Printed collaterals may be old-fashioned, but in today’s modern world, they’re still considered to be the most effective marketing and advertising vehicles.
In fact, 82% of consumers trust print ads over any other medium when it comes to making a purchase decision.
One thing’s clear – print designs are still in. Traditional as they are, they still play a huge part in raking profits for most businesses today. And for design junkies, print design companies, or individual enthusiasts alike, these are works of art that transcend through time.
If you’re here to get some style inspiration or simply marvel at the best print designs, you’re in for a treat!
In this article, we’ll be looking at eight stunning examples of well-designed print materials: from visually-arresting posters to intricately-illustrated business cards.
Table of Contents
- Insurefor by Casper Creative
- Prusik Innovations by Define Curious
- Gagne le Vieux Saint-Jean dans ta cours by ER5 Creation graphique
- River Valley Junior Golf by Bucketduck
- Graphic Design Mixer by AP Creative
- Dumpin’ Donuts by Twill & Stone Design Co.
- Pengana Capital by Creatik
- First United Church Community Society by Swoon Creative Media
- Raven Bank by SpencerZill
- Piano Summer by Designliga
1. Insurefor by Casper Creative
Standout Features:
- Organized single-page layout
- Simple yet consistent color combination
- Large fonts for better legibility
As described in their project brief, ROCK Insurance Group felt that Insurefor, their established flagship travel insurance brand, was looking a little dated against its competitors.
Because of this, they decided to tap the design services of Casper Creative in executing a full rebranding of the company’s logo, website, print and digital assets, and other marketing channels.
This leaflet design, in particular, is proof that the massive design overhaul was a total success.
They decided to go for a single-page layout, which is a smart choice in terms of design and function. Handing out one-page brochures in airports, key establishments, and other fast-paced environments is the way to go. And it makes them super easy to read!
But you know what else adds to the design’s readability? Large, sans serif fonts. A catchy slogan that reads “great value travel insurance for your next adventure” is written clearly for the user to read – even from a distance.
It is also accompanied by text descriptions and promo offers that are just as attention-grabbing as the headline. At the bottom of the page, users are ushered to connect with a representative by the contact number displayed.
These texts lie in a bed of blue and white which reflects the brand colors. This is a big YES to consistency! Also, it just makes the layout clean and easier on the eyes. In contrast, the designers added orange claim-to-fame badges as well as colored illustrations for an extra design touch.
With such details, these leaflets are sure to convert leads to actual sales!
2. Prusik Innovations by Define Curious
Standout Features:
- Clean and minimalist card layout
- Great use of image masking
- On-brand color scheme
Prusik Innovations is a Canadian business consulting firm that is geared towards providing valuable, innovative, and results-driven solutions to businesses of any kind.
As an established B2B company, they needed a business card that not only looks professional but also creatively illustrates their unique discovery process and how they can effectively help clients overcome business challenges.
They partnered with Define Curious for the project and the design agency clearly delivered. The Alberta-based creative boutique redesigned what used to be a plain business card into an eye-catching and thought-provoking one.
Unlike most business card designs that simply stamp the company name and a few details and then call it a day, this one took a more creative approach.
On the front of the card, the simplistic Prusik Innovations logo sits beside a large image that extends from the top to the bottom of the entire card. It’s shaped as an enlarged letter P that also takes the form of a question mark. The designers masked its shape to contain an image inside, which shows a picturesque locational landscape – a great way to pique one’s interest!
On the back of the card is where potential clients can view Prusik Innovations’ contact and company details which are all easy to read. All elements – text, and images included – reflect the company’s colors too, which made the design all the more cohesive.
3. Gagne le Vieux Saint-Jean dans ta cours by ER5 Creation graphique
Standout Features:
- Bright and vibrant bursts of color
- Gorgeous display of various graphic elements
- Simple and consistent typography
This out-of-home advertising design by ER5 Creation graphique is part of its creation of the brand image for the "Win Old Saint-Jean in your yard" contest hosted by the Old Saint-Jean Development Society.
What we have here is a masterclass in effective poster-making, particularly for competition-type events.
There’s nothing better than using bold and vibrant colors to catch every passerby’s attention. With bright red as the background, the poster is sure to stand out even in a crowded area. This red is splashed on the entirety of the poster, which became a great canvas for all the visual elements in the design.
Positioned right at the center of the poster is a colorful artwork that’s inspired by nature. The entire visual is an amalgamation of green leaves, vines, and other natural graphic illustrations. For a modern touch, the design agency added various shapes like swirls, triangles, and other geometric icons.
With these many elements, using simple typography for poster descriptions and details makes for a cleaner and more streamlined design. Only one font type is used for the entire illustration.
But for dynamics, the agency made some font variations by adding texture to the letters, enclosing them in text blocks, changing their colors, and so on!
4. River Valley Junior Golf by Bucketduck
Standout Features:
- Multi-color theme
- CTA-type advertising messages
- Great blend of handwritten and sans serif fonts
River Valley Junior Golf (RVJG) is a non-profit organization that promotes the game among the youth in Edmonton and its surrounding areas. To keep the team growing, the organization decided to roll out posters and banners that would spark interest and increase membership in the club.
To achieve this goal, Bucketduck, its design agency, collaborated with Marketing RX for a branding strategy that’s unique, diverse and widely engaging.
One of the most striking features of this poster design is that it comes in different color stories. No two layouts are the same. The agency used a bunch of color pairings: blue with green, green with purple, red with yellow, blue with red and so on. The images are painted in these shades, too, which keeps things cohesive.
Collectively, these variations translate to a more youthful and livelier vibe, perfectly representing what the organization is all about.
This is further complemented by the handwritten font style used for the poster headlines. Simple and straightforward calls-to-action like “Juniors, join the club!” and “Drive Your Future” is a great way to instantly engage the crowd as well. To balance everything out, the designers opted for sans serif fonts for the descriptions – a clever design move to maintain the posters’ character without being too extravagant or busy.
5. Graphic Design Mixer by AP Creative
Standout Features:
- Elegant and captivating overlay design
- Gradient text block
- Realistic and high-definition background image
Posters are still among the best ways to promote social gatherings of any sort, and this one right here by AP Creative is a wonderful testament to that. The Graphic Design Mixer event was hosted by the Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) and in partnership with the Winnipeg Design Festival (WFD).
Here’s the dilemma – both of these organizations have somewhat clashing brand colors. Still, AP Creative managed to use this to their advantage.
What the designers did is to blend these two bold colors together to make a beautiful gradient of red and magenta. The result is a deep and rich color story that instantly grabs the attention of anyone who locks their eyes on the poster.
They used this gradient as a text block for the poster descriptions which are all written in black, resulting in such great contrasts! Not to mention the event title, which is another sight to behold. Each letter is masked to reveal the stunning image in the background.
What’s the image, you ask? It’s an ultra-realistic and nature-inspired HD image of a flower bed. It features colors that complement the gradient – purple, fuchsia, deep red, and so on. This illustration, by itself, is what truly draws the audience in.
6. Dumpin’ Donuts by Twill & Stone Design Co.
Standout Features:
- Sharp and high-contrast product shots
- Fun and catchy advertising taglines
- Minimal text descriptions
Twill & Stone Design Co. is all about research, strategy, and fun – and we can clearly see that with how they designed these quirky yet visually striking posters for Dumpin’ Donuts.
As a brand with a fresh, modern, and outgoing personality, it’s only fitting that their sweet treats be featured in a way that reflects their true character. Taglines like “fresh out the kitchen” and “so cute and tasty, you could scream (please don’t)” immediately bring out the brand’s humorous and youthful vibe.
To complement this, the designers splashed the posters in both vibrant and pastel colors. A combination of hot pink and aqua blue serves as the main canvas for the layout. This color scheme perfectly blends with the texts in canary yellow.
The donuts, of course, are the highlight of this poster. Glorious high-contrast shots of different donut flavors trigger anyone’s sweet cravings!
And to make sure they’re the center of attention, no other text descriptions are present to distract viewers from the main illustration. Besides the tagline, a single “open ‘til 11” notice is placed at the bottom to indicate store hours.
7. Pengana Capital by Creatik
Standout Features:
- Cool and refreshing color palette
- Organized page content
- Beautifully-shot landscape images
Pengana Capital Group is a funds management group that offers a broad range of solutions and strategies for modern-day investors.
They commissioned Creatik to effectively communicate their identity and mission using print marketing vehicles like fund profiles, corporate documents, and event collaterals. The result? An impressive set of completely revamped and refreshed brand assets.
One of the great successes to come out of this rebranding project is the company’s corporate profile presented neatly in flyers and brochures. Using different shades of blue not only reflects the brand colors but it also translates to a cool and approachable vibe. The text description and details are arranged in an organized and column-style fashion, which makes them easy to read. Each page looks like it’s taken straight out of a business magazine!
For an added visual treat, each page features a high-definition landscape shot of cities and buildings that perfectly signify progress. And they aren’t just there for aesthetics. They help balance out some of the lengthy text descriptions, too!
8. First United Church Community Society by Swoon Creative Media
Standout Features:
- Distinguishable iconography
- Vibrant color palette
- Digestible content in clean layouts
First United operates on its five core foundations: Social Justice, Acceptance, Discernment, Empathy, and Accountability. Through ministry and community service, they envision societies where people are contented, happy, and thriving.
To communicate this vision to possible donors, they teamed up with Swoon Creative Media design agency for branding strategy and design. With the agency's creative genius, they released captivating and on-brand print and digital marketing collaterals from business cards to out-of-home advertising and campaign publications.
The brand logo, which is shaped like a paper boat from afar, is painted in red, black, sky blue, and yellow. These colors are consistent on all their assets.
The agency followed the minimalist approach when designing the brand's business cards and company IDs. The other side is dominated by one of the brand colors mentioned earlier with a text overlay of their taglines. Flipping the card, you'll see the employee's photo, name, job title, and employee number.
Another distinct feature their print designs have is the icons. The agency developed well-thought-of icons that sum up the brand's core pillars in small graphics.
These icons are also visible on the brand's publication along with legible typography. Browsing through the pages, you'll notice a clear balance between the illustrations, images, texts, and colors. Text-heavy pages are often paired with a light-colored background.
9. Raven Bank by SpencerZill
Standout Features:
- Prominent logo design
- Complementary color palette
- Unique branding
Basically, Raven is a future-oriented bank that provides digital-only banking services in very simple and easy ways that suit clients' everyday needs. It aims to remove all the unnecessary complexities that we are all so used to with traditional banking.
Their print and business collateral came as the crowning jewel of Raven's masterful branding, crafted bySpencerZill.
Since banks are customarily viewed as stern and formal, Raven wanted to retain the high-class professionalism that we typically relate to banking but also express its unique personality. In finding Raven's voice, SpencerZill conducted extensive research to find out what is considered conventional in the digital banking industry to go in the opposite direction.
Every element of this print design emanates accessibility. Everything from the evocative logo and brand pattern to a positive color scheme and quirky mascot invites users to morph into clients having fun and receiving exquisite banking service in equal measure.
10. Piano Summer by Designliga
Standout Features:
- Symbolic gradient palette
- Varying typography
- Adaptive design
Piano Summer is a renowned cultural festival in southern Europe that attracts more and more visitors since its inception in 2014. What was once a local Serbian festival gradually transformed into a predominantly European cultural network that has so far been able to attract countries such as Germany, Italy, and South Africa as hosts.
Classical music in its focus conveys the news from the art scene from a different perspective. And different perspective is what the festival's latest print material is all about.
Using the Suisse Neue typeface as the primary font, Designliga introduces a mix of serif and san-serif, bold, all-caps, and more to create a striking pattern to match Piano Summer's goal - conveying classical music in a contemporary atmosphere.
When combined with a gradient, on-brand color elements that represent various national coats of arms, the sheer variety of these prints showcases the diversity and richness of the festival, all in one creative design.
