Articles: season

Seasonality touches almost every venue and shop, though it rarely makes it onto a written plan. The usual pattern is that the new offer is ready and the materials are prepared at the very last moment. These articles turn that round: the calendar first, the design afterwards.

What changes every few months

It helps to separate what stays for the whole year from what is swapped with the season. The permanent part can be produced once, in a larger quantity, while the changing part runs in shorter batches.

• The menu and its inserts - the cover and regular dishes stay, seasonal ones arrive on a separate sheet.
• Table pieces - stands, coasters and cards carrying a breakfast offer or a brunch suggestion.
• Window and entrance - a poster or a board announcing whatever is on right now.
• Small extras - a card or a gift added to orders during the festive weeks.
• Background music - a disc with a set of tracks chosen for the season and the time of day.

Planning ahead of the calendar

A season starts earlier than the date suggests. Festive materials are prepared in autumn, the summer menu in spring, and a breakfast offer is best designed while the place is still quiet. Once the format and layout of an insert are settled, later versions come down to swapping the words, and everything still looks like one considered whole. The same thinking works beyond hospitality: shops, clinics and hotels all have busier and calmer months.

Start by sketching the year on a single sheet and marking the moments when the offer genuinely changes. Add the materials each moment needs, and the order in which to prepare them sorts itself out. Last year's notes help a great deal here, showing what ran short and what stayed in the box.