Creating a stunning holographic design can be easy, whether you're a graphic designer or need a bit of help from our talented Art Team! Be sure to use vector or high-resolution raster art files (300 DPI) for the best results. 

Key Elements for Eye-Catching Design

When designing for holographic effects, think carefully about which parts of your artwork you want to shine with holographic effects and which areas you don't. Focus on three key design elements to make your artwork truly pop: no holographic effect, a fully holographic effect where the metallic rainbow shines through, and a colored holographic effect.

No Holographic (with a white backup layer): 

A white backup layer is a layer of white ink that is printed behind your design to make colors more vibrant and opaque. Without this layer, the rainbow holographic effect will shine through and create colored holographic areas. It's recommended to apply a white backup layer to areas you want to stand out or be completely opaque. 

In the example below, the solid white backup layer is placed behind the robot artwork layer to block the holographic effect from shining through.

Using a white backup layer is great for detailed line work, text, and small details, company logos, and more. 

To add a white backup (in Adobe Illustrator): 

• Duplicate your artwork layer 
• Change the color of the duplicated layer to white 
• Place the white layer behind your original artwork layer 

Fully Holographic Areas (with completely transparent areas): 

To let the holographic material fully shine through, giving you a vibrant silver rainbow effect, leave holes or completely transparent areas in your design and the white backup layer. This allows the metallic, rainbow-like effect to show.

In this example, the robot's face and the corresponding areas of the white backup layer are left entirely transparent.

Colorful Holographic: 

To create a colorful holographic effect, adjust the opacity of your white backup layer to up to 30% white, allowing the holographic material to partially show through the colors. Setting the opacity to 0% will let the holographic effect shine through the most, but may mute the colors slightly. At 30% opacity, the colors will maintain their vibrancy, but the holographic effect will be slightly lessened. This approach lets the holographic material shimmer beneath the color while still ensuring that your colors remain vivid and bright. You can use this effect strategically by applying a fully opaque white backup layer to some elements of your design for solid colors, while using the 30% white backup or less in other areas to create contrast and achieve a stained-glass window effect.

In the example below, there is no white backup layer behind the robot artwork, allowing the holographic effect to shine through both the colored areas and the transparent parts of the design.

In the next example, several elements feature a solid white backup layer, creating contrast in the design, while the white backup layer behind the robot’s orange face and the red helmet is set to 30% opacity, allowing the holographic effect to shine through those areas.

Holographic elements stand out best when part of the design also has a white backup, ensuring those holographic elements really shine!

Pro tip: If you intend to print a QR code on holographic stickers or labels, add a solid white background behind and around your QR code to make it stand out. Otherwise, it can be difficult to scan on the holographic material.

Get Help from Our Art Team  

Not a designer? No worries! We’re always here to help—just let us know which areas of your design you’d like to be holographic in the "Special Instructions" box, and we’ll help you through the process. Our skilled Art Team is here to assist. Here's a quick guide on how to effectively communicate your holographic needs in the special instructions box.