I really enjoy working with the folks at Gill’s Pier Vineyard & Winery. They put a lot of thought into every project to make sure it is done right, but they also trust my expertise and instincts.

I’ve designed a several rack cards over the years… here are a few tips for designing a rack card that works

1. Keep it simple

This is pretty much the rule of thumb for every design project. Every once in a while a “more is more” direction will work… but for most projects it’s best to see how much you can strip away. A rack card has to make a great first impression or else it will end up right back on the rack. If the reader is confused or visually overloaded by the design, she’ll put it back and go for another.

2. Top 2 inches

Most potential customers only see the top two inches of every card in the rack.  Obviously this makes that space the most important part of the design. Single out the number one value, experience or product that your business offers. In this case it is the wine tasting that will attract both the area’s visitors who came with wine in mind and those who have come for a variety of other reasons but looking for fun activities.

It is really important to design this space so the casual passer-by will see it at just a glance (even from across the room). Don’t jump to the conclusion that “flashy” will stand out… in a lot of cases “simple” is more likely to stand out in a sea of flash. (Just look at which cards immediate jump out in the image at right).

3. Make it unique

This piece will be competing with a number of others that promote similar services. It is really important that yours stands apart from the competition. What is it about your product that makes your business worth visiting? Or if your business is essentially the same as your competition’s, what visual representation can you use to be unique? It could be a black and white design or use of illustration or cartoon character.

4. Essentials only

You don’t have much space to work with and we’ve already set out to keep this piece simple. So you must boil down your business into a few bullet points. The contact info and maybe one big special offer or event splash is all you need or want. Anyone that pulls your card out of the rack and finds a paragraph (no matter how well written or welcoming) is going to put that thing back like it’s on fire.

Whenever I’m involved in preparing copy for a promotional piece (ad, brochure, video), I always put much more value on emotion than information. Many business are so info-centric that all their promotions are crammed with as much information as possible. This seems to make sense on paper, but the truth is that information rarely moves people to action.

I was supplied the copy for this piece, but I think the Gill’s Pier staff did a pretty good job focusing on “experience” rather than “product.” They could have gone on and on about the types of wine they create, vintages, types of barrels, processes, etc., but instead they know that people visit because it is fun and stress-free.

5. Go with a pro

You are a gifted business owner. You’ve gotten to where you are by concentrating on your strengths and doing what you do best. Chances are that you’ve got the discipline and drive to create a brochure on your own… but trust me, it’s not worth it.

A good designer will know which rules to follow and which ones to break with any design. She’ll listen to your input and use it to create a brochure that works, and chances are she’ll do it for a reasonable rate and at a cost far less than the gray hairs you’d have by trying to do her work yourself.

If you’re a small business or non-profit looking for top-tier design at affordable rates, I’d love to help. Contact me today and we’ll create something awesome!

Gill’s Pier Winery Rack Card

• Front Rack Card Detail
• Back Rack Card Detail
  

This brochure is part of a series of projects for Alternative Health and Wellness.

So far I’ve done the logo and this brochures. The product labels are designed, just looking forward to production so I can see how they turn out.

Next up… new website!

I really enjoy doing campaigns like this that challenge the diversity of my skills. If you have a small business or non-profit, I’d love to help you design your entire promotional, marketing or product campaign. Contact me today and we’ll develop a plan that works!

Alternative Health Brochure Detail Images

My submission to the ReadyMade Magazine’s “How Does Music Inspire You?” contest has been selected to be part of their exhibit during the South by Southwest festival.

I wish I had more time to create multiple submissions. It would have definitely helped my odds (the Grand Prize winner submitted 9 different pieces to the contest).

Her Grand prize-winning entry is a good one though, so I’m happy her hard work paid off.

And I’m really proud and excited to have my work displayed where people are partying in public.

Here are some close-up images to show the details:

From what I understand, the event was canceled because a main sponsor dropped out at the last minute, but it is a pretty cool idea and I think they are going to try again next November.

The event promoter really liked my Design by Humans t-shirt “Deers are the New Birds” and thought I could do something cool for this event. I really enjoyed working on this project (and with Jeff) and I think it turned out pretty cool.

Click the image below to flip through the brochure.

I have done quite a few of these 9″ x 12″ tri-fold brochures for the camp because of their affordable production costs.