Founded as a holiday to honor the hard-working Americans that form the foundation of the United States, Labor Day is a celebration of the ability to enjoy the payoffs that hard work brings. There are only a few icons associated with Labor Day, so you have the opportunity to tread the road less traveled when designing Labor Day-themed promotional pieces.

Here are a few ideas to kick-start your creativity:

Theme to your audience

Learn as much as you can about the target audience when designing for printed postcards, brochures, flyers and other promotional materials, then theme your pieces to their respective world. If a direct-mail marketing campaign is aimed at factory workers, for instance, use images and colors that relate to that industry. Dark blues and steels offer a "unionized" touch, while images of machinery, hard hats and tools can help drive the point home. Conversely, office workers might be more receptive to computer-related themes. If you're not sure about the professions of your target audience, go with something more general and make it fun, happy and bold to represent the day of rest most American workers get.

Be patriotic

Labor Day is an American holiday, and as such many designers like to incorporate patriotic themes in their postcards, brochures and posters. There's nothing wrong with invoking a little American pride from your prospects - it might even embolden customers to purchase locally.

Other good Labor Day color schemes include the use of bold, solid colors that represent the strength of the American work force; bright, tight curves and swoops that represent the PC world; or a mix of vibrant reds, hot oranges and soft blues that represent the end of summer.

A cut above

Just like the American worker, your designs are a cut above the rest. Show off your skills and make your clients' Labor Day promotional pieces stand out with top-quality color and die-cut printing. Today's online printing world combines fast printing with high-quality colors, papers and die-cuts at affordable prices, so you can design great pieces for even the most budget-minded clients. Example die-cuts might include wrenches, hammers, books, hard hats or anything related to your target markets' respective professions.

Make a sale

Promotional pieces should be promotional, and no matter how talented a graphic designer you are, if your clients don't have a great offer they won't see the return on investment they want. Encourage your clients to add limited-time sales, bargains and deals to increase their ROI, which will in turn earn you repeat business.

The right list, the right offer and the right design (thanks to the aforementioned tips) will have your clients will loving the way you work. So roll up your sleeves and get busy designing the next great American Labor Day direct-marketing campaign!