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Gift Card Programs: Designing Your Gift Card

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Now that you've made the wise decision to incorporate gift and/or loyalty marketing into your business, you've got a number of decisions to make. One of the first - and most critical - is the decision regarding the card you will offer to your customers. In this article, we'll examine your options and explore some common design and artwork mistakes and what you can do to avoid them.
by AlDuggan


Now that you've made the wise decision to incorporate gift and/or loyalty marketing into your business, you've got a number of decisions to make. One of the first - and most critical - is the decision regarding the card you will offer to your customers. In this article, we'll examine your options and explore some common design and artwork mistakes and what you can do to avoid them.

Custom or Standard?

After you have teamed up with a gift card provider to help launch your program, you will discuss various design options. One of the questions will be whether you want a custom card design or whether you can utilize a standard design. Custom cards help marry your existing marketing initiatives and branding as completely as possible.

Standard designs, on the other hand, are ready-made designs that your gift card supplier has in stock. Many gift card providers have designs that cater to specific categories of business. Therefore, they do not have to be bland. These standard designs also can be personalized by adding your business name, website and telephone numbers and even a logo (but usually in a single color).

The question is deciding which option is the best for your business? There are a few items you need to take into consideration before you can make that decision. Let's take a look at some of the pro's and con's of each option. Custom cards are the choice of large retailers since they are specifically designed to maintain their branding. They are attractive cards, which can increase impulse buys if promoted well at the point of purchase. Custom cards also give opportunity for uniquely shaped designs, including special die-cuts (cards in unique shapes) and even some advanced features such as cards that will play music or have additional digital info. The downside to some of this is that these cards will cost a bit more and are not as quickly produced.

There are many unique printing features you can do with standard cards, such as adding clear card stocks, using metallic ink, or even some die cuts. Personalization is limited with a standard card. The amount of text you can use, the color choices on overprinted text, and the number of standardized designs available are all some of the typical limitations. However, there are many advantages. Standard cards don't usually cost as much since the card supplier has large quantities in stock. Standard cards also have the advantage of speed to market since the turnaround time is days instead of weeks.

Artwork Considerations

The design process for standard cards can be very straight forward -- you select a design and then you decide how you're going to personalize it. Custom cards, of course, give you a variety of ways to go. Chances are you will be working with a designer -- either from your own agency or a designer from the gift card supplier. Either way, you will have to provide them with a little direction about what you want. This may mean giving them creative and artwork that you are using currently, something like the original menu design you have if you are a restaurant. Or, perhaps, an ad or brochure you use to market your company. This will allow your current marketing initiatives to correspond with your new gift cards.

Some additional Do's and Don'ts for providing you artwork:

1. DON'T try to use the images right off your website. These are often not of high enough quality and resolution for card printing.

2. DON'T provide graphic images that need to be enlarged from their existing size. This lowers the quality. As you make the image bigger, the resolution gradually decreases.

3. DON'T use images that have already been printed. Any artwork that has been printed commercially has likely been converted into a series of microscopic "dots" that make up the printed image. This works well the first time the image is printed but when the same process is repeated on a previously printed image, the result is an image that has what is termed a "moir" pattern and the artwork will not print satisfactorily.

4. DO send original files that you have on your computer -- the kinds of files you send out to get printed. These files will usually be clear and of high quality, and they are perfect for a designer to create a quality integration into your card's design.

5. DON'T make the design too complicated. Placing too much info into this small space often reduces the overall visual impact that the card will have. This is a fairly common error people make. Don't make it cluttered and lose your impact in the process.

6. DO utilize your logo. Carry your branding through to your design. Your logo is recognizable to your customers, and your gift card acts as a small billboard. Take advantage of your logo.

7. DO coordinate your card with custom merchandising tools. Creating an attractive package with custom designed gift card hangers, card carriers, display racks -- all of these tools help not only to raise the perceived value but sell more cards.

There is nothing like opening that first box of gift cards and seeing your colorful designs ready for selling. Whether you go with a full-custom design or with a standardized card (so that you can start selling in a week), get started soon. Start pulling in those additional revenues and promoting your gift cards as soon as your customers arrive at your door.

About the Author:

Al Duggan is an expert in custom gift and loyalty cards and is the Vice President of Business Development for Valutec Card Solutions, LLC, a Metavante (NYSE:MV) company, the nation's largest provider of gift card programs to small to mid-sized businesses.
 
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