- Jun 15, 2017
- 1 min read

Direct Mail Postcards and Inserts

Project Info

Duration: 2015 – present

Client: Harland Clarke, Vericast, Expressionery, iPrint, Checks in the Mail, Hangers Cleaners, NDA

Role: Graphic Designer

Mediums: Photography, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign

Kickoff & Research

I find it vital to have a kick-off meeting with stakeholders / marketing team to identify the intended target audience, inspiration, specs and review any precedent pieces from previous postcard or insert campaigns. During this phase, information that conveys the overall emotion, and inspiration is helpful.

Layout & Sketching

I typically begin by laying out all the spec sized pages in Adobe InDesign. I block out the USPS required areas which includes the postage, mailing and return addresses. They are the “unsafe zones” for promo codes, legal lines, etc. If the copy is established, I begin to block areas out for headlines and subheads. It may not be where they will end up in the final, but it helps me visual the space left over for photography and/or illustrations. I go to the sketchbooks and begin to thumbnail how the layout might work.

Final Deliverables and Lessons Learned

By designing direct mail postcards, I have learned the importance of call-to-action (CTA), hierarchy, balance, eye-movement, white space, and a basic visual unity for a cohesive look. Below are a few of the postcards and inserts I have designed.