Letterhead 4

Letterhead 4 Imprint information

The most important parts of the original Letterhead 4 - Corporate identity guide, directed by Martin Pedersen and published by Graphis; Envelope Business Card Letterhead Designs book second page imprint information as follows:

• ISBN 978-18-8800-157-0
  
• Original Name, Letterhead 4
• Creative Director, B. Martin Pedersen
• Printing, 1998, Hong Kong
• Sizes, 21,5 x 30,0 cm
• Pages, 256 pages
• Language, English
• Publisher, Graphis Inc.
  
• Status, 10/10 (new)

From the Inside Cover

Letterhead is perhaps a designer's dream: it's the perfect place to announce a company's personality, and it's a format that can effortlessly combine art and function. This volume—Graphis' fourth to date—is the most comprehensive and contemporary resource yet for excellence in letterhead design. Conveniently organized by business categories, Letterhead 4 will inspire graphic designers seeking to promote strong identities for clients, and serve as a valuable reference tool for professionals and enthusiasts with any interest in stationery systems. An illuminating commentary is provided by leading design professionals, including European designer Jacques Koeweiden. An index of creative personnel, design firms and clients completes this essential resource.

A Brief History of Letterhead

(Sarah DeFillipis, Communications Planner, Williams and House) As progress imposes Jetsonlike methods of communication into our lives, we wonder whether the business letter has disappeared as a principal mode of communication. Instead, we phone, we voice-mail, we e-mail. Still, there is an elemental quality to a letter that no electronic media can replace: it's tangible evidence of a business, reflecting its personality and its values.

The earliest ancestors of the letterhead trace back to 16th century Europe: these trade cards were created by wood and copper engravers to look like merchant's shop signs. As trade became more complex, 17th and 18th century merchants meeded a tool that both represented their services and provided room for notes and calculations. These new so-called billheads featured images and type at the top of smallish sheets of paper, and fulfilled the needs of American businesses until a reliable, pre-paid postage service became available in America around 1845.

That established, burgeoning business demanded the modern letterhead, many of which continued be elaborate, expressive designs. These discordant images were traditionally crafted by the growing number of skilled wood and copper engravers, whose craftsmanship rendered the extravagant designs so popular during the Victorian days.

Letterheads would continue to be the primary tool for business communication well into the 20th century, jhen yet another revolution would change its function. In the 1950s and 1960s a handful of visionary American Companies, including CBS and Container Corporation of America, discovered the value that good design and cohesive visual identity could bring to business. Led by the insight and vision of design pioneers like Paul Rand, Tom Geismar, and Bill Golden, integrated corporate identity programs transformed these American businesses. Founded, in fact, on company stationery, these landmark visual systems would soon extend to include environmental graphics, corporate collateral, print and broadcas advertising, packaging, and even architecture.

Letterhead Today

(Gary Dickson, Creative Director, Dickson's Inc.): Never before has letterhead been a more powerful communicator. Rather than being relagated to, transmitting only the nuts and bolts business, now it can be relied upon to deliver only what's important enough to warrant a letter be drafted, sent, read, and acted upon. Perhaps nothing is a compelling as a personalized, well-crafted letter, germane to the subject. Traditionally, a letter is second only to a contract.

Today's corporate communications require emotion. Letterheads with all their power must deliver a message that communicates something beyond its physical appearance. Through its design, paper, and process, it must strike an emotional chord within the recipient. That resonant chord is somewhere in the recipient's pantheon of experience, and this metaphorical tuning is the key to meaningful, profound communication. Think of it: within the confines of a mere 93.5 square inches, a powerhouse lurks. Herein lies the personality, mission statement, and core values of the company it represents. No wonder the letterhead allows even the smallest company to appear larger in stature, more sophisticated, and professional, empowering it to compete among its peers. With this in mind, it may be a little premature to toss the letterhead into the shredder.

The speed and bandwidth of the Internet provides limitless opportunities for gathering information. Letterheads and identities are, however, inimitable in terms of their tactile and personal appearance. Despite the Internet (as exponent of digital media) and letterheads (as traditional media) being difficult to compare, in terms of sensitivity, the kilobytes have a long way to go.