A calendar is the perfect promotional gift. Why? A calendar is useful for people in practically every profession, it is used both professionally and privately and comes in a wide variety of colours, shapes and sizes. Precisely because it is such a useful gift, you as an advertiser also show the recipient that you have a social conscience and a sense of practicality. In other words, you are exactly the kind of entrepreneur with whom one could well imagine a customer relationship! The most important thing, however, is the fact that the owner of the calendar will look at it again and again throughout the year and, in the best case, several times a day - a jackpot for every advertiser!

But how do you stand out from the crowd and make your calendar so unique and beautiful that it actually finds its way into the pockets, living rooms, kitchens or offices of your potential customers? In this post, we'll give you some creative ideas on how to make your calendar really special!

Types of customisable calendars

First, let's look at the different types of calendars you can choose from and make your own.

The classic paper calendars

Desk calendar

A desk calendar is mainly used in offices on desks or meeting tables and is subtly and constantly in the spotlight.

Wall calendar

Wall calendars are a classic standard and are often designed as photo calendars. If you want to work with beautiful pictures, it might be the perfect choice for you.

Strip or poster calendars.

These calendars are particularly useful for organisational purposes and are often displayed on office walls. They display either one, three or all twelve months in large letters.

Desk pad

A desk pad calendar is very practical because you always have it in view when you are working and a pen is quickly at hand to make notes on it. It is also cheap to produce and therefore suitable for the small purse.

Pocket calendar

The classic among calendars is still the small booklet that you put in your pocket. There are many options here, from the cover to the weight of the paper to the arrangement of the pages, many variations are possible. For your pocket calendar to become the daily companion of your target group, you should think particularly carefully about what constitutes their everyday life and needs.

Tear-off calendar

A tear-off calendar is characterised by tearing off a piece of paper each day and discarding it to show the new day. It is often combined with entertaining details such as little words of wisdom, jokes or interesting information.

Are you looking for something out of the ordinary? Then here are six ideas for calendars that not everyone has.

The perpetual or everlasting calendar

This calendar is particularly high-quality because it is made of durable materials such as wood or metal. For good reason, because it is designed in such a way that it is not adapted to a specific year, but can reflect any possible date by manual adjustment. In this way, it does not serve as an appointment planner or source of information on the current year, but it looks particularly neat on the desk and offers a certain entertainment value. The numbers are often engraved on wooden blocks or metal plates, which can then be turned over or folded down. Lovers of the analogue date display will take this calendar to their hearts and use it for a long time.

The scented calendar

Take your calendar into the fourth dimension and add a sensual experience to the paper - with a scented calendar. Depending on what suits your business, you can choose classic floral scents or more universal fragrances such as vanilla, fruit scents, sea breeze or a perfume you prefer. With a small scratch-off area that activates the scent, you also create a delightful surprise effect and take people away from the world of everyday life for a moment.

The tear-off calendar to unroll

A creative alternative to a normal calendar and so simple: the tear-off calendar to unroll. Simply print the months of the year in reverse chronological order on a roll of paper and then roll it up again neatly. If you like, you can leave space under the months for notes and to-do lists. The tear-off calendar is then placed on the wall so that you can unroll it downwards and tear it off at the end of the month - or even the week. The bottom end should be fixable. Staff or family members can add notes with the pen and remind each other, for example, of holidays or joint appointments. This tear-off calendar is unusual and is sure to leave a lasting impression.

The blackboard weekly calendar

Sustainability is in, so consider saving paper and resources with your calendar idea. How about a self-designed blackboard calendar, for example? You can easily have the seven days of the week printed on a slate or whiteboard surface so that users can make notes on it and then wipe them off at the end of the week. To write the current date and add more structural elements, you can work with magnets that depict numbers, months and symbols such as arrows, exclamation marks or similar. Similar to the perpetual calendar, this model has no expiry date and can be used for a long time.

The pen calendar

The grandiose marriage between two of the most popular promotional gifts of all: the pen and the calendar. Why not have both in one? A mini calendar printed on a pencil is truly practical and is often received with gratitude. At the same time, it looks humorous, slightly playful and makes your company likeable.

The index card calendar

Flexible and especially powerful for a complex daily routine is this newcomer among calendars: the index card calendar. Tabs with the names of the months are placed in a small box, behind which cards for the individual days and special cards for special concerns are placed. The cards can be removed, exchanged and individually supplemented, making the flexible desk calendar a rival to traditional models.

Get started with the right message and get creative

Do you already know which calendar you would like to design for yourself and your target group? Then continue with the text, because choosing the type of calendar is not the end of your considerations. Now you have to make editorial and graphic decisions that will put your company in the best possible light.

The important initial question is what message you want to convey with your promotional gift: Are you fun and enthusiastic, serious and sophisticated or flexible and modern? The desired effect should determine the various aspects of the calendar you design yourself, such as style, content, colour scheme and layout.

Creativity in graphic design: layout and placement

The layout you use should match your company, its message and its potential customers as much as possible without directly putting the product in the foreground. A common practice in the field of promotional calendars is to use a standardised layout with a predefined advertising space on which the company's advertising message and logo are placed. This way has the great advantage that the advertising message is restrained in a discreet way, while the calendar looks serious and high-quality. The more space the advertising takes up, the more the risk increases that the potential customer will discard the item and look for an alternative with less advertising. Especially for use in other companies, it is therefore important that the logo does not take up too much space. Remember that your calendar is first and foremost a utility item and as such should serve as well as possible. If you manage to get your calendar used or visibly placed, you have achieved your main goal.

However, you should not underestimate how much you can get out of your layout for your business if you design your calendar yourself instead of using a boring standard. What methods can you use to create as many references to your company as possible without being obtrusive?

• Colours in the style of the corporate design: You can make your company look visible by using the colours of your company as the background of the calendar and the basis of the layout, or at least by choosing a colour specifically coordinated with it. Caution: The calendar must be legible throughout, which is why transparent colours are recommended.

• Borrow fonts or design elements from the corporate design: Be careful not to compromise the impression of value. If you design your calendar cleverly, you can find ways to borrow shapes or symbols from your corporate design and integrate them into the layout so subtly that the viewer hardly notices them. Nevertheless, you will create a recognition effect towards your company that will strengthen trust in the long term.

• Visual references in the design language: Choose shapes that indirectly remind you of the product you are selling. Are you a jewellery retailer? Choose a floral design with feminine, delicate and filigree lines that evoke a dreamy and playful mood. Are you in the technology business? Then you'd better choose clear and sharp edges that express your practicality and love of precision. This way you can also express the character of your company on the level of the layout.

Get creative with the content of your calendar as a promotional gift

No matter which calendar format you use: Not only can you go all out with the layout, but you can also score points with your potential customers by designing the content. Above all, pay attention to: What could be useful for these people, what kind of content could they like?

For example, is your company in the automotive industry and appeals to customers with a technical interest? Include interesting historical facts about cars in your calendar, such as the "birthday of the diesel engine" or the "anniversary of the invention of the exhaust filter". You can be even more factual by including dates for important car shows or the planned presentation of new models in your calendar. This kind of information will add value for the user, as he or she will find it both stimulating and fundamentally useful. In this way, you demonstrate your willingness to meet the needs of your customers even before a possible business contact.

Depending on your target group, further additional information could be, for example:

• Information on the current phase of the moon or descriptions of the processes in nature with a phenological calendar - for example, which flowers are currently in bloom or which regional fruit and vegetable varieties are ready for harvest. Target groups with an interest in natural cosmetics or wellness, for example, can draw positive feelings from such impulses in everyday life and appreciate the editorial effort.

• If you consider your target group to be very humorous and want to present your company with a high fun factor, you can consider small jokes or anecdotes that bring a smile to the viewer's face. For example, if your services include events or leisure activities, such advertising could be particularly effective.

• Riddles or quizzes also increase the entertainment value enormously. Your target group is curious and interested in engaging their minds? They might be very happy about a little brain training and knowledge packed in tidbits.

There are many more ideas on how you can design your calendar yourself and bring it to attention in terms of content, which you are completely free to develop. The most important thing is:

The longer and more often viewers interact with your calendar, the more intensively your advertising message will become fixed in their perception. The pleasant and interesting user experience creates a strong positive association with your company. Optimising the content of your calendar can therefore pay off in the long run and create more intensive customer loyalty.

Create your own calendar now at Infowerk

Do you feel like creating your own calendar as a promotional gift? At Infowerk you can create a beautiful wall or desk calendar in your own design and choose from various formats and finishes. Whether large, small, landscape, narrow or square - you have a wide range of options at your disposal. A particularly beautiful and appealing option is always the traditional photo calendar, which you can create yourself online with us. You can also print a calendar on writing pads or business cards. Are you looking for a different promotional gift? We also have a wide selection of mugs and T-shirts, as well as deck chairs and bottle openers - just take a look around!

We wish you every success in designing your own promotional calendar!