What If You’re Boring?

Yahoo! Small Business has some tips:

Most business owners don´t think much about everyday documents. Everyone uses invoices, cover pages and other forms, but most businesses don´t worry much about their layout or appearance.

Fact is, those “boring” documents are essential components to creating and reinforcing your company´s image and success. Slap your logo on a fax cover page and it might get noticed across a crowded office. Likewise, a poorly designed invoice can lead to payment problems. If your customer can´t read the payment due date on an invoice, chances are you won´t get paid on time.

Follow these hints to create effective, useful business documents:

Make your corporate logo or slogan part of all your documents — even the “boring” ones. Lots of entrepreneurs create elaborate business cards that feature logos or slogans to represent their companies. But the rest of their forms and documents are bereft of such symbols. That´s a missed opportunity. Make all of your “boring” office documents work together as part of an overall corporate branding strategy. Use the same design elements on your business card or letterhead to identify your fax cover sheets, disk labels, invoices and so on. That way, your corporate image is reinforced with every document you send to clients or potential customers. Your company will look professional and your brand image will start to stick.

Yeah, that’s good advice for everyone, but what if your name is Boring?