2015 corporate diaries have arrived at UK Corporate Gifts and we are proud to announce the best range on offer in the UK. Our diaries are comprehensively organised into categories that are easy to browse by size, page colour and then style and page layout. We have taken the time to present the range well, with product pages that are easily navigated, and have lots of information and explanations of the branding options available. We have also put together this article on the various diary styles available, explaining which styles are suited to which business purposes. This way we made it easy for you to find the exact option best for you. And to make things even more user-friendly, we wrote this guide that explains all the features and options on offer so that the task is a pleasure and a doddle. You know that corporate diaries are great promotional gifts that can be given over Christmas period to clients and staff to spotlight your brand. The advantage they have is that they remain useful for the duration of the whole year and they become personal items that the user grows attached to. As the summer ends, now is the time to be thinking about ordering your promotional diaries for year 2015, so to make life easier and ensure you get the best diaries for your business, we have put together this simple, step-by-step guide of options for you to follow:

1. The Size

There are four sizes to choose from when it comes to diaries. From the largest to the smallest, they are A4, Quarto, A5, and Pocket. You will find them all on our diaries homepage. Each size will suit different needs, so make sure you know what your clients will most appreciate before you order. A4 diaries are the biggest, and have plenty of space for the user to make detailed notes and include lots of information for each day of the year. There are suited to high-powered business types who need to plan their days down to the letter. Quarto diaries are the next biggest. They are more easily carried around than A4 diaries but also have plenty of space for careful planning. The almost-square shape will fit nicely on any desktop. A5 diaries are the versatile choice - equally good for desk and travel. They come in many styles, so you will have plenty of choice with these. They are easily transported, so will suit people who travel lots or commute to work. They can also be sent easily via direct mail to keep your mailing costs low. Pocket diaries are very compact so that they can be carried around in pockets! This means they are perfectly suited to people who need to keep a diary with them at all times, and for ladies who like to keep them in their handbags. If you have clients that are always on-the-go, like busy working mums or journalists who have to jet off at a moment’s notice to report a story, these diaries are ideal.

2. The Page Colour

Once you have chosen a size, our site will next give you the choice of which colour pages you want for your diaries. Cream and white are the two colours you have to choose from, whichever diary size you have selected. This choice has less to do with functionality - as they are equally good performance-wise. Which one you should pick depends upon your business brand identity. If you are a classic, heritage brand such as Aston Martin or Burberry, or you are a consultancy business and have a serious image to promote, then you should consider cream pages. Their mellow tone will give an understated but luxurious feel to your gift. Many cream page diaries also come with warmer-shade cover colours and gold details like gold year date and gilt page edges - all to add to the sophisticated, high-end feel. If your business is related to the tech industry, or you just want to promote yourself as modern and up-to-date company or organisation, white pages may suit you better. They will lend your diary an air of freshness and vibrancy. White page diaries often come with brighter-coloured covers and silver year date and page edge details.

3. The Style and Layout

Each size and page-colour category on our website has a number of styles and layout options. These very much depend on your brand image, as well as the budget you have to spend. Cover materials range from matt laminated or textured paper, through the popular faux leather, to the exquisite real Italian leather. A few styles also offer a combination of colours and textures for a unique design. The effect is often finished off with extra details like stitching or metal corners. Metal corners in gold or silver can also be added as extra, regardless of style chosen. This will look stylish and protect the edges from fraying. Each style comes with its own unique way of presenting the year date. It can be embossed, foil blocked in silver or gold, or be incorporated into an elaborate pattern with a combination of these two branding techniques. We also offer the choice to design your own year date that will match your logo design - e.g. using the same font. Desk diaries, i.e. A4, Quarto and A5, usually have padded covers, to enhance their look, while pocket diaries are mostly unpadded due to the smaller size. Price of the diary often depends on the material of the cover and the amount of the extra features present. The second thing that could determine cost is the layout. Day-to-view diaries are usually more expensive than week-to-view, as they have more pages and are thicker. When it comes to pocket diaries, you also need to decide between the portrait and landscape layout - which is usually a matter of personal preference. All diaries have perforated page corners and ribbon markers, which makes it easy for the user to mark the current, or any other important date for easy access.

4. The Cover Branding

After all that picking and choosing, we finally move on to the fun part - adding your logo. The two most common ways to brand a diary are foil blocking and embossing. Foil blocking is the process of stamping the diary with a piece of coloured foil. You can choose silver or gold as standard options, or pick other, more unusual colours, like red, green or blue. Embossing creates a three dimensional effect, with the logo indented into the surface. The method will lend your diary an air of understated sophistication. It is common to pick the technique that matches the year date design already present on the cover, to create a harmonious design. If you want to achieve more of an edge, you could pick contrasting branding styles to make the logo stand out more. Another option available on a number of diaries is doming, which creates a full colour logo with a glossy 3D effect. One way to further personalise diaries for the individuals receiving them is to brand individual names of recipients onto each item. If you are trying to drive employee engagement - an important part of building a strong brand - it is a nice gesture to provide employees with useful and thoughtful gifts. Make diaries more personal to the recipient by printing the individual's name or initials on the cover.

5. The Inside Branding

Diaries are unique promotional gifts as they can contain extra advertising and business information inside them. If you have product information you want to convey, or just want to include your contact details, you can print it over one page or a set of pages and incorporate it in the diary-binding itself. This way you can give the user a bit more information about what your business does, and ensure that whenever they are in need of your services they will be able to get in touch easily. And, if you don’t want to include branding or business info, pages can be customised to what you do want. You could include times tables or French vocabulary in the diary if you think your customers will find them useful. Whatever the choice, it is worth remembering the the information you give on those extra page is still relevant next year as this is how long it will be available to view.   We hope you will enjoy browsing our range and that you have found the information above useful. If you would like more general information how we brand all of our products, you can read our past blog on branding methods and origination. We also provide free consultations, so don't hesitate to call 01204 577 995 to discuss your corporate diary needs with one of our promotional gifts advisors.