HOW TO DRAW UP A LETTER-HEADING THE first thing to be considered in connection with the despatch of any letter, whether it be an answer to a complaint or a circular designed to attract new customers, is the paper upon which it is written and the printed heading that the paper bears. The letter, paper, and its heading are often the most important factors in making or marring the impression conveyed by a firm's communication. It cannot be denied that the first thing to impress the recipient of any letter is its general a ppearance. No business man willingly will permit untidy typing of his letters ; no one will persist with a copying system that entails smudged letters. For just the same reason it is essential that the greatest care should be taken in designing and drawing up a firm's note-heading. Yet there are hundreds—nay, thousands—of long-established and high-class firms using note-papers that reflect no credit whatever on their sense of taste. Cheap paper; amateurish type display, uncouth duigning, and even cheap and shoddy printing are only too frequently the order of the day, so that the recipient at once receives an hnpression that is the reverse of favourable.
For, after all, a business-like house can surely be expected by its corre spondents to have a business-like letter paper, and a high-class house to use high-class stationery ; and conversely, it cannot be considered unfair to conclude that a firm using shoddy note-paper may be shoddy in other respects.
And yet, up te'a certain point, a note-heading is one of the easiest things to design if the business man only possesses a sense of proportion, a little common sense, and the necessary carefulness to consider thoroughly what he is doing.
Primarily a note-heading is inserted on a letter for one purpose—namely, to convey informatior about the firm. As such it should contain— (1) The firm's correct " style " or name.
(2) Itsfitll addiess.
(31 Its telephone number.
These are the only primary requirements of a heading, and in certain circum stances it is unnecessary even to include the last item, Having this in mind the first thing about whicl, to be careful is to make IX. A sure that the note-heading does not include any needless matter. The simpler the informatiOn given in any heading the easier it is to make it artistic.
The more items it is necestiary to include, the harder this becomes. At the same time it is easy to err on the other side, and to neglect information that should by rights be given, both for the convenience of correspondents and for the conveyance of an adequate idea of the importance and facilities of the firm. Probably the classic example of' an abbreviated »ote-heading is that of Lord Northcliffe, who habitually uses paper containirlg in very small type the three words "The Daily Mail." This, of course, conveys a very fine idea of' dignity and importance, but Lord Northcliffe is in a different position from that occupied by most business houses, and althoug,li he may quite rightly expect his correspondents to know that the offices of the Dai/y Hai/ are situated in London, and that its telephone number can be found in the telephone book, a business house seeking business from clients cannot expect them to go to the trouble of remembering its address, or looking up its number in the telephone directory.
The first thing then to do in designing a note-heading is to draw up a rough list of those items of' information that must of necessity be included, and it is as well also to draw up a secondary list of further items that may be included if space and design permit.
The first list will be confined to the three items given above, although some of these may have to be duplicated owing to the necessity of giving two or more different addresses, and this duplication will often apply to the telephone nuniber also. The note-heading of Messrs. Trcloar & Sons, Ltd., for instance, gives three telephone addresses, one of its Counting Ilouse, another of the Carpet Department, and yet another of the Linoleum Department. In some cases it may be desirable also to include in the list of ess,-ntials the name of the manager or proprietor. This, of' course, is a matter for individual decision that must be governed by special circumstances peculiar to the business. In some cases, for instance, it will be considered desirable to convey the idea of personal service, while in others the exact opposite will hold good.