Christmas is just around the corner, exciting right! For many of us, Christmas often creeps up out of nowhere, while others have had it at the forefront of their minds for months.

A lot of preparation goes into marketing in the run-up to Christmas, and with that, design plays an important part to showcase the warm, cosy feel that is associated with the festive season.

Several of our clients have been busy planning their campaigns which are now in full swing. As a result, we’ve recently been knee-deep in all things Christmas!

Targets for businesses can vary in the run-up to Christmas, so design concepts for each campaign cannot just be rinsed and repeated. While some organisations may be advertising festive events, others may simply be promoting their services or products, the ideal gifts for the important people in your life.

While there are colours we all automatically associate with Christmas, we have to bear in mind the target audience that we are aiming the campaign to. While a Santa Clause red may be an obvious choice when it comes to Christmas, it might not necessarily be the colour that will best match your message. And besides, does it suit your brands colour palette? You do not want your design to clash! Plus, too much red on your design and you may start to look more like a well-known cola brand!

While some campaigns may require an all-out Christmas explosion, others may need something a little more subtle. We recently created several pieces of marketing literature for Lincoln Cathedral that advertised several events they were hosting in the run-up to Christmas. While each piece had its own job to do, all three followed a similar look. Decorative elements such as baubles and gift tags were used to not only dress the designs but were also used to help key messages or logos to stand out. A rich gold was used alongside their recognisable brand colour of purple to create a traditional Christmas look with a classic Lincoln Cathedral feel. Along with the colour palette and design elements, we also thought about the textures that would help achieve the traditional look we wanted to achieve. Instead of flat blocks of colour, we added textured paper effects to create a richness to the design that compliments the overall look.

Over the last couple of months, we’ve also been helping South Ormsby Estate with a range of printed and digital graphics to help them promote their Massingberd-Mundy branded products. Similarly to Lincoln Cathedral, the overall aesthetic required was one that portrayed a feeling of tradition but also one that created a feeling of luxury that would match their quality, hand-crafted range of award-winning products. Again, we looked at different textures that would suit the feel and added a bit of Christmas sparkle with glittery elements to add a party feel to the campaign.

It’s not just our clients who have been preparing for Christmas. Here at Balance, we’ve created our own Christmas card that we will be sending to clients and suppliers. In a contrast to the designs we’ve created for Lincoln Cathedral and South Ormsby Estate, we’ve stuck very closely to our branding. Creating simple Christmas imagery using the triangle from our logo, along with our pink background colour, we’ve created a subtle design that is as much Christmas as it is Balance Designs. A Christmas card may be a simple gesture, and although an email may be a quicker and cheaper way to contact your clients, never underestimate the importance of direct mail. In our eyes, there’s no match to a piece of beautiful design that you can pick up and hold in your hands. It’s also a great way to ensure your target audience has a reminder of your business on their desk ahead of the New Year!

And New Year is where we’re heading next! We can’t wait to get stuck into all the new campaigns for 2022. A time of year for fresh ideas, new campaigns and positive changes for all of us. If you're looking to launch a new campaign or are looking to spruce up your branding, get in touch.