With 25+ years under my belt (on the agency side) as a public relations and strategic communications professional, I have definitely seen tons of press kits in my career.

And although I’m not a graphic designer by training, I have some definite ideas about design, especially when it comes to functional design.

In my opinion, design run amok occurs when it hinders rather than helps the user.

An example is the use of ωξ↑ΓÐ τΥρ∑fλς€š (weird typefaces) or outlandish colors that make something hard to read.

So . . . what’s my advice when it comes to designing a press kit folder? Easy: KIS (Keep It Simple).

At a minimum, the company logo and/or name needs to appear on the front cover. You might also put the words

• Press Kit, or
• News

on the front cover.

If you desire, consider putting the company address, phone number and Web address on the back cover as well.

The paper used for the press kit itself can be in any color as long as it’s complementary to the company logo. Ditto for the color of the font(s) used. And the paper used for your press kit folder should be thick/heavy enough to be non-flimsy; I recommend using a card stock, but the weight is a subjective choice, so you decide.

And if that’s all you did when designing a press kit folder, chances are you’d be fine. Can you add photos, images or other graphic elements to a kit cover? Of course.

Rule of Thumb:

But in general, I have one Rule of Thumb when it comes to press kit designs, namely

Anyone should be able to look at your folder and in an instance they should be able to say to themselves,          “Oh, this is a press kit from XYZ Company.”

If not, then go back to the drawing board.