design paper Archives - Geographics Blog

Award Certificates and Happiness

You may wonder if there is a connection between award certificates and happiness. We kicked-off this week with International Day of Happiness and it got us thinking about what makes people happy. Regardless of what people might say when asked what makes them happy, there is now an abundance of studies linking happiness with gratitude.

For example, psychology researcher Robert Emmons showed that expressing gratitude positively impacts our social performance but also our health – he found that people who regularly list things they are grateful for are more self-confident, more active and respond better to stress.

Actively and consciously looking at things we are grateful for helps us feel less frustrated, more positive while also helping us stay open and improving our relationships with others. With our love of both paper and creativity, we think that a good way to show gratitude is using award certificates. Recognizing someone’s merits is a way of saying thank you for your work, or for who you are.

How to show gratitude and build up your happiness muscles:

Use certificates to show appreciation for the important people in your life. Start a tradition of family awards, award your children for being hard working, improving a skill or overcoming a fear. Geographics.com offers a great selection of Printable Award Certificates and Seals you can use along with many Templates, Clip Art and Wording. Kids can award their grandparents or parents. Think about giving the Best Mom Award on Mother’s Day or the Best Dad Award for Father’s Day.

Don’t be shy to practice gratitude in the office. Studies have shown that people who feel appreciated are more productive, have lower stress levels and are generally more satisfied at work. So why not make it a habit to thank people for their contribution? All you need to do is grab your favorite Geographics Certificates along with a matching Document Cover. In the month of December, make a list of things you can award people for – being hard working, conscientious, a pleasure to be with, finishing a project ahead of schedule, completing important projects, bringing in a new major client, being proactive or creative, supporting others, etc.

Start a gratitude journal. Every evening, before going to sleep, take 5 – 10 minutes to list a few things you are grateful for. Keep it simple but consistent – you can be grateful for a great achievement at work but also for finding time to grab coffee with a good friend or a nice dinner with your family. This works wonderfully with kids also and the sooner they learn to express gratitude, the more natural it will feel and the happier they will be. To make the process more pleasant and to add an element of creativity, you can use your favorite Design Paper to make your daily gratitude list. Keeping a journal helps a lot. Finding at least three things that you can be grateful for and writing them down can improve your overall well-being and health.

So, make gratitude a daily habit and take advantage of its results.

Ready or Not, February 14th is Almost Here

Whether you are planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your sweetheart or go the alternate route of Singles Day (China) or Friend’s Day (Finland), celebrations are in order during this time of the year and we all want to be prepared. While chocolates and small gifts are a still a good idea, nothing says ‘I love you’ more than well-chosen greeting card. Over 1 billion cards are exchanged every year in US alone. If you are a history buff with a penchant for romantic twists, you might already know that the habit of writing and sending cards goes back to Roman times and is tied to the name of Bishop Valentine, a priest who went against orders given by Emperor Claudius II not to perform weddings during wartime. For this, Valentine was imprisoned and executed. From prison, he wrote to his jailer’s daughter, Julia, and signed his notes “from Valentine”.

This year, inspired by Valentine’s story, you might want to mix and match by creating and sending your own personalized note cards along with your ready-made greeting cards. Share them all with your loved ones – sweetheart, family, friends or favorite teacher. An interesting fact is that over nine million people buy gifts for their pets on Valentine’s Day. They are the only ones who do not need a greeting card.

If you are good at making art, use Geographics blank white matte greeting cards (inkjet laser printable) or the matte-glossy laser greeting cards (print on both sides). Geographics offers free Valentine’s day clip art and suggested wording, including poems and quotes.

If you think you’re not good at making art, remember that there is beauty and elegance in simplicity so why not give it a try? For example, we recommend using our good quality, champagne themed note cards and envelopes to send as a handwritten invitation for a romantic dinner or night out. If you feel like saying more, our rose themed design paper would be a great backdrop for a poem or love letter.

Make sure to come back for our next Valentine’s Day blog post as we plan on thoroughly discussing chocolates and how it can take you one step closer to happiness.

How to Design a Flyer

Learning how to design a flyer is a fun and fast activity. There are a wide variety of materials that will suit a flyer design including printable design paper, printable letterhead and neon paper. Geographics.com offers a wide selection of printable stationery and paper to work with flyers for all occasions.

There are a variety of methods you can use to design a flyer. It may be helpful to first create a layout or template on standard 8.5”x11” printer paper. It is most important to make a list of the information that your viewers need to know—this may include dates, times, and addresses for your event, etc. You’ll want to present this information in a brief but bold style, such as by using bullet points. Consider adding some extra details about your event or embellishments like clip art to make your flyer unique and eye-catching. There are really no limits when designing a flyer, but make sure that your most important information is clearly displayed on the page and visible from a distance.

Once you have an idea of what you want to include in your flyer, the next step is choosing a method to help you make it. If you just want to make a standard 8.5”x11” size flyer with text, you can use a word processing program to write your text and print out your flyers in minutes. Geographics.com also features free downloadable templates with a pre-made layout and suggested wording—they are an excellent resource for making holiday and themed designs. If you prefer a hands-on design experience, Geographics.com’s free design program, Click n’ Print, offers a variety of fonts, colors, layouts, suggested wording, clip art and creative design tools to help you make a reusable flyer template.

Geographics offers some great materials and tools for making flyers. Visit Geographics.com to find a wide variety of printable stationery items for all occasions.

Use Design Paper to Add Pizzazz to Your Projects

Design paper is a versatile crafting material that can give an artistic feel to school, work, and hobby-related activities. For this reason, it’s a great choice of material for projects that center on holidays and celebratory events. You can use design paper for cards, invitations, letterhead, flyers, scrapbooks, poster board displays and much more. Geographics.com offers a huge selection of printable design paper to suit any purpose.

Design paper is a popular item because of the variety of unique designs it comes in. Depending on the style of paper you choose, you can give a lackluster project a professional vibe or a fun and carefree vibe. Holiday design paper makes for excellent greeting cards, invitations and seasonal announcements. It can also add a festive touch to school art projects and community fundraising events, such as a Halloween bake sale. If you are making a poster board sign or a project board presentation, themed design paper can accentuate the contents of your project and boost interest for your topic. In general, school design paper is a great material for both teacher and student use. If you need to make a menu or plan for a formal business event, you can save money by using design paper as an attractive substitute for items like programs, flyers, displays and more. The possibilities are endless!

At Geographics.com, you can find design paper categorized by holiday and by theme. If you are looking for some ideas for your project, check out geographics.com/templates for a selection of free downloadable templates for assorted purposes. These templates include a pre-made layout with suggested wording to give you a visual example of what you can do with your design paper. Also check out the free clip art available on the Geographics.com templates page to find some festive images to use with your project! All of the clip art and suggested wording templates open in Microsoft Word for an easy editing process. Simply replace and/or rearrange the default text, add your own content if you wish, and you’re ready to print your project!

Choosing to make your own stationery materials using design paper will add a personal touch to your project and keep you from breaking the bank. Visit Geographics.com to find design paper for many occasions—sign up for our newsletter on our homepage and get a $5 coupon!