Is It for Christmas, or for Everything?
This is the question most people ask about this certificate, and the answer is both. The design has two small Christmas touches, a silver pine cone cluster with a red bow and a few red stars, but its main look is a classic certificate with blue triangle corners and fine filigree. In a plain year it reads as a smart general certificate. In December it reads as a holiday one.
The Layout
The certificate is 5.28 x 2.38 inches in landscape. The background is white, with a thin pale blue line running around the inside. Two corners, top right and bottom left, are filled with deep blue triangles carrying white swirling filigree. The other two corners, top left and bottom right, carry red filigree on white. Together they give the card a balanced, diagonal look.
On the left, GIFT CERTIFICATE is printed in very large black condensed capitals. Beneath it, four lines read A Gift for, From, Sold By and Date. A line for Voucher No. runs along the top right. At the bottom left are a phone number and an email address. On the right, a cluster of silver glittery pine cones tied with a red bow and dotted with red and blue stars sits above a red $200/- and a grey SAMPLE LOGO.
Getting the Value Right
The value reads $200/-, written in a format common in some countries to show an exact amount. Retype it to suit your market, such as $200 or 200 euros. If you sell several denominations, save one file per value.
Turn It Into a Year-Round Certificate
To remove the Christmas feel, delete the pine cone picture and place your logo there. The red stars are part of the same picture, so they disappear too. What remains is a clean certificate that you can use in any season. For the holidays, keep the picture and add a short seasonal line in the free space at the bottom centre.
Paper, Ink and Trimming
- Use bright white card stock, 250 to 300 gsm, so that the blue stays strong.
- Print a test copy to check how the deep blue triangles look.
- Stack four certificates in one column on a letter sheet.
- Cut through the white margin just outside the thin blue line.
Where It Is Used
Offices, schools, boutiques and clubs all use designs of this kind, because it looks official without being stiff. The combination of blue, red and silver also suits patriotic holidays and anniversaries, as well as winter events.
Using the Card for Winter Events
The blue, white and silver palette also fits winter fundraisers, ice rink openings and January sales. If you use it outside December, remove the red bow and pine cones from the right side and keep the filigree. The result looks like a formal certificate for an event or club.
A school or society can use it as a prize voucher for raffles, because the fine border makes it feel official.
For other 5.28 inch designs, see the teal gift certificate for any business and the Christmas certificate with red bows. More are in gift certificates and vouchers.
