Table Tent Design Essentials

Table tents are the perfect way to promote a product, service or event at restaurants, bars, hotels and more. Table tent design is integral to achieving a successful return on investment, but first you have to attract the audience's attention and then motivate a purchase. It's a challenge indeed, but so much easier when you follow the following table tent design essentials.

Design for visual stimulation

You want your table tents to excite the eyes and speak to your audience's joys and passions. Just one glance at your table tents should be enough to inspire a closer look, so make sure your headlines are big and your images bigger. The bottom line: You want your audience to feel as though their lives will be enhanced by following through on your offer.

Capture the mood

Table tents can be bright and colorful or chic and subtle - and everything in between. What's important is that your table tent design captures the mood of your offer to help your audience imagine the joy of following through. A restaurant wine list table tent should bring to mind images of succulent grapes in a perfect vineyard, for example; while a family fun center table tent should depict families not just having fun but having the absolute time of their lives. Consider whether your audience is on vacation, on a business trip, enjoying a romantic meal or out on the town; and design your table tents to complement the moods associated with these situations. Your color choices, graphic elements, images and layout will all contribute to setting the mood for your table tents. Keep the goal in mind: You want your table tent to persuade your audience to take the next step in the purchasing process.

Design both sides

Some table tents are designed with identical images on both sides, but it can be argued that this wastes valuable real estate. There are two trains of thought at work: The first believes that the best attention-getting design should be used on both sides to hit both sides of the table at once; the other believes that another side provides the perfect opportunity to provide additional information or promote a second product, attraction or menu item. As a designer, you can favor a dual design, because you know you can design both sides to be equally appealing, but perhaps to different audiences. You also know that most people will turn table tents around to see what's on the other side and many people like to read while they dine.

Use a template

Table tents are unique because they're scored, folded and die cut. A table tent template is the best way to ensure that your table tent design is positioned properly. From promoting pay-per-view movies, special events, drink and dessert lists and more, table tents are excellent marketing tools for generating customers and upsells for hotels, restaurants and bars. Follow these table tent design tips to increase your return on investment with table tents.