A highly effective brochure distinctly and succinctly details what your business is about and what you can do for your customers. On the other hand, a poorly designed brochure will only chase away potential buyers to the welcoming arms of your competitors.
A brochure is a type of leaflet commonly seen on shelves or racks featuring a variety of information about a company, an event, a campaign, a product or a service. It is typically a single sheet that is either a bi-fold or a tri-fold. Some brochures are c-folded, while others are z-folded.
Brochure 101
Others may think that a brochure is no longer relevant, especially now that everything seems like it’s been digitized. But that’s far from the truth. A professionally designed brochure can be an important lead-nurturing marketing strategy.
Think about this scenario: you attended a business trade show and met some influential people in your niche for the first time. During your brief meeting with someone, you try to learn more about each other’s company, products or services.
But what happens when you part ways?
A well-designed brochure will be a reminder to him, and to the other people you’ve met, of what your business is all about. Your brochure will tell them what sets you apart from your competitors.
Tips To Design a Great Brochure
A powerful brochure can educate its readers, convey good credibility and authority to the company, increase the target audience, and persuade consumers to take action. For many graphic designers, creating a quality brochure is a challenge.
Below are 15 tips and tricks on how you or your graphic designer can create the best brochure design for your brand:
1. Know your objective like the back of your hand.
To make your design effective, it’s important that you understand what it’s for. The purpose of the brochure will point you to the right direction. Is it for a benefit concert? A contest? An advertising tool? An event?
Get as much information about the objective of the brochure so that you can properly choose the design for it. It’s important to note that this is a communication design. Everything you put into the brochure is a direct communication with your audience.
2. Know your customers.
Since a brochure is a communication tool, it’s important that you know your target market. This way, you’ll be able to capture their interests.
For instance, if you’re targeting foodies, then choose a design that has something to do with cooking or gastronomical delights. The more you pinpoint the needs and wants of your target market on the brochure, the more effective it’ll be.
Now, if you’re unaware of this kind of information, take the time to talk to your salespeople or even to your customers. Use their responses to map out the best design for what you’re offering and what they need.
3. Be creative, be unique.
Creativity is important to set you apart from your competition. In this time and age when the level of creativity of designers is staggering, uniqueness is paramount.
Aim for a design that is original and unique. It’s also important that its uniqueness is recognizable. Think of a design that can still stand out even when it’s shuffled with other leaflets in a rack. Strengthening the brand’s identity through creativity is recommended.
4. Practice font restraints.
When you start designing for a project, it’s easy enough to go overboard with the font or fonts you’d like to use. While it can be amusing to see a brochure in multiple fonts, it can also be discouraging for others, particularly for potential customers.
Show restraint when choosing which font or fonts to use. If your company already has a signature font, then go from there. You can use that font for the entire brochure or you can add one or two more to jazz it up.
5. Go straight to the point.
It’s a brochure. It’s not a book.
Steer clear from the temptation of listing down all the achievements and successes of your company. Avoid putting in all the information about your product or service. Too much information will just confuse the readers and dilute the main point of the brochure.
Instead, focus on what will catch the attention of the market. Pinpoint an interest succinctly so the readers can easily grasp what you’re communicating to them.
6. Avoid big words.
The more complex the words you use, the lesser the credibility you’ll receive. You don’t have to impress your audience with fuzzy words. In fact, the more you use them, the harder it is for you to convey your main point. For brochures, simple English is the best route to take.
7. Design for your readers.
One of the Achilles’ heels of many graphic designers is their struggle to prioritize the design for their readers and take what they want at the backseat.
As a designer, you need to put yourself in the shoes of the brand’s target market. If the audience responds positively to the color red, even if you hate the shade, incorporate it in the design. Think of it this way: you’re serving at the pleasure of your readers.
8. Put an emphasis on the headline.
The headline of the brochure should instantly tell the readers what the leaflet is all about. For instance, if it’s for advertising, the headline should convey the product or service being offered and what it can do for its user.
One of the most common blunders business owners make with regards to headlines is peppering them with their company’s information. While basic details about the business are needed, they shouldn’t be highlighted as the headline of the brochure.
9. Add a call-to-action.
However well-designed your brochure is, if it doesn’t include a call-to-action, it won’t serve its true purpose. Never assume that your audience will buy your product or go to your event just because they’re moved by your beautiful brochure. It doesn’t work that way.
Even if you have an eye-catching brochure, it’s still imperative that you provide motivation for readers to get in touch with you or try what you’re offering.
10. Choose the right colors.
This is one of the challenges of creating a great brochure. People respond to colors differently. Some hate a particular color on sight, while others will pick up a brochure because of its colors.
Just like with fonts, if the company has signature colors, use them. And then branch out to different shades and tones using the trademark colors.
11. Use high-quality paper.
When it comes to marketing, flimsy brochure paper is the equivalent of a weak handshake. To make a good impression and promote confidence, mind what paper you use. Choose high-quality paper to stand out. It may be pricier than regular, flimsy ones, but it will show you care for your brand and made an effort for your readers.
12. Add appropriate images.
A brochure without pictures is a boring leaflet. People are visual creatures. We tend to get attracted more if we’re looking at something beautiful, intriguing, or fun. And text messages rarely offer this attraction. But images do.
To make the design more reader-friendly, choose appropriate and relevant photos associated with the main theme of the brochure. Also, avoid using generic images. If you need to invest on paid images, then go for it. Or if you have the budget for a photo shoot for the brochure, then much better.
13. Make it easy for the readers to respond.
Make sure that the name, website, contact information, and email of your business are visible in the brochure. If your brand has social media accounts, add them as well. It’s also a clever idea to include a QR code for the convenience of your readers.
14. Give an option.
If you have the freedom to make different designs for a one project, then flex your design muscles. Not all brochures must look the same. Today’s market demands change and one thing you can do with this traditional advertising tool is to have more than one brochure design with the same information. This will give the audience the option to choose which one they’ll like best.
15. Make the brochure worth keeping.
Aim for a design that can last a long time. This means using quality paper, choosing the right fonts and colors, and adding valuable content. There should be something in the design that can increase its value and that makes it worth keeping.
