Many high schools today outsource their yearbook printing to national yearbook producers. But some local Wisconsin schools choose instead to give their students the opportunity to fully design and manage the local print production of their yearbooks. This allows creative flexibility in design and a hands-on experience of what being a publication designer is really about.

Here are some design ideas for custom printed yearbooks that we have seen at Suttle-Straus while working with local school districts:

For all of the challenges that 2020 has thrown at us, there have been some bright spots as well. Most recently, the Adobe MAX conference was converted to a digital experience, as so many things have been. But more importantly, the registration fee was waived for all. Adobe saw the need to do its part to spark as much creativity as possible, while showcasing its incredible suite of tools for the creatives of the world of all experience levels.

Here are some of the most interesting new design tips and tricks our team took from the conference:

Rectangles and squares are great, but creative people like to think "outside the box." Sometimes four sides, 90-degree corners, and parallel lines are just not enough. That means that it is time to cut… die cut that is.

Did you know that common mistakes in logo design can cost your company thousands of dollars for the lifetime of brand logo use? It's true. Many people design logos with a "web first" mentality now. However, every logo has to be printed at some point - what startup tech company CEO would go without business cards? Therefore, logo design can impact the cost of company stationery and other marketing collateral for life. When contemplating designing (or redesigning) your company logo, don't make these errors:

Using metallics in design and fashion has been trending in 2019 and looks to be continuing into 2020. Like many other company cards this holiday season, we applied a shiny copper foil to a set of eight different thank you cards. Since most designers don't have a lot of experience with foil applications, we thought that we would share our top tips for designing print with foil stamping.

Just like adding different spices and seasonings can create unique flavor profiles for a meal, using a specialty coating on your marketing piece can help communicate your distinct style or add a tactile reinforcement of your messaging.

Our Creative team was very grateful to have the opportunity to attend the HOW Design Live conference this year in Chicago. For those of you who may not know, this is one of the top design conferences for creatives. We wanted to share some of the common themes we noticed throughout the conference, as well as our overall experience and some recommendations.

Designing for printed material, big and small, has requirements that don’t apply when you are designing for the web or social media. Here are some of the common mistakes printers see when files are submitted for printing:

Every year, we like to push the envelope with our holiday card, trying new techniques and showcasing our capabilities. With this in mind, our holiday card this year featured an accordion folded card with ten pockets, bound by a belly band, and shrink wrapped to create a self-mailing piece. Recipients were instructed to open one pocket per day, each contained a different marketing resolution idea for the new year. The exterior was made up of two pieces that were rotated 180 degrees to complete the card. Both halves of the exterior utilized a single die, which allowed it to run on a smaller press sheet, helping save on total cost. See a video of how it was made and get a sample of this piece here.

Are you sick of the boring tri-fold handout or stitched booklet brochure? If it's time to mix up your marketing collateral format, try one of these unique folding techniques to stand out from the competition.