A letterhead sits atop of every business document you create. It should contain your business information so that the recipient of your document can instantly recognize your brand.
But how do you go about creating a letterhead? Well, the good news is that you don’t have to start from scratch. There are hundreds of premade Microsoft Word letterhead templates that you can use to create your letterhead.
In this tutorial, we’ll explain what the necessary letterhead elements are and show you how to create a letterhead from a Microsoft Word letterhead template.
What You Need to Know About Creating a Letterhead
Before we get started, let's examine some questions you might have about how to create a letterhead and what a letterhead is for:
1. What Are the Necessary Letterhead Elements?
Before we go into details about creating a letterhead in Word, let’s go over the necessary elements every letterhead should include. As mentioned earlier, a letterhead is the top header on a letter or a company document. It should include the following:
- your business logo
- name
- business address
- contact information such as a phone number, email address and company website
2. What's the Purpose of a Letterhead?
Letterheads have a variety of purposes. They're most commonly used for:
- sending invoices to your clients and customers
- job offer letters to potential job candidates
- cover letters and company presentations
- meeting minutes
- internal communication between different departments
- official letters sent to financial, government, and other institutions
- any other legal and corporate documents
3. Why Use a Letterhead?
Since the letterhead sits at the top of every business document, there are several reasons for including it:
- It creates a professional image and shows that you’re taking your business seriously.
- Reinforce your brand and company image so everyone can immediately recognize that a document is coming from you.
- It can be used as a part of your marketing strategy and make it easier for people to remember your company and brand.
We’ve just covered the necessary elements every letterhead should include and the purpose of your letterhead. Now, let’s take a look at how you can use Microsoft Word letterhead templates to create your letterhead quickly.
Where to Find the Best Microsoft Word Letterhead Templates
If you’re looking for the best Microsoft Word letterhead templates, the first place you should look is Envato Elements. It's a subscription-based marketplace that gives you access to thousands of creative design assets for a low monthly fee.
That’s right, for a flat monthly rate, you get unlimited access to letterhead templates, stock photos, web templates, and so much more. Download as many assets as you need, customize them to your needs, and use them in any of your projects.
With a premade letterhead template, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel or start from scratch. The layout is already there so all you've got to do is replace the information with your own and customize the visual style to match your brand.
Thanks to Envato Elements, you can whip up a gorgeous letterhead in a matter of minutes.
A subscription to Envato Elements makes the most sense if you’re a designer working with many clients or if you've got many brands to promote.
But, if you just need a one-off template, Envato Elements may not be for you. In that case, you might want to check out GraphicRiver. It's part of Envato Market, a suite of marketplaces that cater to various creative needs. On GraphicRiver, you’ll find modern letterhead templates for Microsoft Word that you can buy individually.
How to Create a Letterhead in Microsoft Word From a Template
For the purposes of this tutorial, we’ll be using the Word Letterhead template from Envato Elements. The template has an elegant and sophisticated design. It comes in light and dark versions and can be edited in Illustrator, Photoshop, and Word. We’ll use the Word version throughout this tutorial.
Step 1. Open Your Template
First things first, download your letterhead template from your Envato Elements account and save it onto your computer. Then, open the folder and locate the Word version of your letterhead template. Double-click it to launch Microsoft Word and open the template.
Step 2. Insert Your Business Information
The next step is to customize the template with your business information. We’ll start at the top. First, double-click the domain text and highlight it by pressing CTRL+A. Delete the text and then enter your website URL.
Then, double-click the top text in the spine column, delete it, and replace it with your business name. Repeat this process all the way down the spine column to replace all the text with your own.
Step 3. Add a Branded Image at the Top
Once you’ve replaced all the information with your own, the next step is to add a branded image at the top. This can be a branded pattern or a photo of your business building or your office.
To add the image, right-click on the red shape and select Format Shape. Under the Fill option, select Picture Or Texture Fill. Press the Insert button and locate the image you want to use on your computer. Make sure it’s dark enough so that your website address remains visible.
Step 4. Customize Fonts and Colors
The next step is to customize fonts and colors to match your brand. To customize fonts, select the text you want to customize and then choose your brand font from the drop-down menu.
To change the color of the spine column, right-click on it and select Format Shape. Under Fill, select Solid Fill and press the bucket icon. Then, enter the HEX code for your brand color or choose one of the default Word colors.
Step 5. Save as a Template
When you’re done customizing the template, the last step is to save it as a template so you can reuse it with all your documents. To do this, click on File > Save As A Template. Give it a name and make sure it’s saved as .dotx file.
To reuse the template, launch Word and click File > New from template. Then, choose your letterhead template.
Five Tips for Designing Your Letterhead
Customizing a premade letterhead templates is a great way to create your letterhead quickly. Here are five tips that'll help you take your letterhead to the next level:
1. Use Geometric Backgrounds
A geometric background can add a bit of dynamic to your letterhead and make it stand out more. You can opt for sharp geometric shapes or go for a more subtle approach like this letterhead template from Envato Elements.
2. Use an Alternate Logo
We mentioned earlier that your letterhead should include your logo as well as your name, address, business name, and contact info. Depending on the layout of your letterhead, that’s a lot of information for a relatively small space. Consider using an alternate version of your logo to ensure all information can fit into your letterhead. This will also prevent your letterhead from appearing too cluttered.
3. Add a Decorative Border
Remember that you don’t have to stick with a plain or black and white letterhead. You can make your documents more visually appealing by incorporating a border.
You've got several options:
- Use a border around the entire document.
- Add the border only on one side.
- Use color blocking or use a background image as the border.
Take cues from this modern letterhead template from Envato Elements.
4. Use Legible Fonts
Make sure you use legible fonts for your business information. After all, what good is a beautiful letterhead if nobody can read it? A simple sans-serif font is a safe choice that'll help ensure your contact and business information is easy to read.
5. Stand Out With Dark Color
If you want a surefire way for your letterhead to stand out from the rest, consider using a dark color. With dark mode taking over our laptops, phones, and tablets, dark backgrounds are in so why not use it for your letterhead? The template below is a great example of a gorgeous and stylish letterhead template with a dark background.
Top 5 Microsoft Word Letterhead Templates to Download in 2021
Here are some of the top Microsoft Word letterhead templates from Envato Elements that you can download in 2021:
1. Modern Word Letterhead Template
The first template on our list has a modern and colorful design. Add your logo as well as all the important business information that needs to be included in the letterhead. The template is easy to edit, and you can customize fonts, colors, and more. The template comes in black and white version.
2. Clean Word Letterhead Template
This clean Word letterhead template includes three different color options. Pick the color you like best or customize it to your liking. The template has well-organized layers and is easy to edit.
3. Minimal Word Letterhead Template
This minimal letterhead template is clearly separated from the rest of the document with a colored background. You can easily customize the colors and add your business details. The template comes in light and dark versions.
4. Creative Word Letterhead Template
If you want a more creative letterhead, this template will come in handy. The template features a sidebar and there’s plenty of room left for your logo and business details. You can change out the fonts, customize the colors, and more. The template comes in light and dark versions, and it contains well-organized layers.
5. Elegant Word Letterhead
Here’s an elegant letterhead template for Microsoft Word. The template comes in both light and dark versions. Customize it to your liking and make it match the rest of your branded stationery. The template has a full bleed for easy printing.
Find More Microsoft Word Templates
The templates above are just a small selection of what’s available on Envato Elements and GraphicRiver. If you want to see more awesome letterhead designs or need a different kind of Microsoft Word template, check out the following articles:
Microsoft Word20 Best Free Microsoft Word Corporate Letterhead Templates (Download 2021)
Microsoft Word20 Best Free Microsoft Word Resume CV Cover Letter Templates 2021
Templates25 Microsoft MS Word Business Proposal Templates to Make Deals in 2021
Learn More About Working With Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word can be used to create all kinds of documents. But there’s more to learn about Microsoft Word. We've plenty of tutorials to get you started:
Microsoft WordHow to Quickly Format Basic Text Styles in Microsoft Word Documents
Microsoft WordHow to Make Awesome Page Layout Designs in Microsoft Word (+Video)
Microsoft WordHow to Add Headers, Footers, and Page Numbers in Microsoft Word
Create Your Letterhead Quickly With Microsoft Word Templates
As you can see, there's no shortage of gorgeous Microsoft Word letterhead templates to download. On top of that, now you also know how to use one of those letterhead templates to quickly create your company letterhead in Word. The only thing left to do now is to get started with your letterhead design.
Go to Envato Elements and browse through our letterhead and other Microsoft Word templates to find a letterhead that meets your needs.
Or, if you need a letterhead template to use right now, check out our letterhead templates over on GraphicRiver.
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