Receiving money is always a happy occasion, and tax return report covers only help to add to the excitement. You’re giving a gift to your clients — the tax refund amount that you expertly helped them accomplish — and a gift like that deserves to be presented in an attractive package.
Use a professional stock for your tax return report covers, in black or other dark colors.
Select the Right Colors
We associate different colors with different emotions, so choosing the right color scheme for your report cover is important. Color can be determined by the stock, the ink or a combination of both. You’ll want to stick with darker, muted tones for tax return folders to present yourself as a professional. Bright colors like yellow and red are energetic and exciting, but it’s the wrong type of excitement for a tax return. In the example to the right, a black cover creates a professional look which signifies authority and class.
Use a consistent logo to strengthen your brand identity.
Build Your Brand
Chances are you only see your clients around tax season, so to ensure you see them next season, you need to find a way to keep your brand on their mind in the meantime. In the example, we see a very simple way to market your brand using company logos and mission statements. A logo gives your clients a visual representation of your brand while a mission statement tells the story of your brand in an easily digestible format.
Add a window to your cover so that the same design can be used over multiple years.
Make Good Use of a Die Cut Window
Windows on a report folder are incredibly useful features that let you reuse the same cover design year after year, client after client. Since a window lets you peer onto the first page of the report, all you have to do is change the first page and you’ll change the design. In the example, we see the year of the tax return printed behind the window. This makes it easier for clients to differentiate between different files. Add the customer’s name behind the window for quick and easy personalization.
Add a business card to your report cover so that clients can get back to you next tax season.
Look for Marketing Opportunities
Your clients will have to utilize their tax return report to file their taxes the following year. When they see what a great job you did with their taxes, they may want to hire you again-so make sure they know how to reach you. In the example we see that the cover has been outfitted with a business card slot so that even a year later, the card will not be lost or destroyed. If you don’t want to include a business card, consider printing your contact info on the back cover. Accessibility is the key to success.
File tabs make it easier for your clients to file their tax information in a drawer or cabinet.
Create Organizational Ease
The majority of your clients probably use a filing cabinet or drawer to store their tax information from year to year. Adding a file tab makes it easier for your clients to do so, which will result in positive associations with your brand. In the example, the tab is left blank so that a label can be added with the client’s name and the tax year. However, if you print new covers every tax season, you can have the year printed directly onto the tab.
Add subtle special effects like foil stamping to make your design look elegant.
Making an Impact
A few flourishes here and there will increase the attractiveness of your cover while still maintaining a professional look. In the example, the logo has been foil stamped to make it look shiny and metallic. This technique strengthens your brand identity and brings out the visual elements of your design. Other techniques to consider include embossing, which prints a textural design directly into the stock, and spot printing, which is when two different paper coatings are used to create visual and tactical variety.
Report covers for tax returns are just one of the many different ways that an accountant or tax preparer can make an impact on their clients. Document folders, presentation folders and binders are other tools you can utilize to establish a brand identity and keep your clients organized.
This post is a part of our Report Covers 101 product guide.
