Running a pub, restaurant, hotel or venue means the calendar never stops. For example, Christmas bookings open in late summer, Valentine’s menus need to be ready in January, and summer events need promoting while it is still raining. When design is left until the last minute, it is usually rushed, inconsistent or both. That is why seasonal design planning makes such a big difference.
Map out your year
Seasonal design planning starts with a simple calendar of the moments that matter to your business. For most hospitality venues, that looks something like this:
- January to February: new year offers, Dry January and lighter menus, Valentine’s Day
- March to April: Mother’s Day, Easter, spring menus
- May to August: bank holidays, Father’s Day, outdoor dining, summer events, live sport
- September to October: autumn menus, Halloween, Christmas party bookings launch
- November to December: Christmas menus, festive events, New Year’s Eve, gift vouchers
Next, add your own key dates: anniversaries, regular events like quiz nights or live music, and any local festivals or shows that bring in trade.
Work backwards from each date in your seasonal design plan
For every moment in the calendar, decide when promotion needs to start. Christmas party bookings often need promoting months in advance, while a bank holiday barbecue might only need a couple of weeks. After that, add time for design, approval and print, and you have your real deadline.
The assets you will need again and again
- Food and drink menus, including seasonal and special-occasion versions
- Social media graphics and stories for each promotion
- Email banners for your mailing list
- Posters, A-boards, table talkers and window displays
- Website banners and booking page graphics
- Gift voucher designs
- Event listings and what’s-on guides
Build templates to save time and money
The most efficient venues do not design every promotion from scratch. A small set of branded templates, for example a menu layout, a poster layout and a social post layout, means each new campaign is a quick adaptation rather than a new project. In addition, it keeps everything looking consistent, which helps customers recognise your brand on the street, online and at the table.
Keep it consistent across sites
Similarly, if you run more than one venue, consistency matters even more. Shared templates with space for each venue’s details, offers and imagery keep the group looking joined up while letting each site promote what makes it different.
Batch your requests
Rather than sending one request at a time, try briefing a whole season in one go: the menu, the posters, the social set and the email header together. As a result, the designer can create a consistent look across all of them. Better still, you have everything ready well before you need it. This is seasonal design planning at its most efficient.
Design support for hospitality, leisure and venues
Design Shake works with hospitality, leisure and venue businesses to keep menus, promotions and campaigns flowing all year round, for a simple monthly fee. Plan your season with us and send requests as they come up. New to the idea? Find out how a graphic design subscription works.
