In an event, it is always necessary to keep track of the guests and to make sure that each one of them is comfortable and well-accommodated. Thankfully, Template.net has a collection of ready-made templates in Illustrator to help you create beautifully designed place cards. These place card templates are high-quality, 100% customizable, and fully printable, and you can get your hands on them anywhere, anytime, and on any device. Additionally, these templates are easily editable in any version of Adobe Illustrator, which actually saves you time in having to upgrade from an older version. Need to make place cards in Illustrator? Download a template now.
What Is a Place Card?
A place card is defined as a piece of folded paper or card that indicates the name of a guest in an event. Other than that, a place card also indicates the table number and some creative design to add style to it. In some cases, a place card also doubles as a menu card for the food and drinks that are served at the event.
How to Create a Place Card in Adobe Illustrator
Learn how to make the best and most memorable place cards by referring to our list of instructions below. By simply following these instructions, your guests will most likely want to hold on to their place card after the event as a keepsake.
1. Obtain a Copy of the Guest List
Since place cards primarily serve as a guide for the guests in terms of where they're seated, it is essential to get a copy of the guest lists because of two reasons. First, obtaining a copy of the guest list can help you determine the number of place cards that you will need to create. The second reason is that since place cards indicate the guest's name and table number, it helps you keep track of it during the whole process.
2. Gather Details about the Event
Aside from just getting details about the guests, you will also need to gather details about the event itself. Is it a wedding, a Thanksgiving dinner, or a Christmas party? Whatever the occasion may be, get details that are relevant to help you create the design or a theme. For example, if you're creating place cards for a modern and luxurious wedding reception, you can safely assume that the theme would involve elegant gold accents.
3. Propose a Design for Each Place Card
Once you've gathered enough details about the event, you can start creating a basic design for each place card. Here, you can make the design on a sheet of paper and you can do it roughly as long as it clearly explains the layout. After which, evaluate or present the card design to someone for evaluation and approval. Make modifications only if necessary, otherwise, you can proceed to the next step.
4. Open Adobe Illustrator
It's all very straightforward from here, launch the application, open a new project, and input the layout specifications. While Adobe Illustrator comes with templates that you can simply choose for setting up the layout, you can also input it manually. For the size, a standard place card has a measurement of 2 × 3.5 inches, and for its color and resolution, set it at CMYK and 300 DPI, respectively.
5. Apply a Few Tips When Designing Your Place Card
When you go online, you'll find numerous tips on how you can enhance the quality of your place cards especially if you're creating it in Illustrator. One of which is adding images and choosing a unique background for the design, but make sure to use vector graphics to fully edit it without losing quality. Regardless of how simple this enhancement is, it can greatly add life and value to your place cards.
6. Print and Distribute Your Place Cards
After you've finalized your place card design, refer to the guest list and write the name of each guest on one printable card. After printing the place cards, do a recount for both the guest list and the number of place cards produced; make sure the numbers match. And finally, you can start distributing your place cards by placing them on top of the tables at the venue where the event is going to be held.