When it comes to print marketing, rack cards are a versatile tool. As so, we've put together this round up of rack card templates & design ideas to help you produce the best rack cards possible.
If you're wondering what a rack card is, essentially rack cards are compact pocket-sized flyers that fit into standard leaflet holders & brochure dispensers. They're tall and thin and are the same size as a folded tri-fold leaflet.
In fact, this is where rack cards get their value. Because they fit into existing promotional displays, they're ideal for when your promotion doesn't require a full tri-fold brochure, but you'd still like to promote it alongside your other informational leaflets.
I'd say it's this two-in-one benefit that makes DL card templates some of our most downloaded items here on BrandPacks. I've also heard from many of our members that their clients are requesting rack cards more frequently than ever before, especially those working in retail & service sectors.
With that in mind, I figured I'd put together this collection of rack card design ideas & templates to help inspire your creativity. But first, let's cover some basics.
What is the correct rack card size?
There is no one-size for rack cards because rack cards vary in size from one print company to the next. As long as a rack card fits inside a rack card display or leaflet holder, its size can be considered correct.
In America, the correct rack card size is between 3.5″ x 8.5″ to 4″ x 9″. In Europe and other places, rack cards mostly use the DL paper size, which is 3.9″ x 8.3″. Here on BrandPacks, we use the DL paper size for our rack card templates 🙂
Rack Card Design Tips
Make the front eye-catching
When you browse the rack card design templates listed below, you'll notice that many feature eye-catching images and large titles on the front side of the design. This is because most of the time the printed card will be in rack card holders where only the front can be seen. Therefore, you need to utilise this space to grab the attention of potential customers so they pick one up and read the whole thing.
Print on both sides & utilise every inch
Rack cards are small, and the cost of printing on both sides is usually not much more expensive (and often, is already included in the price). As the size of rack cards is compact, and the front side needs to be bold and eye-catching, most of your informational text needs to go on the back. For this reason, it's important to utilise every inch of space as efficiently as you can.
Smaller type sizes
As well as having most of the text crammed onto the back page, rack cards often feature more informational content than standard promotional flyers. To fit more text on the page, don't be scared of reducing the size of your type to fit in more content. Don't overdo it: readability is important, but when people are already engaged with your offer, they'll be more patient when reading the text. Run some test prints on your final design before sending to the printers so you can check the text is legible.
Add a call-to-action
As with any piece of print marketing, including a call-to-action is essential. Whether it's calling a number to make a booking, visiting a website address for more info or calling in-store to make a purchase, always include a call-to-action.
With all that in mind, shall we get into it? Here's 35 rack card design ideas to break your creative block:
Bold colours and a modern hexagonal pattern contrast a clean & corporate design. The compact text areas, image placeholders and large titles provide ample space for product or service information.
Clean lines and sharp cuts coupled with minimal text areas give this design a fashionable image perfect for hair & beauty salons, nail bars and beauticians.
Although created with gardeners and landscape professionals in mind, this template's clean layout makes it a practical choice for a variety of clients.
A rack card like this is perfect for large retail & service businesses to promote their custom mobile apps to customers in store. The call-to-action is clear with QR codes & features listed on the rear.
Another excellent example of a rack card template for advertising mobile apps. This template is also well-suited to promoting the services and products of mobile app development companies.
Who said corporate design needed to be boring? This clean, corporate rack card bucks the trend with a design that's both professional and inspiring. Ideal for any type of corporate business or professional service.
The large swash that covers both sides of this rack card template provides an easy way to integrate brand colours into a stylish design element. Furthermore, both pages offer plentiful text areas for in-depth info in what is essentially very limited space.
This corporate rack card template is another example of how flexible functional design needn't be boring. The style can be edited to suit any professional service, and you can bet the client will be impressed.
I feel like I'm repeating myself, but these corporate designs really do impart a modern twist that's not expected from standard “business” design work.
Car washes are a great example of clients who can make use of rack card designs. Leaving a rack card holder at the gas station checkout provides easy access for customers to learn more about available car wash packages.
If you're in the business of print, this could be a useful template for you. The front features an eye-catching call-to-action whilst the back lists out available products with prices.
The design is clean & modern with a grid-based layout that is easy to edit & customize. With plentiful space to add text, change colours & easily replace photos, integrating a client’s brand is quick & easy.
These Spring Break designs are a match made in heaven for beachside bars & clubs. The clean, minimal & modern designs are ideal for promoting events & food & drink specials during Spring Break.
The front side of this design is perfect for branding an event, whilst the back-side features space for food & drink items, or for important text information like time, date & location. This is a prime example of well a rack card can be utilised.
This rack card design for hotels showcases just how well a call-to-action can be integrated into print marketing. The two lines of text which say “Please visit reception for more details” and “Please call 3 to make a booking” are perfect examples of how a CTA can be used in a flyer.
This hotel rack card is also an exemplary design in regards to use of space. Both the front and back squeeze in huge amounts of information & eye-catching graphics without overwhelming the reader.
The power and energy in this design make it perfect for sports – especially fast sports like cycling. The duo-tone colour scheme also make it easy to integrate one's own branding, which furthers its use as an editable template.
Traditional construction companies often find themselves with sub-par branding, reminiscent of a bye-gone era. Not with this design. It's clean, modern and simple-to-use, perfect for local builders to large scale contractors.
Designs for mental health services are often tarnished with a clinically medical style. Not here – this design offers a refreshingly modern and approachable design style in a sector that needs it most.
You probably wouldn't expect a digital marketing agency to use print advertising, but offline marketing is how you'll find your least digital-savvy clients. And it could be said: the best marketing uses every channel available…
The central criss-cross graphics enable you to integrate brand colours with just a few clicks. Likewise, there are plentiful text areas to give an in-depth overview of available services and products.
What I love about this design is that it balances a useful layout with contemporary design, without going over the top. After all, a funeral is a sombre affair, so there's a reserved design is essential.
I just had a thought about the benefits of rack cards that I haven't had before. Specifically, in regards to car detailing and car wash businesses, the DL sized paper is ideal for slotting under a windscreen wiper. That would be perfect “guerrilla marketing” for a car wash business, no?!
The simple layout and clean modern design style ensure impressive results in very little time. The clean & corporate nature of this design makes it an excellent choice for a variety of businesses, events & industries.
The brand colours used in this example design are a great representation for non-profits, but the layout could be used for almost anything. Large image placeholders and plentiful text make for a flexible design no matter the niche.
When it comes to the DL card templates on BrandPacks, this one is the number 1 top seller. I don't think it's the seasonal use either – I think it's the ultra-practical design. Plenty of text thoughtfully crammed into a compact design which still makes room for almost half a dozen photos. Excellent!
With the number of clean corporate designs featured in this list, I figured I should also display some seasonal examples. This Easter rack card is filled with illustrations, but also manages to contain a large area of text based information.
This design takes a starkly opposite approach to traditional non-profit designs. Using a “gradient map” style duotone colour scheme, the design is truly modern, an ideal way to catch the attention of those who typically disregard charitable offerings.
Most medical focussed design work is clinically boring. But even with its stereotypical blue & white colour scheme, this design manages to be modern, and somewhat luxurious – a perfect match for expensive private hospitals.
Marketing design for churches is often stuck in the middle ages, with work that is heavily influenced by traditional styles. This rack card, on the other hand, takes a refreshingly modern approach, which could be considered ideal when attracting younger generations to attend church service.
In my opinion, I've left the best until last. I've commented several times throughout this article that the real key to a good rack design is balancing information in a compact space.
This photography rack card not only showcase an excellent use of space for both text and imagery, it does so with an incredibly eye-catching design. But what else would expect for something made to advertise the creative arts?
More Rack Card Designs Than You Can Shake a Cursor At
Rack cards can be difficult to design for. Their 1/3 of a page size is unusual for many designers which means you need to get creative with the placement and layout.
And as I mentioned at the top of this article, our rack card templates are amongst the most popular downloads here on BrandPacks, so you can rest assured that they've been tried-and-tested by thousands of designers before you.
Adam McIntyre
Do you have a template for art museums?
Hi Doris, perhaps this Free Museum Flyer Template might be useful for you?