcards: 5 Crucial Tips You Can’t Miss

 

postcard design guide 01

 

1.) Be clear and concise. 

Don’t dawdle. Don’t put unnecessary details in your design. This can make your cards cluttered, diluting their message. A good headline is short but sweet. A clear, concise message is better at getting your points across and will help your cards to be remembered easily

Read more: Business Postcard Ideas: 20 Examples for Inspiration and Demonstration

 

2.) Use appropriate images. 

It's a great idea to make your postcards look good by including photos or illustrations. Just make sure that they are relevant to the message and brand image you want to convey to your audience. Make sure they are as high quality as possible.

Read more: How to Get Your Image File Print-Ready

 

3.) Start your project in CMYK

If possible, start your project in CMYK instead of converting it just before printing. This will help you get more accurate colors on your project. This can potentially save you a lot of time, especially if your design’s colors have a wide dynamic range.

Read more: How to Change RGB to CMYK

 

4.) Consider USPS mailing regulations.

You might think your design looks like a postcard. The USPS however, might disagree. You’ll want to comply with their technical definition of a postcard if you want to take advantage of their postcard rates. This can be a tedious job and it's helpful if you find a printing company that offers mailing services too. This will save you time and effort when creating postcards that meet USPS guidelines.

Read more: 8 Postcard Printing Tips Your Printer Forgot to Tell You

 

5.) Get quality printing for your design. 

Choose quality printing service to produce your postcards. A good printer will be able to transform your well-prepared postcard layout into reality. Consider the variety of postcard specs they offer as well as their mailing services when choosing the right printing partner for your project.

Read more: Digital Vvs Offset Printing [Infographic]

 

If you still don’t have an idea on how to start creating yours, you could check out these samples we’ve compiled for your inspiration.

Postcard Design Inspiration

 

Travel Postcards

postcard design travel 01

www.flickr.com/photos/h_is_for_home/4818701001/



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www.flickr.com/photos/thingsarebetterwithaparrott/4724583154/



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sheylara.com/2007/11/



Film Promotion Postcards


postcard design film 01

www.flickr.com/photos/clintjcl/200483735/



postcard design film 03

lllaria.deviantart.com/art/The-Office-192005369



Event Invitation Postcards


postcard design events 01

nottheredbaron.deviantart.com/art/Duckie-Bexhill-on-Sea-Postcard-40822395



postcard design events 03

shyshadow.deviantart.com/art/Postcard-160520555



Design Studio Postcards


postcard design designers 02

albebonv.deviantart.com/art/Postcard-juice-14730690



postcard design designers 03

studiojfish.deviantart.com/art/Studio-JFISH-Postcard-160958557



Holiday Greeting Postcards

postcard design holiday 01

anda0105.deviantart.com/art/Christmas-card-5-digital-144040550



postcard design holiday 02

flashparade.deviantart.com/art/Hey-Little-Devil-139765582/



postcard design holiday 03

lllaria.deviantart.com/art/Xmas-postcard-26780055

Decorative Postcards

postcard design decorative 01

dunmac88.deviantart.com/art/Senna-Annuka-Postcard-111135637



postcard design decorative 03

kjutenkadli.deviantart.com/art/Przedborz-postcard-37309593

 


Want to know more about how to design postcards? Check out these posts for your postcard inspiration.

Pictures of Cute Baby Animals : 30 Postcard-Worthy Cuties

32 Custom Birth Announcement Postcards and Greeting Cards

Innovative Church Marketing Postcards : Tips and Ideas

When you have your postcard design complete, we can help you print your own postcards today.