Printing the next brochures may be on the agenda, but before they are printed there is the design that must be taken into consideration. The content is written, and you have a rough layout, but there are three principals of color that must be taken into consideration.
1. Consistent Color: Colors will look different when used on different media. You may have picked red for your logo and you want to use red on your website and on your printed material. The colors translate much differently when used on glossy paper or matte paper. With all colors there can be large variations of colors, ranging from warm to cool, and also from light to dark. Having a red that is warm as in orangey red is much different than having a red that is cool - or blue red. They are both red, but when put next to each other, they will clash. Be sure to use a color matching system, such as the pantone system, to identify the color.
2. Consistent Placement: Large companies have whole manuals that describe how the logo can be used and what colors the logo must be printed with - they do this to preserve the brand. Every time your logo is presented, if the logo looks different, you are not getting the benefit of creating a branded image. Use the logo in the same way in all of your collateral including your brochures, letterhead, envelopes, promotional items, give-a-ways. Be sure that if you always use your 'mark' on the right of your company name, that you are consistent with placement. Pre-think alternate ways the logo may be printed, including a black and white version, and a square version.
3. Consistent sizing: When publishing anything, it's important to have the logo positioned so that the relative size of the components are the same. If you have a mark and initials, for example, the size of the mark and the size of the initials should be used in a similar fashion, regardless of where they are printed.
In any use of the brand and logo, if you develop a habit of being consistent, you will amplify the brand recognition tremendously.
What ways have you used your brand on printed materials? Have you ever printed on an unusual item? What was the most difficult use of the brand logo that you've encountered?