When you’re designing a flyer to advertise your business or special event, it can be tempting to think small – as in small budget. After all, printing 1000 “regular” full-color flyers on good sturdy cardstock can cost a fraction of the price that printing 1000 flyers with premium features can. But look at it from an impact perspective, and the story shifts a little bit. Would you be willing to pay a couple cents more per printed product if it meant that people would actually read it?
Different print projects might require different levels of flash. If you are handing out flyers that are simply intended to provide information – for example, if you are printing flyers to education parents and students on the details of your middle school’s dress code policies, etc. – then probably a standard full-color flyer will suffice. But if you’re trying to move people to action and competing with a lot of other sensory stimuli – like if you’re handing out nightclub flyers in a bustling pedestrian mall, for example – then a run-of-the-mill flyer might not make it past the first trash can your target passes. A little eye candy on your flyer, at the cost of a few dimes more per printed piece at most, can make the difference between a packed house (and the thousands of dollars that brings) and an empty club where your broke bartenders are as miserable as you are.
So what premium flyer options are most effective? Think about the audience you’re trying to attract. If you’re trying to convince young beautiful women to come out to your party, you may think of full color foil printing for your premium flyer. Full color foil flyers take foil pieces that are die-cut to your exact flyer design, and add to them swirls of color, in any combination your designer can dream up. But is it worth the added cost? Will full color foil actually make pretty young women want to check out your event? We asked one to find out.
“If it’s glittery, I’m more likely to read it because it’s unlike other flyers in the sense that it has a special reflecting light,” said Chloe Lamb, a young woman who lives in South Beach, Florida. Tall and tan with a gorgeous physique, she’s the kind of girl who gets handed plenty of nightclub flyers. “It catches your eye, and you’re like, ‘What does that say?’ It’s kind of like a double-take shocker. It must be a big deal because they put a lot of effort into the invitations.” She said that flyer designs are not much different than store window designs – if it sparkles, it’s going to get a girl’s attention.
Of course there are other options when it comes to premium flyer elements. Spot UV printing is another popular printing option that adds targeted areas of high gloss to your flyers. The technique doesn’t create quite as much shine as full color foil does, but it can still catch the eye and make a flyer – and the event it advertises – look sophisticated and polished.
One more premium printing option that’s a hit with consumers is silk lamination. This takes a normal flyer and bonds to it a “silky” plastic coating. For the durability (silk lamination renders flyers tear-proof and water-proof) and the “wow” factor this sleek design element adds, it comes with a very affordable price tag, making it a great add-on to consider when you’re trying to maximize the impact of your flyer while minimizing your spending. You can also start with silk lamination and add on other premium print options, like spot UV, to make your flyer even more outstanding.
When you’re competing for people’s attention – and unless you live in a little house on the prairie where the only distraction is like, a goat bleating or something, you probably are – it’s important to play your best game. That’s where premium flyer design elements come into play. Make it sparkle, make it shine, make it sleek, and you will make sure that people take notice of what you are trying to get across.
About Jenny DixonJennifer has been apart of the EliteFlyers.com team for over 15 years. She brings a deep understanding of web marketing, thoughtful strategies, that she's able to design, manage, print, deliver multi-media campaigns to meet all client's goals. Her personal portfolio includes high-end design and printing of business cards, flyers, post cards for elite businesses and individuals from all over the world.
