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By that, we mean ‘do people in your target audience know you are there?’

Here’s a Handy Print Design Checklist for Small Businesses to help cut through the noise made by other companies:

Do you have, or could you do with the following things to make your company stand out:

• Business cards (an absolute must for networking)
• Thank you cards or postcards (a really nice touch that always go down well)
• Flyers / menus / leaflets / brochures (learn about your audience before splashing out)
• Exhibition banners or panels (why wouldn’t you?)
• Printed guidelines / manuals / installation guides (not always the prettiest, but still crucial in certain industries)
• Stickers / swing tags / gift wrap (you can even make these nice enough to keep)
• Letterheads and business stationery (e.g. printed forms or checklists are best when they match business cards and letterheads)
• Product packaging or labels (to fit your audience and price point)
• Magazines / newsletters / books (we especially LOVE designing these!)
• Branded merch (the more original, the better)
• Custom printed envelopes (perhaps with extra messaging)
• QR codes to integrate into your website or socials

We love to think about the design’s feel, as well as the paper’s texture and any special finishes (like foils, embossing, or matte lamination/gloss (spot) UVs). Print should feel as good as it looks, so if you’d like to see some examples, please get in touch. But, please be warned, not everything works for every purpose, so a bit of planning can work wonders for getting the most out of marketing budgets.

Let’s create something brilliant together.

Spoiler: Not even close.

With everything ‘going digital’, a common question we get asked is —is print dead? At Grafica by the Sea, we say absolutely not! In fact, print design is quietly making a comeback—and for good reason. The online world is very overwhelming. We love designing for print!

There’s something special about holding a well-designed piece in your hands. A beautifully printed business card, a tactile brochure, or special packaging can leave a deeper, more memorable impression than a fleeting social scroll ever could. Print makes people pause. It feels intentional.

For small businesses, it’s also a brilliant way to stand out. While everyone else is crowding inboxes, you could be popping a postcard through a customer’s letterbox that they actually want to keep. The trend has shifted: high volume marketing has gone digital, which is why your in box is so clogged; but smaller run, more unusual materials are on the up – and they stay on people’s desks.

And the best bit? Print and digital don’t have to compete! When they are designed together for both—like with QR codes or consistent branding, the result can be greater than the sum of the parts.

At Grafica, we still get excited about paper stocks and print finishes (yep, we’re those people). Whether it’s a one-off flyer, business cards or marketing materials, we love helping businesses bring their brand into the real world.

So no, print isn’t dead. It’s just evolved—and it’s still very much alive and kicking on our studio shelves.

Need help bringing your ideas to life in print?
Let’s chat over a coffee. We’d love to meet you to see if we’re right for each other. We don’t charge for that initial meeting, but do provide the cake.

Let’s create something brilliant together.