Branded desk calendars, year planners, and journals remain brilliant tools for keeping your brand top of mind all year round. Whether you’re a corporate organisation, in real estate or construction, adding practical and branded elements to these products can make them indispensable to your clients. The following seven design tips for desk calendars, year planners, and journals will help you market your business to current and potential clients while serving as a helpful reminder of what is required for these branded promotional items.

1. Include Public Holidays or Some Significant Global Causes

• South African School Terms:

School terms are always a nice touch as companies plan some major events around those, considering holiday seasons plus parents will refer to the terms to do their own planning.

• South African Public Holidays:

Ensure that all major South African public holidays are included. You can download a list for 2025 below.

• International Days:

Recognised significant international days or months such as International Women’s Day and Mental Health Awareness Month align your planner with meaningful global causes, making it more than just a scheduling tool. Here is a list to assist in finding days that align with your company values.

2. Collaborate to Share Costs and Expand Your Reach

• Collaboration is an effective way to lower production costs while increasing visibility. Partnering with two or three other companies allows you to not only split costs but also gain access to each other's customer base.

• Including other companies' logos in your planners or calendars ensures broader brand exposure. This type of cost-sharing collaboration benefits everyone involved, providing increased visibility.

• More specifically, collaboration within your niche. This will make referrals more likely. (There’s no point in "advertising" a gym on a McDonald's calendar).

3. Offer the Right Size and Format for Every Purpose

There's no limit to sizes, but here are the general sizes:

• Desk Calendars:

Large sizes like A1, A2, and A3 work well on desks, as do compact sizes like A5, which keep your brand front and centre without taking up too much space. Clients frequently prefer and use larger desk calendars because they are also useful for taking notes. Desk calendars can easily be converted into wall calendars if your clients prefer that format.

• Journals or Branded Notebooks:

Portable journal choices, such as A4 or A5, are ideal for personal or business use. These are bound like books (various binding options available). Clients use them and bring them to their clients for meetings, enhancing brand awareness.

• Year Planners:

Year planners (office wall planners) are best suited to large formats such as A1, A2, and A3. These may be used for years because they are usually laminated or printed in a way that allows you to write with a whiteboard marker (which you can also brand) and easily erase if changes arise or the year changes.

4. Insert the Company Culture and Code of Conduct

With calendars, don't forget to add your company's contact info. It may be a calendar, but you're still a service provider. Make it easy to contact you. QR codes work great.

In your printed journals, also including a section on your company’s code of conduct, mission, vision, and values is a great way to reinforce workplace culture. However, it’s best to keep it simple and practical. Highlight key areas like:

• Mission and Vision:

These are usually under one heading and remind individuals why you are in business and what you plan to achieve in a nutshell.

• Values:

This allows employees and clients to learn about your corporate culture and character.

• Company Code of Conduct (only for employee journals or notebooks):

  • Dress Code: Basic guidelines that reinforce professionalism.

  • Behavioural Expectations: Positive workplace behaviour tips that typically align with your company values.

  • Safety Procedures: Quick reminders of health and safety standards.

  • Disciplinary Actions: Clear steps on how issues are addressed or resolved, within the company.

5. Easy-to-Provide Artwork for Seamless Printing

• Ensure you provide your artwork in vector-based PDF’s with a 3-5mm bleed.  

• Logos are always included as design elements.

• If you don’t have your own designs, Campus Printing Solutions offers professional design services to create quality artwork that reflects your brand identity. (As expert graphic designers, we use Adobe or Coral Draw software)

• A brand guide, if you have one, is great to share that with your graphic designer.

6. Flexible and High-Quality Printing Options

• At Campus Printing Solutions, we specialise in large-format printing and bulk printing, ensuring quality and excellence. We provide a variety of customisation options to meet the needs of each client, including lamination and the use of different types of paper (matt, gloss, thick or thin, etc.).

• Our binding options (spiral bind, perfect bind) give clients the flexibility to choose the style that fits their brand, ensuring resilience and professional appeal.

7. Practical Design with a Touch of Style

• Simplicity:

While simplicity is important, adding a touch of customisation through colour schemes or brand-specific imagery makes the planner, journal, or calendar stand out. A clean, minimalist design works best for corporate organisations, real estate firms, or construction companies.

• Functionality:

Functionality is also crucial. Make sure to leave plenty of space for notes, significant dates, and deadlines to keep your journal, planner, or calendar relevant as a daily tool.

• Motivation:

People love being motivated with a famous or practical positive quote they can apply to their lives. You can add these to for that extra je-ne-sais-quoi.

So How Will Printed Desk Calendars, Year Planners, and Journals Assist You?

Branded desk calendars, year planners, and journals are more than just a wonderful way to keep track of dates or write down to-do lists (with a branded pen, of course). They serve as a constant reminder of your brand's presence, imprinting it in the minds of present and potential customers. With the proper blend of expert printing, cooperation, excellent design, and functional features, these products can help your business attract new customers while remaining in your key clients in minds all year round.