Mohawk Blog

A Good Letterhead Pays Off

Words

Mohawk

April 13, 2017

Cover of a vintage Strathmore publication

The paper you choose for a letterhead makes an instant impression…on the eye and to the touch. It’s texture, the quality of its color, its feel in the hand…all of these register with the person who receives a letter and help them form an opinion of the sender.

Realizing that good paper and good design complement each other in a letterhead, Strathmore published this paper promotion in April of 1950 as a contribution to the creation of better letterheads. The promotion contained sketches for 28 different letterhead designs, with 9 of the designs carried through into finished form on different Strathmore bond and writing papers.

Close-up of letterhead samples from the publication

Some examples of the letterheads found within.

Strathmore: Expressive Papers for Letterheads, 1950

“The manner in which a company heads its correspondence paper is a problem of design—a problem of infinite variety.”

Rudolph Ruzicka

Noted Designer

All the letterhead designs were developed by Rudolph Ruzicka, one of America’s most noted designers.

Strathmore: Expressive Papers for Letterheads, 1950

These designs were developed by Rudolph Ruzicka, one of America’s most noted designers. Ruzicka considered each design as an individual problem and carried it through to make and effective and harmonious letterhead.

“The manner in which a company heads its correspondence paper is a problem of design—a problem of infinite variety,” stated Ruzicka about the piece. “If the design is to have the stamp of originality and individuality, there obviously can be no set rules or formulas for a simple solution. Hence, every letterhead is a special problem and in devising the appropriate design, due regard must be given to a number of factors.”

This promotion also gave customers tips on how they could adapt the letterhead designs into their work.

Strathmore: Expressive Papers for Letterheads, 1950

All of the designs within the promotion represented sound letterhead design and could easily have been adapted by customers to their particular requirements.

To every business that values its reputation, a good letterhead is a good investment, whether that business numbers its public by the hundreds or by the millions. For every letter over a firm name represents that business.

Strathmore Writing is the world’s most widely recognized letterhead paper. Its core palette of 13 shades coordinates seamlessly with the rest of the Strathmore line for creating elegant and distinctive brand identity programs. Find out more about the paper, and others in our Elevated Collection, here.