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Our expert panel of designers refers to a clear-cut set of metrics for evaluating multiple factors, including creativity, execution, visual identity, brand image, recall, functionality and overall user engagement, to identify the best designs for each month.
Brands and agencies who wish to be considered for the best design of the month awards must submit their designs for evaluation. The design jury then rates each submission on a scale of 1 to 10 — the average of which counts as the final grade. The entire vetting process takes two weeks, after which the winning designs are published on DesignRush and promoted on other DesignRush channels, including social media.
By definition, the “third dimension” isn’t something we’re accustomed to when it comes to print design but, in the era when virtual reality is about to take over, well, everyday reality. 3D visuals shouldn't be exclusive to screens.
3D characters are generally eye-catching and mixing them with traditional prints is not only beautiful – it is bound to turn that attention in the direction you want. It simultaneously adds depth to your print design but also to your brand.
While we are far from true hologram renders on a flat surface, holographic prints offer just enough of that striking effect to keep onlookers glued to your design.
Holographic printing, however, isn’t possible on ordinary paper as it requires the printing surface to be coated with a layer of metal (steel or aluminum foil) or similar reflective plastic. The process may be more expensive than traditional printing, but it does wonders for your brand.
People simply love this type of visual, full of marble and neon colors evocative of 21st-century tech wonders we’re yet to experience.
Typography makes up a considerable chunk of a print design and the bolder and bigger it gets, the better it is. Bold fonts may grab attention and introduce a certain hierarchy among other design elements, but they are not enough.
Nowadays, you need to pry off smart devices from your audience’s hands. No matter how beautiful and appealing it is, if conventional, your print design may fail. Originality, however, turns heads.
You don’t need totally custom typography. Crook some of the letters, introducing weird versions of serif or handwritten fonts will do but never settle for ordinary! Make them read what you have to say!
No. This is not yet another “go woke or go broke” advice, but the fact of the matter is that as humanity we are more sensitive to inclusivity and diversity nowadays, especially after so many social and political turmoil in years past.
Before you even start ideating your print design know that including exclusively white, straight characters in your visuals doesn’t represent the global community as it is today, politics aside.
This is especially important for print media such as posters, brochures, etc., which remains the most widespread means of marketing communications. As a designer, you too have a part to play in social inclusion – so use it!
It may sound corny, but thinking outside the box is always trendy, no matter when – Punk is not dead!
Mind you, while appealing, ditching the ruling conventions or current industry trends brings its own set of troubles if and only IF you don’t have anything original to show.
Anti-design reflects going against the flow of popular fads like minimalism, flat design and bright, bold colors. Its main attributes are asymmetric shapes, dark(er) palette and aggressive typography.
It’s simple, the success of your print design largely hinges on the chosen material and/or paper type. No two paper samples are alike. Everything, from the texture to its weight, malleability and initial “whiteness” affects how your print comes out.
There’s a huge variety to take into consideration. Some material types are long-lasting and durable, ideal for frequent handling, others retain color better even after months of direct sunlight. Depending on your needs and preferences you might opt for gloss or matte finishes so choose wisely.
More than your palette choice, the cardinal point and one of the most challenging elements of print design and print production is color matching. No matter what you’re printing, you need to ensure the resulting material mirrors the exact colors of your brand, logo and design.
Be it technical flaws or simple carelessness, each inconsistency in your print design might reflect badly on your brand. Substandard work is unacceptable!
Space refers to the way objects relate to one another within the artwork/print design. The layout is how you organize that space, i.e., introducing a clear and legible elements hierarchy.
Once you determine what the finished piece should contain you need to scrutinize the font size and readability, visual impact and orientation.
Whether you’re searching for a print design professional or a printing agency, your completed print job will likely be as good as the partner you choose to work with.
Although sometimes it may seem like a never-ending quest, aim for those with clear policies, ones who won’t be satisfied with the resulting output until you are and above all else – work with those who pride themselves on an excellent client reputation.
Often taken for granted, formatting determines how your print job is delivered to the printer. To ensure end result perfectly translates your design, you need to deliver a “print-ready” file in PDF format that is properly trimmed, cropped and above else, consistent.
Without the correct formatting and testing, you run an unnecessary risk of having to redo everything. Mind you, the designing process doesn’t wrap when you leave your mouse and keyboard.
In print design, a bleed area is the excess printed area that will be trimmed off. It often contains design inconsistencies or uneven edges due to the ink, and taking note of the excess space and removing it for a sharper print design is imperative.
You might notice when your company’s designers are creating collateral, that some of their elements and shapes protrude the edges of the design - and many times, a smaller secondary dotted line can be seen inside the file. This is because they are anticipating a bleed area and designing with it in mind. When creating physical prints, anticipate removing about three to six millimeters to ensure consistent creations.
Bold colors were a recent major graphic design trend, and while they are easy to achieve digitally, they can be tougher to reproduce in a physical print design. But one tactic can saturate your designs and eliminate unwanted white space: overprinting.
Any time you print something, your computer and printer simply utilize one layer of ink. For example, your background won’t be printed underneath your ornate typography - only the top layer will be produced. However, this can leave unwanted and unforeseen white spaces called ghosting, which tarnishes the overall design. Utilizing overprinting in reprographics ensures that each layer is printed and the design stays intact - much like two layers of paint in a home.
Additionally, overprinting can be used to create bold colors and saturated effects by layer the ink on top of one another. Be careful not to overuse overprinting, though - too much can muddy your design.
While aspects of graphic design support advertising and marketing initiatives, it also serves to build a strong brand visual identity. By doing so, you’ll see stronger customer loyalty, better brand awareness and, ultimately, more conversions (and a print design award or two).
So, if you keep your brand identity and what your consumers want to see in mind, you’ll likely see that thinking outside the box - and maybe coloring outside the lines a bit, too - will further this goal. Don’t be afraid to try an edgier concept or implement a new design element, as long as it’s balanced with tried-and-true aspects such as white space and legible typography that keep the design user-friendly.
Legible, beautiful typography is intrinsic to effective print designs. They directly influence emotions and conjure memories and associations. And since 65 percent of consumers would rather purchase from a company they have an emotional connection with, typography is an element worth investing into your print design.
If you want to break the rules, first you have to learn them -- and the no. 1 rule in design is to stick to the grid.
Consumers have ingrained patterns and ways in which they best consumer information - it’s why the F pattern is so popular across the board. It cultivates an organized design that communicates information easily and thus, enables consumers to better retain it. These designs, although intricate and engaging, are extremely symmetrical and follow a clear grid.
It’s not to say that you can’t break the grid now and then. However, before you do, take the time to understand your audience, their likes and dislikes, and the print designs that have done well (and those that have not). This will tell your team whether or not your consumers will appreciate a more abstract layout. But when in doubt, grid it out.
According to Adobe, business sales increase by 2.5 percent for every 2000 business cards that are handed out. Unfortunately, 88 percent of distributed cards are thrown away within one week. That means only the best of the best live to inspire business growth.
Business cards are imperative for small and advancing companies. Carrying the transportable information around allows entrepreneurs and executives to build brand awareness and foster potential professional partnerships - and the best way to make sure your card stays in the small percentage of retained cards is to create an informational, beautiful business card.
Print ads' overall effectiveness in the digital age is dwindling. However, they still bring in billions of dollars in revenue every year. In major cities with billboards - such as Los Angeles - or with various printed collateral - like New York City’s robust subway system - print ads can reach thousands of unsuspecting audiences with ease.
Print advertising campaigns can achieve several different goals and often couple well with marketing initiatives that signify a new brand identity or product release. The key is to ensure your print ads are modern, captivating and highly targeted.
While website banners may not technically be a print design, they certainly require a graphic designer's expertise and are imperative for online and offline businesses. Global revenue from banner ads is expected to grow to over $212.7 billion in 2025.
There are several tips and tricks that will make your banner ad more successful, such as utilizing color psychology to influence consumers’ moods and integrated animated graphics - a design trend that is exploding fast and reaps print awards left and right.
Website banner layouts should also be strategically designed to effectively capture new consumers. A readable font and negative space allow your call to action to take center stage. Take care to make sure every type of banner is perfectly sized - this way, you’ll avoid pixelation and poor layouts.
Seventy-seven percent of marketers believe a strong brand identity is crucial for future growth - and part of that strong branding is reinforced through cohesive visuals on all platforms.
Consistent and cohesive brand identity builds credibility and clients and business associates want to work with a credible brand. Therefore, branded stationery is a great investment - particularly for corporate companies that send a great deal of personalized printed information and conduct formal communication.
Stationery is the perfect place to subtly reinforce the brand through small logos, signature color palettes and ultimately ensure that your company is at the forefront of your business partners’ minds.
The digital age has transformed traditional print designs, ushering in mediums like email marketing and social media. They’re effective, too - 59 percent of marketers say email is their most effective marketing channel, and Internet users between 18 and 34 are 95% likely to follow a brand on social media.
This means that digital channels see plenty of exposure and have endless conversion potential, and it’s worth your while to channel some of your designers’ time into creating engaging image banners for your email marketing campaigns or designing branded posts for social media.
Images that also contain information are more likely to be viewed and remembered. The more relevant the image, the longer they looked at it.
Partnering high-value images, graphs and charts with important copy will actually increase brand awareness about your company. While designing a brochure may seem very 2001, it is an easy and effective way to get spread information about your company to people AND ensure they remember it.
Brochures are especially useful for businesses with brick-and-mortar storefronts and companies that do a lot of corporate events or client-based work. For example, people may not be taking copious notes in a pitch meeting - but they’ll surely remember your success rate when you arm them with a beautiful brochure as they leave.
It’s easy to brush direct mail marketing to the side, but the fact of the matter is that sending physical print designs such as catalogs is still effective. Catalogs are making a big comeback. According to the Data and Marketing Statistical Fact Book, over 130 million people purchased from a catalog.
Just like movie trailers in recent years, catalogs became somewhat of an art form even viewed separately from their initial branding role. It's no wonder why many shining examples win various printing awards.
Eighty-two percent of U.S. adults are loyal to certain brands, and much of this loyalty is fostered through personalization and friendly interaction. Creating stunning invitations for various events - whether physical print designs or digital - are an excellent way to drive home that personal connection with consumers.
Everything from internal gatherings (which boost company culture and, ultimately, your bottom line) to pop-up shops can take on a special feel when invitations are issued. Although they place more emphasis on brand values and overall experience, millennials, in particular, will also spend up more at a company with strong customer service. This makes something as simple as an invitation to a public pop-up shop of experiential exhibit reach a new level of importance.
49% of marketers say that visual marketing is important while 22% of them say it is absolutely essential. You can double down on blogging and design with the help of a fact sheet.
Similar to the ever-popular infographic, a fact sheet couples quick copy with a beautiful, organized layout to inform readers in a quick snapshot. Even in digital world, fact sheets are incredibly important - particularly for large meetings, conferences or even internal company information. Plus, when you branch out from a basic email and give partners, employees and clients something a little more interesting, they are more likely to remember the information.
Maintaining a consistent brand identity is one of the most important things your company should strive for. However, without hard-and-fast guidelines to follow, it’s far too easy to let little style elements slip through the cracks.
This is where a brand book saves the day. A brand book is a hefty long-form design that outlines appropriate branding guidelines for your company, from logos and fonts to mission statements and elevator pitches to acceptable imagery standards.
While it may seem like a lot of work for a mostly internal document, printing a comprehensive brand book doesn’t just help the design team. It tells the entire company how to pitch the brand, frames ideal professional partnerships and even informs press kits for public relations purposes. It is all-encompassing and will certainly elevate your visual identity in the long run.
Carefully choose your color scheme
In the words of great Satchmo – “What a wonderful (and colorful) world.” So, why would your print material be any different? Colorful, however, doesn’t mean throwing everything you’ve got onto the blank canvas (leave that to the likes of Jackson Pollock). Pairing complementary hues is what gets you to the prize. Any prize for that matter.
You don’t want your print designs to end up looking tacky or busy (with the exception of Halloween or Christmas-related collateral). The more colors there are, the bigger the risk that something is going to feel off.
Print design awards are reserved for those that meticulously weigh in the choice of the ideal, on-brand color palette. On the other hand, using fewer colors can not only save you money but focus attention on what truly matters. When in doubt, keep it simple!
Give it enough room to breathe
If you’re looking for a creative way to boost a fairly simple design, make sure that there is enough space around text and important visual elements. Having them crammed near the border will look inept — not worthy of any printing awards.
Make sure you’re not trying to fit too much within — only the essentials. In other words, make them want more! You can always add a compelling CTA or contact info that provides more detailed information.
Make it look and feel real
Using high-resolution assets pretty much goes without saying. However, too often, designers resort to low-quality open-source visuals for their projects or they pay for stock images that lack what matters the most – authenticity!
On the other hand, print awards look for designs with poignant visuals that inspire, stir emotions and ultimately demand attention to your brand’s goal and your products/services.
The key factor is avoiding generic images. Either opt for custom ones that showcase your product in use or present one or various scenarios where your product/service is in the spotlight. These images must look and feel genuine as if they were extracted right from your target audience’s collective psyche. Authenticity is what makes people connect with your brand.
Embossed, textures, etc. add to the experience
Why settle for standard printing? It’s the finishing touches that make your print design turn heads. Simple as that. There are multiple methods you can incorporate to make it literally jump off the paper.
For example, embossing lifts your design from the stock and provides a raised, textured effect making it look and feel great. It is mostly used to emphasize specific elements like patterns, logos, typography, etc.
Depth adds another layer of appealing complexity to an otherwise simple piece. With the added magic of 3D design, your print materials can wow with the mix of old and new resulting in a future-proof piece that both stands the test of time and... well, stands out!
Consider the final result
Remember, what looks good on screen isn’t a guarantee it’ll print well.
There are many different ways to print a variety of print designs and details matter. Print awards may or may not see the products in printed format, but your audiences will.
Unlike its digital counterparts, print design isn’t instantly deleted with a click, or forgotten right after a successful campaign. It stays behind and has the potential to give new life to previous advertising efforts. When done well, print materials work well in conjunction with digital marketing. They make your company different and help prospective customers remember you.
Witnessing the result firsthand should both look and feel better than what is seen on monitor preprinting.
