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11+ Rack Card Templates in Illustrator
Print advertising costs can easily add up especially if you use different kinds of marketing collaterals all at once. But if you are a small business owner, marketer, student, or manager who still want to maintain financial stability or work within a limited budget, you may consider creating just this one type of print advertising material. Enter the rack card.
These are printed documents that provide information and promote a product, event, service, individual, or campaign. They can contain condensed details paired with a high-impact graphic design that all relate to one key message. And in this article, we share with you tips on how to effectively craft rack card designs that get real results for your business or organization.
Elements of A Good Rack Card
But what makes a good rack card? You may ask. In the next few paragraphs, we explore just that as we introduce five essential design elements that help a rack card grab a reader’s attention and create lasting impact.
1. Impactful Images: Color and images are often the first things that people see when they look at a rack card. And to make sure that you hook people’s attention from the get-go, you should develop a rack card that uses high-quality and relevant images. If, for example, you are creating a hotel rack card, it should best showcase the best scenic spots and amenities of your hotel.
2. Compelling Call To Action: And to complement the use of impactful images, is the inclusion of a persuasive call to action. This is that single phrase, line, or image that whets a customer’s appetite to try out your service or product. The best Call-To-Actions are those that help sweeten the deal for the customer and make the customer think he or she is getting the best for himself or herself. Examples of effective Call-To-Actions are “Get this Limited Offer…”, “Like Our Facebook Page and Get 5% Discount”, or “$10 Off for New Customers!”.
3. Card Layout: Another essential design element that a rack card design should embody is good layout design. There should be good visual flow or balance among all the text and graphic elements used in your rack card design. A good visual hierarchy means that just by looking at a rack card design, a reader’s line of sight is intuitively directed on what to read next and what key messaging to focus on.
4. Typography: How all the text elements used in a rack card is presented is another design characteristic that is important in making a design fly. Choose font styles in the same typeface family and then determine the right font color, size, and kerning that will allow you to create text arrangements and lettering styles that connect with your rack card’s message and purpose. Good typography should be elegant yet unnoticeable — making readers focus on the content of your rack card instead.
5. Relevant Content: All the other design elements mentioned above are useless if the rest of your rack card does not contain relevant and credible content. You do not need to write elaborate, citation-filled product descriptions on your medical rack cards, for example. What you need to focus on is the creation of appropriate yet highly-engaging ad copy. You may hire a professional copywriter for this or you can just write something that is tailored for your ideal customer or reader.
With all these design elements in mind, you are on your way to developing impactful rack cards designs. The card-making process may take a little more time if you are doing everything on your own. Despite this, the whole process will teach you a lot of useful things that you can use to market any kind of business in the future.
11+ Rack Card Templates in Illustrator
Be inspired with each rack card template in Illustrator file format shown below. These templates are fully editable using Adobe Illustrator and they are also available in other file download formats like PSD, INDD, DOC, and PUB files.
Creative Agency Rack Card Template
Catering Menu Rack Card Template
Coffee Shop Rack Card Template
Nail Salon Rack Card Template
Royal Resort Rack Card
Salon Rack Card Template
SEO Rack Card Template
Apartment Rack Card Template
Hotel Rack Card Template
Medical Rack Card Template
Modern Real Estate Rack Card Template
Wedding Photographer Rack Card Template
Great Tips For an Awesome Rack Card
This article will not end without us sharing more tips that can help propel your rack card designs into greatness. Well, that might be an exaggeration but that does not our design tips are useless. Incorporate any or all of these tips and you will soon be hearing back from those customers who took out a rack card on their way out of your establishment.
1. Follow a color scheme: As we have mentioned earlier, color is one of the first things that people notice in objects. If you want your rack card to stand out, use a color combination that will pique a reader’s interest right at first glance. Knowing that most rack cards are positioned in display cases near high-traffic areas of retails stores, incorporating a good color scheme allows you to draw as much attention to them. And for greater brand recognition, you may even use your official company colors.
2. Add your branding elements: Make the most out of your rack cards by incorporating your personal or business branding elements on them. Add your business logo or letterhead design to make the card appear more professional. Make sure that you choose branding designs that show off what kind of impression you want for your business or brand. When customers see these branding designs, they should readily associate your rack card with your own business or what your brand stands for.
3. Use a printable rack card template: Embedded within this article multiple examples or printable rack card template designs. Each template is fully editable so that you can personalize the design to match your personal or business needs. Use these pre-made templates if you want to do away with the stress associated with creating a rack card template from scratch. Of course, there’s the added benefit that each template only cost a few dollars, saving your hundreds in graphic designer service fees.
4. Make multipurpose rack cards: Rack cards are more compelling if they also serve another purpose for the customer or reader. For example, you may refashion your rack cards so that they can be used as paper bookmarks, paper fans, or even as door markers. Or, you can incorporate a map in your rack card design so that they can use it to navigate your town or city. The more functional your rack card is, the more likely a customer will pick it up and then read it.
5. Incorporate advanced printing techniques: If your business or organization has a bigger budget for making your rack cards, you may go the distance and use advanced printing techniques. For example, you may try out foil printing, embossed printing, or use textured and other high-quality cardstock when printing out your rack cards. Advanced printing techniques can help make more luxurious and professional rack cards. They also get noticed more since they are different from other rack cards created by your competitors.
Read and study all the tips above so that you will have more options on how to design your rack cards. Also, do not forget to enjoy the card-making process!
Rack Card Sizes
Rack cards follow two printing sizes. These are:
- 4 inches by 9 inches
- 3.5 inches by 8.5 inches
Rack Card FAQs
What is a rack card template in Illustrator?
A rack card template in Illustrator is a pre-designed file created using Adobe Illustrator. It contains all the typeface, image, illustration, text, placeholder, layout, and formatting elements needed to create a rack card design. Graphic design files using Adobe Illustrator are saved with a .AI file extension name.
What is the difference between a rack card and a brochure and a flyer?
Rack cards, brochures, and flyers all are different types of printed marketing collaterals. Their main difference lies in their print size. Rack cards are the smallest of the bunch as they measure 4 inches by 9 inches or smaller. Printed brochures typically measure 8.5 inches by 11 inches but folded once or twice while flyers follow the 8.5 inches by 11 inches paper size.
Where to best place a rack card?
To maximize the effect of rack cards, they are best placed in high-traffic locations like the countertops or display cases on lobbies, reception areas, cashiers, hotels, clinics, and other tourist and hospitality stores.
Now that you have reached the end of this comprehensive guide on creating rack card designs, remember that creating rack cards alone will not solve all your business woes. It is best to complement your print advertising plan with other kinds of marketing strategies like social media marketing or email marketing. For more best practice tips and guide on how to create design and business templates, check out the rest of our website.
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