Promoting your company through printed materials requires effective design, Jennifer. From brochures to postcards, business cards to pocket folders, and sell sheets to newsletters, the design should follow certain guidelines for maximum impact.
Here are a few design tips that can be applied across the board: 
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Invest in great fonts. Steer away from the built-in fonts that come with your computer's software. Buy a collection of fonts that fit your brand's style and add a creative edge to your marketing collateral. Check websites like MyFonts.Com and DaFont.com for a varied selection.
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Sans Serif vs. Serif. Serif fonts are easier to read - they allow your eye to flow over text. Though your design will dictate which type font you use for headlines, stick to serif fonts when you have a lot of copy.
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Keep text dark and background light for large amounts of text. This makes it easy for your customer to read the text. Unless your design requires reversed text (i.e. catchy headline over an image or dark color), stick dark text on light backgrounds.
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Design for the eye. Use contrast in shape, size and color when positioning headlines, text blocks, and images. This creates interest and white space, ensuring that the viewer's eye will move around and across the page.
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Use great images. With your target audience in mind, choose images that are intriguing and complement your message and brand. Make sure your images are high resolution (300 dpi+) when using them in print.
Over 75% of people respond to design more than copy in marketing material they receive.
View North Star's portfolio to see these tips put to good use!
