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The visual brand of a business extends beyond its website and social media to every document it sends. A well-designed letterhead reinforces brand recognition and makes even a routine document feel considered and professional.

In this guide, I share 15 letterhead examples with logos that are worth drawing inspiration from, along with tips on designing one and best practices to follow.

The visual brand of a firm extends beyond its website and social media to every document it provides. A properly designed letterhead makes a normal document feel like it came from somewhere special with clear branding and an attentive layout. That’s design at work.

Table of Contents

• What is a letterhead?

• Letterhead Examples with Logos
• How to Create a Letterhead
• Best Practices for Setting up Your Letterhead
• I Designed My Own Letterhead — Here’s What I Did
• Frequently Asked Questions About Letterheads with Logos

What is a letterhead?

A letterhead is the branded header that appears at the top of official business documents, typically including a company logo, name, and contact information. The term can also refer to the design of an entire page when branding extends into a footer or carries across the background. Placement at the top is most traditional, but letterhead elements can appear elsewhere depending on the layout.

A letterhead helps readers immediately recognize the company and directs attention to the message. Like a website or any marketing material, a letterhead conveys personality and can distinguish a business from its competitors. Though digital communication has replaced paper correspondence in many industries, a well-crafted letterhead remains a meaningful branding opportunity on every document it appears on.

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Letterhead Examples With Logos

1. Prominent Brand Logo
2. Single Strong Color
3. Minimalist Design
4. Bold, Bright Colors
5. Whitespace
6. Creative Footer
7. Bold Typography
8. Use Background Color
9. Repositioned Elements
10. Off-center layout
11. Page Border
12. Geometric Patterns
13. Watermark
14. Logo-Integrated Page
15. Design Illustrative Elements

1. Prominent Brand Logo

A reliable letterhead strategy is to center or align the company logo to the top-left. Before reading the body material, a huge, prominent logo establishes brand familiarity and sets the tone. Organizations with strong visual identity systems and recognized logos benefit from this approach.

What I like: I appreciate how a green background frames the logo without overpowering the page. High contrast provides focal hierarchy, but white space maintains the layout clean and body text understandable. The execution makes this simple approach polished.

I like the example above because it features the brand’s logo against a green background to help it stand out and separate it from the rest of the content in the document without dominating the page or using too much whitespace. It feels decorative but not intrusive.

2. Single Strong Color

Letterhead design benefits from strategic usage of a single brand color. Color attracts attention, leads it through the site, and evokes emotions without sophisticated layouts or design features. One primary color reduces visual clutter and unifies the brand.

What I like: Color is a powerful design tool. It draws the eye in, guides focus throughout a page, and brings attention to its most critical parts.

Any more than three colors, though, and readers can start to feel overwhelmed. One popular approach I like is to base your document on a single color that aligns with your company branding. The example above uses just one shade of indigo to highlight specific areas of the page.

3. Minimalist Design

Minimalist letterhead design supports the document’s main element without competing for attention. Stripping back extraneous design features simplifies production, cleans the layout, and ensures the letterhead works effectively in print and digital modes.

What I like: That last example wasn’t crazy, but we can make it simpler. In cases like this, it’s often better to underdo it than to overdo it. Remember that the body of your document is where you want readers to focus, and a minimalist letterhead like this one ensures that their eyes go to the right place.

Plus, in my opinion, minimalist designs have the added bonus of being easy to make. Not a designer? (And don’t want to hire one?) It’s hard to go wrong with a stripped-back look with a prominent logo. There’s no need to go overboard.

4. Bold, Bright Colors

Some brands don’t need a conservative letterhead. Bold color combinations can convey energy, inventiveness, or a youth-focused vibe. Colors should be used to highlight design areas rather than cover the site.

What I like: Don’t feel like using just one neutral color? Then forget everything I said before and find the boldest set of colors available

This doesn’t mean splatter-painting the stationery. Rather, touches of brighter shades will accent the designs and add fun back into a standard business letter.

5. Whitespace

Whitespace is an active design element. Give logos, text blocks, and graphic components space to breathe to add visual weight and clarity. Documents with meaningful spacing are professional; cluttered ones lack design confidence.

What I like: Impactful designs don’t have to be hectic designs. In fact, in many cases, it’s the opposite. By giving page elements some space, your choices stand out more. Plus, you save readers the cognitive work of separating out different items on your page.

I like how this example pairs a background color with deliberate whitespace so the logo stands out on its own

6. Creative Footer

In letterhead design, footers are usually small contact details in a standard font. But a well-designed footer extends the visual identity to the bottom of the page, framing and completing the brand experience.

What I like: Footers are nothing out of the ordinary and are often used to place contact information. I’ve seen footers treated as an afterthought on too many business documents, but in this example, I appreciate how the footer template adds some personality to a pretty standard letter.

7. Bold Typography

In every branded document, typography is crucial. Serif fonts convey authority and history, sans-serif fonts are clean and modern, and display typefaces are unique and memorable. Typography can dominate design when brand identification requires it.

What I like: I like how this typography takes over for logos or color accents. A conventional layout becomes noteworthy with the font choice. Typographic letterheads stand out from most other letters, but a bad display font can quickly damage credibility.

8. Background Color

White is the default, not the rule. A letterhead with a colored background can reinforce brand identity more thoroughly than any header graphic while also improving readability when the right tones are selected. Research supports the use of certain background colors, warm tones like peach, yellow, and light orange have been shown to improve reading comfort.

What I like: Business letters don’t have to be plain white. A colored background that complements the brand palette can be an easy aesthetic enhancer, as long as text remains readable. The one practical consideration worth keeping in mind is ink usage for high-volume print runs.

There’s also a practical benefit to background color. that colored backgrounds like yellow, orange, and peach improve readability. That’s why we like the example above — the pastel tones elevate your branding beyond a simple logo.

Check out this list of favorite color combinations for help deciding which background color to pick.

9. Repositioned Elements

Typical letterhead has the logo at the top. Move it to the bottom corner, side margin, or mid-page for a different brand moment. This technique starts with the message and ends with the brand, almost like a signature.

What I like: There’s no rule that says the logo has to go at the top of the page. Placing it in the bottom corner instead creates the feeling of signing off on the message with a distinctive brand mark.

I know this choice seems simple in concept, but most companies stick to the standard letterhead format, so repositioning your branding like this can leave a different, more lasting impression.

10. Off-center layout

Off-center layouts assign the letterhead content to one side of the page, using the remaining space for body copy or leaving it open. This approach works well for minimal brands that want an unconventional layout without sacrificing professionalism, and it creates a natural visual column structure that can guide readers through the document.

What I like: Minimal designs are also conducive to unconventional letterheads. For instance, try placing letterhead content on one side of the page, rather than in the headers and footers, as the example above accomplishes.

When adding additional text, keep the visual hierarchy clear so readers aren’t confused by adjacent columns of text. One option is to set the letterhead text to a smaller font size so the reader’s focus stays on the document’s primary content.

11. Page Border

A border confines and unites the page. Borders become part of a brand’s visual identity when used across stationery, envelopes, and presentation covers. Formal, legacy, and premium companies benefit most from them.

What I like: When done well, a border helps readers feel immersed in your branding. When applied to different branding materials, they can also keep everything looking cohesive, as shown in this example.

I think the above example pulls off a border well. However, be mindful of how borders can take up extra page space, making things feel more cluttered and dense.

12. Geometric Patterns

Simple forms like circles, triangles, and grids in brand colors may elevate a conventional layout. Hidden geometric patterns in headers and footers separate branded areas from the rest of the page, without the need for sophisticated imagery or photography.

What I Like: I like how the grayscale circles here do just enough; the pattern is present enough to register visually without competing with the content. Restraint is everything with geometric patterns; the moment they get too dense, they stop being a design element and start being a readability problem.

One rule I always follow: never place body text directly over a patterned background. Even subtle patterns significantly reduce legibility, undermining the whole point of the document.

13. Watermark

Watermarks use low-opacity graphics to cover the page with the company logo. Brand presence is reinforced throughout the document without affecting the legibility of the body text. Written correspondence, legal papers, and branding reports often use watermarks.

What I like: The key is transparency, which is harder to achieve than it appears on television. Too opaque, and the watermark clashes with the text; too faint, and it disappears. I want a subliminal brand presence that doesn’t distract the reader.

Practical tip: test at print size, not digital preview. Sometimes, screen and paper opacity readings differ dramatically.

14. Logo-Integrated Page Design

Rather than placing the logo once in a header, this approach uses the logo’s geometry as a repeating design element across the page. Simple, geometric logos are best suited for this technique. Abstract shapes, monograms, and icons work well; complex illustrated logos do not.

What I like: This approach works best with simple, geometric logos. When the logo fits that description, repeating it across the page at a lower opacity adds depth without cluttering the layout. As shown in this design, the result elevates an otherwise routine deliverable.

I like how the logo’s repetition at low opacity adds depth to the design without cluttering it. It also signals a level of design intentionality that elevates even routine correspondence.

15. Illustrative Elements

Hand-drawn or unique illustrations provide business documents a personal touch that photographs and geometric design lack. Creative industries, lifestyle companies, and organizations that want their communications to feel personal rather than corporate benefit from this strategy.

What I like: Finally, drawn elements can add a human touch to your letterhead, and they don’t even need to be fancy to work. Above, I like how some tasteful “blobs” mark each corner of the page and frame the letterhead and footer appropriately.

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How to Create a Letterhead

1. Select a design tool.

Selecting the right design tool is the most important first step. There are many options available, and the best choice depends on the team’s needs, budget, and design experience.

Some of the best design tools are Figma, Framer, Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, and Canva. Canva is currently my personal favorite; it is the best option for most teams due to its free tier, huge template library, and easy-to-use interface.

2. Search for letterhead templates.

After accessing the platform, find a template that matches the brand’s style. A template provides a stable structure for customization and is far faster than starting from scratch.

Canva has over 5,000 letterhead templates, from corporate to illustrated. Try the search box and filter by color, style, or industry. Look for templates that match the target design’s layout logic, even if colors and fonts need tweaking.

3. Customize the template.

Letterheads only become brand assets after customization. Once a template is selected, the placeholder elements, including the logo, colors, typefaces, and contact information, need to be replaced with the actual brand information.

Be careful with logo size, color accuracy (use hex codes or Pantone values), and font consistency with other brand materials. Pro accounts can replace template elements and change colors, whereas Canva plans limit these options.

4. Save and export.

Export the design in its intended format after completion. The standard for print-ready files, PDF preserves layout and guarantees color accuracy. PNG or PDF work well for digital use, depending on distribution.

Canva now allows direct print ordering for letterhead stock. When printing independently, test on plain paper before committing to the complete run. A test print detects frequent screen-to-print color and alignment mismatches before they become costly.

Best Practices for Setting up Your Letterhead

Letterheads are brand touchpoints on every paper. Layout, typography, color accuracy, and formatting guarantee the letterhead works effectively in print, digital, formal correspondence, and internal documents.

Your letterhead is more than just your company logo. I find it helpful to think of your company letterhead as both your business card and a fun design element.

Here are some of the practices I keep in mind when designing a letterhead:

1. Include essential contact information.

The letterhead is the ideal location for important contact details like a business phone number, website address, and email address, since it is the first thing recipients notice. Including this information wherever the layout allows is always worthwhile.

2. Maintain consistent branding.

A company letterhead should look and feel similar to other marketing materials, such as the company website. Using the same fonts and brand colors across both creates a cohesive, recognizable brand presence. makes it easy to build and customize a website that reflects the same visual identity carried through the letterhead.

3. Keep it simple.

Maybe I am the only one, but I cannot stand clutter. Cluttered letterhead undermines the overall design. Try to avoid using too many design elements on your letterhead. A clean, simple letterhead is just as eye-catching as a crowded one.

I Designed My Own Letterhead — Here’s What I Did

Creating letterhead is simple, especially with a design tool like Canva. Here’s what I did to create the letterhead for my business. Not a fan of Canva? Check out .

1. Log into Canva.

Canva offers a free version of their design tool, with Canva Pro available for more editing options. For this letterhead, the Pro version was used.

2. Search letterhead templates.

Canva offers over 5,000 letterhead templates. Users can choose a simple letterhead template or a more complex design that covers the whole page. Personally, I like a simple, minimalist design.

I chose to customize the “Beige Classy Minimalist Professional Letterhead” design by .

3. Customize the template.

I like this letterhead design template because it’s simple, can be customized to match my brand colors, and includes space for important contact information. Editing the letterhead to include my information was a breeze.

Pro tip: Depending on the template you choose, you may or may not be able to customize certain elements by color. Play around with the available templates until you find one you like. You can also use the Canva editor to create a letterhead from scratch. Just be sure to use the standard letter size for your project.

4. Save and print.

The nice thing about Canva is that letterheads can be ordered directly from their website. If you would rather print your own, you can do that too. Just download your work as a PDF.

Pro tip: When you reprint your letter on your letterhead, take my advice: always do a test print with a blank piece of paper first. This will save you frustration in the long run!

Frequently Asked Questions About Letterheads with Logos

What is a letterhead, and what does it include?

A letterhead is an official business document, proposal, invoice, contract, or correspondence. It usually includes the firm name, logo, phone number, email address, and website. Depending on industry and regulations, some companies include a tagline, physical address, or legal registration details.

Where should a logo be placed on a letterhead?

There is generally no mandatory place to place the logo on a letterhead. As we have seen in the examples, logos can appear anywhere on the letterhead. It is very common to find logs on the top-left and top-center for most brands. This practice is partly convention and partly because that’s where the eye goes first.

But those aren’t the only options. Logos are often placed at the bottom-right of letterheads. A logo in the bottom-right can be a subtle sign-off, and some brands use it as a page-wide graphic.

What makes a good business letterhead design?

A good letterhead makes the organization immediately identifiable, uses brand-approved fonts and colors, and displays contact information prominently. The layout should clearly separate the branded elements from the document content.

Restraint matters more than most designers expect. A letterhead that competes with the body text defeats its own purpose. The best examples tend to be ones where the design recedes and lets the content take center stage.

How do you create a letterhead for your business?

Start with a template from Canva, Adobe Express, or Microsoft Word, then replace the logo, brand colors, typefaces, and contact information with actual brand details. Export as PDF for print or PNG for digital use, and always run a test print before a full print run since color can vary more than expected between screen and paper.

Letterhead Design That Works

Good letterhead design does not require a big budget or a design team. The 15 examples above show that purposeful choices, applied consistently, are what make the difference. Whether the approach is a bold color palette, a simple single-logo layout, or a subtle geometric pattern, the result signals that the company behind the document takes its presentation seriously.

For teams building or updating a branded document system, the letterhead is the right place to start. It is one of the simplest brand touchpoints to get right, and one of the most visible when done well.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in April 2022 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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• Pre-built themes and templates.
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