The challenge in designing business forms is to make a form easy to read, easy to fill out, and more attractive or unique than the readily available generic business forms out there.
Business forms include those used internally by a company and those seen by customers or others. Invoices and monthly statements, order forms, routing slips, customer satisfaction surveys, employee suggestion forms, job candidate evaluation forms, contracts, and job tracking forms are just some of the types of forms a business or organization might need.
Approach your current customers about designing forms for them. If they are using generic business forms you may be able to show them how custom invoices and statements that echo the layout and color of their corporate identity pieces can help reinforce their business identity.
Designing Business Forms
In designing forms, some of the considerations are to make it clear the purpose of the form, provide adequate space for fill-in-the-blank areas, and make it obvious or give clear instructions as to what goes in the form and where. Some forms need to be machine-readable, scannable. The use of color can enhance the form design or make it harder to read or fill in the fields.A custom form doesn't have to be created from scratch. There are many free templates out there for business forms of all kinds. Use those templates as a starting point, customize to fit your needs.
- Leave adequate room for filling in fields. If the field requires a date, it generally needs less space than an address. For form fields that require a lot of text, use horizontal space not long, narrow columns.
- Use the Principles of Design in mind, especially contrast and proximity. Colored fields where data is to be entered (generally in blue or black ink) may not provide enough contrast. Put color in the background (non-data entry area) to provide contrast, make the entry fields stand out. Group related items (such as name, address, phone number) in close proximity. Use proximity and spacing to make it clear which field labels go with which fields or which checkboxes go with which item to be checked off.
- Browse this collection of Business Forms tips, tutorials, and templates.
Forms aren't just on paper. There are right and wrong ways to design interactive forms on the Web. The tags or coding you use can make your Web forms more or less usable. The layout and content can determine whether or not you have a user-friendly Web form.
Printing Business Forms
Bond paper is suitable for most business forms although for business reply cards (which generally contain some type of form), index paper is common. If creating carbon sets, manifold paper or some other specially treated color-coded paper for creating duplicates at the time the form is filled out may be required. Offset printing may be the most typical commercial printing method for business forms.Small businesses may design a template for their business forms and then print them from an office printer directly onto their pre-printed letterhead.
Software for Creating Business Forms
Depending on the complexity, business forms could be designed in word processing software such as Microsoft Word or in page layout or vector drawing software.- Windows Professional Software for Desktop Publishing
- Mac Professional Software for Desktop Publishing
- Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW vector drawing software for desktop publishing
16 Categories of Design Specialization
In some ways, designing business forms is closely related to creating menus and product lists, resumes, and direct mail. Direct mail packages may contain forms such as order forms or business reply cards.- Annual Reports & Proposals
- Business Forms (This Page)
- Catalogs, Menus, & Product Lists
- Collaterals (brochures, etc.)
- Crafts & Creative Printing
- Identity Systems (logo, letterhead)
- Marketing Materials (ads, direct mail)
- Packaging
- Periodicals (newsletters, magazines)
- Presentation Graphics
- Publication Art
- The following sections are under revision and will be available by June 2012.
- Publications (books, manuals, booklets, etc.)
- Self-publishing
- Signage
- Web & Electronic Publishing
- Word Processing, Resumes
| Pick Your Path to Desktop Publishing | |
| Get Started: | Basic Guidelines and Requirements for Desktop Publishing |
| Choose Software: | Desktop Publishing and Design Software |
| Tips & Tutorials: | How to Do Desktop Publishing |
| Training, Education, Jobs: | Careers in Desktop Publishing |
| In the Classroom: | Back to School With Desktop Publishing |
| Make Something: | Things to Make Using Desktop Publishing |
| Use Templates: | Templates for Print and Web Publishing |
