Recently updated on January 19th, 2018 at 11:27 pm
Anyone looking for business calendar ideas can call me their friend. I make it my business to find the latest in the industry and I’ll be more than happy to share my discoveries.
Why such a passion for calendar printing? Glad you asked. Calendars are arguably the best marketing tool dollar for dollar. A one-time spend for the company barely puts a dent in the company’s marketing budget. That’s a pretty sweet deal considering they’ll be used by your customers for an entire year.
Now it’s your turn to experience just what custom calendars can do for your business. But where do you start? Don’t worry. I got you covered. This guide to calendar printing will have you up and running in no time.
When you have a design and ready to print, check out NextDayFlyers and our business calendar printing services.
Knowing Your Calendar Options
One common mistake I’ve seen designers do is head straight to artwork creation without knowing all their options first. Your options will dictate your overall calendar design. And boy, do you have a lot of options to consider.
Wall Calendars
You’ll find wall calendars a fitting choice for promoting a brand. Wall-mounted calendars beg to be noticed and when coupled with a great design, I’d dare anyone to look away.
They come in different sizes with 5.5” x 8.5” (folded size) being the most popular. If you’d like some wiggle room, a larger 8.5” x 11” (folded size) may be more to your liking.
The kind of coating applied will directly affect the colors you use on your design. I find that high gloss UV coating makes colors more prominent and adds some much-needed shine to your work.
Magnetic Calendars
Yes, magnetic calendars are a thing and they’re used all the time. I stick mine on the refrigerator but I’ve seen them on lockers and office desks too. They come in pocket-sized variations or as photo frames with pockets.
Magnet strength is not something you necessarily want to think about but totally should. A light magnet is more economical and should be fine for everyday use. But stronger magnets can really take a beating, so you might want to consider that.
Pro Tip: A laminated finish will protect your artwork so they last the duration of their use.
Calendar Designs
Now that we have options out of the way, it’s time to make a fantastic design. What I like about calendars is that they allow you to be flexible. A minimalistic calendar will have the same chances of working as a more complex version.
The right kind of design will depend on what image you want to project. You can be quirky or professional. Maybe a little bit of both. What’s important is for you to use the right layout and colors.
Color Combination
The right color combination is the key to a successful campaign. Use a color wheel to find colors that go together.
Your design can be monochromatic where you use a range of the same color like light and dark red. This results in a more subdued design. An analogous color scheme means picking colors that are side-by-side in the color wheel. Then you have complementary colors which are opposite each other like red and green or blue and orange.
There are other color wheel combinations you could use. Then there’s the choice between warm and cool colors. Wikipedia has an entry on color theory which is an interesting read if you have time.
Layout
The right layout will also have a significant impact. Those who have less experienced in making business calendars shouldn’t worry. There are downloadable calendar templates you could use to make designing more manageable. These templates are often free and are available in different file formats.
Images
Professionally shot images are ideal but are not something everyone can afford. But that shouldn’t stop you from printing photo calendars. You still have options. If you want to use product shots for your calendar, you can shoot it yourself. Most cameras today can take high-quality photos. There are apps you could download to crop and modify photos. Just make sure your images have high resolution to be usable.
Do not use copyrighted images as using them can land you in trouble. If you need additional images, I suggest you use a stock photo site instead.
Design Concepts
Below are just a few business calendar ideas I found for your inspiration. Links to the designer are available below. Just in time to print 2018 calendars!
This simple calendar design is by Md. Manwar Hossain. Most business calendars are simple designs that are focused on a simple image.
While this piece was originally made for 2013, the design remains attractive even today. Hadeer Sakr used a monochromatic color scheme to make the design easy on the eyes. Notice how the brand logo pops but doesn’t take away anything from the design.
This design by Melissa Boardman shows how elegant black-and-white calendars can be. It’s definitely something worth considering.
This yellow/black combo produced something masculine. Perfect if you’re targeting the male demographic. Leoh Designer certainly knows what he’s doing here.
This floral design by Cristina Zhakovich is perfect for anyone in the boutique business.
