Now that you've decided to use printed mugs as promotional gifts to represent your company or organization, it is important to carefully design what will appear on the space your clients will see. Having the right design can help create an impression of your organization that will gain you new business and strengthen existing relationships. As an item your clients and potential clients can view on a daily basis, creating the right image is absolutely key. How you get from deciding on printed mugs to sending in the design for your final product is a process that requires careful consideration and planning. By following a few simple steps, you'll be well on your way to the perfect promotional product!

First, consider the size of the mug and the constraints that will put on your design. Even if you have chosen the largest mug on which to place an image of your company, your space is still limited, and thus must be planned extremely carefully. On one hand, you'll want to include enough to effectively use all of the space to your advantage. On the other hand, you'll want to be careful to not include too many images or words, so as to confuse your message or provide a message too large to be taken in by looking at a mug. Another part of your size consideration is that you'll have a round space to cover with your design. Do you want to use a simple image on just one side, or provide a message that stretches from one side of the handle to the other?

Next, you'll want to consider the logo or images your company uses regularly for representation. Is it feasible to use those same images on a mug? Will your logo or images need to be made larger or smaller to effectively be used on a mug? If you determine that it is not feasible to use existing logos or images, you'll need to begin redesigning ? or designing from scratch ? new images to represent your organization, that will work well on the surface area provided by a mug. It is important that your printed mug conveys similar information that other medias use when portraying your organization. It would probably be impractical to use a totally different logo on your mug than on your website, in your newsletters, or on other promotional material. Keeping that in mind, always strive to use modified versions of what you already have, so as not to create confusion.

Finally, consider order and color scheme. Too many colors can create an image of chaos, while sticking to a few primary colors can present the image of a solid, dependable organization. Because colors can transfer to mugs differently than on paper or electronically, ensure that you carefully proof the images you choose for your mug to ensure they appear as you wish. How about deciding upon how information will be ordered? Ensure that the main focal point on your printed mug is your logo or your company's name. Any other images or information you provide will be made less important if your client cannot glance at the mug and easily identify your organization.