Helping Customers Choose a Design and Layout

In addition to helping your customers decide what they’ll include in their funeral program, you may have to help them decide on a design and layout. Some customers may have a good idea of what design they want, but others may not know how to go about choosing a template design.

Here are some questions to ask as you walk through the design process with them:

• Will the memorial or funeral program have a spiritual theme? Many templates include images that reflect religious belief. You can also insert clipart images with spiritual themes.
• Will they be including photos or photo collages in the program? Discuss cover photos and photo collages and how to highlight them with borders and frames.
• Did their loved one have a favorite color? Offer them a design with backgrounds and borders in that color.
• Are there images that reflect the life of the deceased? Be ready to show them designs that include those images, for example, roses, a seascape or a sunset.
• What elements would they like to include in the funeral program? If you’ve already begun to ask questions about whether they want to include an obituary, a cover photo, songs or poems, a note of thanks, order of service and other funeral program elements, you’ll be able to assist them in creating an appropriate design.

You may also need to help customers select a layout. The layout includes the paper size, number of folds and how the information is arranged on the paper.

Depending on what templates you have available, those layouts might include:

• Bi-Fold Layout – single sheet folded once to create four pages of content.
• Tri-Fold Layout – single sheet folded inward into thirds.
• Tabloid Booklet Layout – 11” x 17” pages folded in half to create as many full-sheet pages as needed.
• Graduated Fold Layouts – This can either be a single 8.5” x 11” page with an offset fold, or two pages with an offset fold to create eight pages of content with ‘tabs’ that extend to one side.
• Funeral Card Layout – Half page layout printed on card stock for a funeral announcement or tribute keepsake.

The customer may provide a sample of a funeral program they’ve seen. Part of the service you provide is to determine whether they have the right amount of information to “fill” the program. You may need to make suggestions on other paper sizes and layouts, if the customer has too much or too little information to fit appropriately.

TIP: Create a sample book to show to your clients as they begin to choose a design and layout. This will help them easily visualize how the program they’re designing will look, and makes the overall selection process simpler. A sample book can also increase your sales, as the customer may not have considered using a larger format or printing funeral keepsakes such as bookmarks or funeral cards, as well as the funeral program.