There are several advantages to using custom flags in advertising your business. These are cost-effective and durable marketing tools that help you promote your brand across your target market. Visibility is an important factor when using custom flags as part of a marketing strategy. This is why the design plays an integral part when communicating to your audience. Whether you are using these flags for promotional campaigns, festivals, training, sports competitions, or other events, the overall look is an important factor to consider. In this blog, you will learn the important steps to take when designing your custom flags. Follow these steps so you may effectively communicate your message through the use of graphics text and colors.
Determine the objective of your marketing campaign
Do not start designing without knowing the goal of your design. What is the message that you want to convey to whoever will be seeing your flag? What is the action plan that you want them to take after seeing your design? There are plenty of objectives a brand may want to achieve. These objectives could be increased brand awareness, strengthen brand loyalty, or promote a new product. Additional objectives include an increase in followers, getting more leads, or generating more sales. Determining the objective will also make you understand who you are going to communicate with. What is the type of audience you want to capture? Once this is taken care of you can now lay the foundation of your design. You must have a framework of your intended message communicated to your target audience.
Actual designing process of your custom flag
Research for inspiration
The goal of this research is to find inspiration that you can take as a guide in designing your own. It’s a big NO to copy the exact design. First, you may be violating certain copyrights, and second, your design won’t stand out from the crowd. Researching for inspiration is important so you have an idea of what your flag will look like and how you can incorporate your creativity. The following are some of the websites you can visit when looking for design inspiration.
- Dribbble
- Behance
- Landbook
- Awwwards
- Designspiration
- Figma
- Canva
- Collaborative
- Creative
If you are looking for design inspiration for typography, consider looking into the following websites.
- Type hunting
- Fonts in use
- Typeinspire
- Typegoodness
- Typography Served Gallery
- Incredible Types Showcase
- Friends of Types
- Typewolf
- FontShop
- Commercial Type
- Future fonts
Check some flag designs from the following websites.
- 99 Designs
- Pinterests
- Behance
- Freepik
Ideation and Conceptualization
Now that you have seen some design inspiration, and you clearly understand the marketing goal, time to start brainstorming. If you are working with a team, gather everyone and throw ideas at each other. Having a collaborative discussion produces more results. However, having several people involved in this process could take a longer time. You can limit the recommendation of each person so that you won’t be spending too much time discussing things. Remember that your overall concept should align with the brand guidelines. In this process, make sure that the following elements are determined.
- Choice of color
- Typography
- Key visuals to be used
- Type of messaging to communicate
- The tone of the message
Gather creative assets
If you are designing for a client, ask them if they have assets and raw files that can be shared with you. Sometimes these files are too large, you can use software such as Dropbox, WeTransfer, Box, OneDrive, and SHAREit to transfer them. If you are designing the flags for yourself, take time to gather raw assets first. You can do some photoshops if you have the luxury of time. Otherwise, you can rely on websites such as Pixabay, Canva, or Freepik for photos and other elements you may need.
Create Design Mockups
Start creating visual mock-ups of your design. Depending on your preference, there are several designing software that you can use. Some people use Canva, Figma, or Adobe Photoshop. It would be best if you could create at least 3 design studies. If you don’t have much time for designing, come up with 2 variations. Make sure that your designs echo the branding and messaging of your niche audience. Get some outside feedback for comments and suggestions. Make the necessary iterations once other people review your design.
Decide on the Materials and Printing Method
Choice of Material
The choice of material for your custom flags is essential to make sure that your campaign lasts. Otherwise, you may end up with torn flags a few days after installation. The durability of the material should be one of your deciding factors. Apart from this, the visibility should also be considered. Some of the common types of materials for advertising flags are polyester, nylon, and vinyl. These materials have their components making them durable and able to withstand changes in the weather.
Printing Method
There are several printing methods that you may choose from. You can have your design printed digitally or via dye sublimation printing. These are the two printing types offered by Everest Prints. Other companies offer screen printing. Before deciding which type of printing you’ll be taking, make sure to consider the following factors: the timelines of your marketing campaign, budget, accuracy of color, and durability.
Final Design Proofing and Production
Test Print and Approval
Quality check is an important step before giving a green light for production. Testing or proofing should be done regardless of whether you are ordering a small or large quantity. This eliminates the possibility of errors in the final design. Take time to carefully review the digital print of your design. If there are several members of your team, have them look at it with fresh eyes. It could cost you a lot if there are any misaligned elements, missing words, or typographical errors in the design. It could be reworked which will hurt not only your budget but also your deadlines.
Production
Once the approval for the final design is decided, it’s time to start production. If you are outsourcing the printout from a manufacturer abroad, gather all the ways to communicate with them. Align the timelines. Make sure that you are on the same page when it comes to your specifications, quality of output and finishing details.
Shipping and Delivery
Discuss and agree on the cost and timeline for shipping and delivery. This is important to remove any stress or anxiety as to why your order has not been delivered yet. Make sure that you are also aligned when it comes to the packaging of the final output. You want these flags to be scratch-free and without any damage when it gets delivered to your address.
Installation and Maintenance
Installation
Installing these flags is simple. Ensure that the location where they are to be placed has been properly coordinated with the event organizers. In addition, having these flags on public spaces should also abide by any existing local ordinances or legislations. Take time to research about this to avoid any hassles along the way.
Care and Maintenance
If you want to maximize the full use of these flags. Make sure that they are properly taken care of. Read and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines on how to maintain these flags. In addition, schedule a time to visit the installed flags for any damages or tears. Fix the issues right away or have it replaced. When you’re going to store the flags, make sure that they are already clean and completely dry.
Designing custom flags involves a creative process that requires time and energy. To achieve your desired objective, careful planning should be done first. We hope that by following these steps, you will be guided on how to design your custom flags in the most efficient and stress-free way.
