In Direct Mail, your envelope has one, simple job – to grab the recipient’s ATTENTION (you have about 2.6 seconds to accomplish this). Any creative designer knows that a great direct mail package is completely lost if the recipient doesn’t make it beyond the envelope.
And although the ultimate goal of the envelope is to generate enough attention to peak interest, it’s important to note that your envelope also helps establish your personality. It does this whether you want it to or not. The envelope sends a message about you directly to the recipient before they’ve even decided whether or not they want to read ANY of your message simply based on how it looks and the size you’ve chosen.
So what type of message are you sending?
Here’s a few considerations of different personality types that are associated with different types of common envelopes:
Personality: friendly, inviting. Small envelope (3 1/2” x 6”) – think of this like a wedding invitation. It’s smaller than more pieces you receive so tends to get noticed a little quicker. Great for personalized invitations or notes of thanks
Personality: business oriented, institutional. Regular envelope (3 7/8” x 8 7/8”) – these tend to be used for more ‘institutional type’ of mailings and usually are a simple personalized letter with insert or brochure. Great for invoices, personalized letters, simple brochures.
Personality: informative, content rich. Larger Envelope (6 x 9) – this is a great format for more information like small catalogs, booklets, or membership mailings. The single fold on a letter is usually more ideal when your letter and content spans multiple page. Great for offering a selection of items, detailing benefits, or lengthy content over several pages.
Personality: important, legal. Full letter sized envelope (8 ½” x 11”) – this sends the message that “These documents are important so we didn’t want to fold them”. Good for agreements, private and confidential mailings.
And lest we forget the ‘no envelope’ approach:
Personality: fun, colourful, quick. Postcard – this is great to make an immediate and quick impact, limited text and best to drive a customer to action such as website, phone number, or store. Great for: reminders, announcements, web drivers
Of course, if you really want to get noticed, to stand out in the mail box, and to establish a ‘louder’ personality, try something unconventional, or die-cut (oddly sized) to really have the customer take notice. The sky is the limit here as long as it fits with the personality you want to convey….and within your budget of course.
Remember, first impressions can establish lasting opinions, so make sure your envelope is designed to impress!
