Calendar Design+free A3 template download

I’ve designed a lot of calendars over the years and its been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever learned as a graphic designer.

• Each image needs to look good on its own and still still fit into an overall system.
• It needs to be readable and there needs to be space for someone to write next to the dates.
• Checking the dates for mistakes needs a clearer head than you think it does and paper stock is vital.
• People will be looking at your artwork all month, so it needs to go easier on the eyes and the brain than a good poster does.
• Generating themes is a useful skill to have too.

In fact, I credit calendar design with pushing up the standard of my work in many, many different ways.

The calendar in the images is for Eclectic Components, an electronic components company who need to maintain a profile with their client base and a free calendar is a good way to do that.

Below, you can download a free Photoshop template file (created in Clip Studio) containing guides (as layers) for an A3 calendar page. I’ve gone with a finished size of A3 portrait, at 300dpi. The actual paper size is 327x450mm with bleeds of 5mm, the edges of which will be cut away to leave 297x420mm. The safety line is 20mm on all sides.

This size is a useful one because printers are familiar with it, and the dimensions are basically two A4 sheets stacked on top of each other length-ways. Its a good size for imagery and for a grid full of dates (remember that a grid of dates and days will need to be spread over 5 weeks, not 4). There’s nothing stopping you using other dimensions of course, but bear in mind that there can be a lot to fit in and that it has to be readable: if you can’t read it, then its not fulfilling its function and its no longer a calendar.