Five Unique Bookmark Designs

Bookmark designs often resemble one another, if not in color and context, then in size and shape. With so many bookmark designs out there, it can be challenging to come up with something new and original when you're confined to a two-inch by six-inch rectangle. Though this is the standard size and shape for bookmarks, you can make yours capture more attention with unique shapes and sizes - an especially useful tactic if you're a business that markets its products and services using bookmarks. For your next campaign, try one of the following five unique bookmark designs.

Crayons for kids

If you're designing bookmarks for kids, they'll love a crayon-shaped die-cut bookmark design. Create crayon bookmarks in different colors - green, yellow, blue, red, orange, purple - and hand them out to elementary readers as part of your PR machine.

Rounded top bookmarks

Bookmarks don't have to be flat. Incorporate a rounded top into your design, and make use of the space to do something really neat such as depicting a set of eyes poking out of a rotten tree stump (for kiddie horror) or even something more adult-oriented, such as a cloud depicting a Bible verse or a bubble that contains a sales pitch.

Famous silhouettes

Adults love to read about their favorite characters by their favorite authors. If you can hone in on a long-gone author whose work is in the public domain, you can create a bookmark of his or her likeness (or the likeness of a famous literary character). Think about how much fun it would be to have the likes of Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Dickens, Chaucer or even Shakespeare peeking out over the top of your book!

Circle up

No one said bookmarks had to be so square, so turn yours into a 4-inch by 4-inch circle, which has a diameter that is small enough to only stick out the top of most books yet large enough to retain its place while on the go. With a circle shaped bookmark design, you can come up with some truly creative marketing ploys. Print on thick 16-point gloss paper, and you have a bookmark that doubles as a coffee cup coaster!

A bigger rectangle

If you insist on being square, go with a playing card-size bookmark - again, the shape is small enough to serve as an effective bookmark and large enough to keep your place (plus it's an attention-getter).You can give your playing card-shaped bookmark design a poker theme, a Wild West theme for those who enjoy reading westerns (think aces and eights - the dead man's hand), or something else entirely.Playing with the shapes of your bookmark designs can drastically influence your audience's reaction, not to mention the branding power of your company. Different is good, and you will reap the rewards. For extra attention-getting prowess, have your bookmark designs foil stamped. And don't forget the tassel!