Pull Double Duty with Store Bookmarks

Since we’re in spring cleaning mode, let’s spend 5 minutes and look around our front desk/register area. This is where we have a captive audience and can promote store events and services, and it helps to have a printed take-away to place in the hands of the customer.

One easy “take-away” to create is a bookmark. You do not need to have a designer on staff for this. Instead, just use your words.

Divide an 8.5 x 11″ page in eight 2.12 x 5.5″ sections to create 8 bookmarks on a page. Pull a favorite quote from a book, new or old, and place it on the bookmark. The easiest layout is to center the text. Let the quote be the main focus of the bookmark, but don’t forget to add your address, website, phone number and store hours.

With a design like this, the white space surrounding the text is your friend. If you feel you don’t have a good eye for design, just ask a staff member for a second opinion. (If you feel there’s too much white space, you can add a thin outline, but I’d only do so if you’re really good at trimming.)

The fun part of designing a bookmark is choosing the appropriate font to match the feel of the quote. One resource available on the internet is TypeConnection.com–pithily self-described as “a Typographic Dating Game.” The site was created by Aura Seltzer in 2012 to help teach the methods of pairing fonts with design for the best results. She set up the tool as a game to make it less daunting and more fun.

Even though the bookmark is a sales tool because it features store hours and contact information, it’s perceived as a valued extra by the customer. It is useful and it was a gift.

Beth Golay

Beth is a reader, writer, marketer and Books & Whatnot founder. Even though she knows better, she's a sucker for a good book cover and will positively swoon if a book is set in appropriate type. @BethGolay