Bookmark Design Essentials

When it comes to bookmark design, the possibilities are endless. There is no one theme or audience that every bookmark attempts to satisfy; and there are no specific design rules that are set in stone. Still, your bookmark creation should be invigorating at minimum; inspiring at its best.

The following bookmark design essentials will help you brainstorm creative ways to design your next bookmark:

Capture the theme

While bookmarks do not share a common theme, your bookmark design should still strive to capture a theme. Consider the end-user and the message to be conveyed - and then get creative. If you're designing bookmarks for a library, research famous literary authors and characters for inspiration. If you're designing a bookmark for a cereal company, then you're likely to feature the brand's mascot. Likewise, consider the audience - what are they likely to use as a bookmark? A library could target cat lovers with a kitten bookmark, for example.

Get it into shape

Designing a die-cut bookmark adds class and character - and makes your bookmark unique enough to command immediate attention. If you can shape your bookmark around your themed design, all the better - an open book at the top for a library, the shape of a mascot's head for a cereal company or perhaps a baseball bat for a minor league team's bookmarks as part of a PR campaign.

Leave plenty of white space

Leave plenty of white space in your bookmark design. Remember that your readers are interested in reading the book in their lap, not your bookmark, which is simply a tool for keeping place. With that in mind, make your message bold and easy to quickly understand at a glance. If you do have to include additional information, capitalize on your main message and put the rest in smaller print so readers can read on if they choose (for example, a library might wish to include an upcoming event calendar).

Use a template

Pre-formatted professional bookmark templates guide you through your bookmark design and ensure that your formatting is correct. With a bookmark template, you'll know exactly where to position your design with safety lines, how far to extend bleeds and where the cutline is. Bookmark templates are also already in the correct color mode (CMYK) and resolution (at least 300 dpi).

No matter whom your audience is, bookmarks are a great way to place your message front-and-center each and every day. Even though they're small, the repetition afforded by bookmarks means a well-designed bookmark makes big impact. The preceding bookmark design tips will put you on the right track to creating a compelling bookmark design that does more than hold a place in a book.

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