If you run or own a business that you are proud of, you will want to tell people about it. A great way to tell people about your business is through a brochure.

With the right skills and software you can do this yourself, but the best options is to use an agency of brochure designers ideally.

Employing a graphic design agency who offer brochure design does not cost a lot at all. Especially when you compare to the time of doing it yourself. Trained graphic designers do this work everyday so will always be a lot quicker. Add to this that graphic design is their profession and so will have a more creative flair for it. Personally I think a poorly designed and presented brochure can actually have a negative effect if you are aiming at gaining new customers.

If you are proud of your business then why would you potentially short cut the process of designing a sales tool like a brochure?

If you do have the necessary skills and creative flair then you may want to have a go at designing your own brochure.

Here is our Quick Guide to Creating a Brochure

• Select the appropriate audience.
• Create valuable copy.
• Make clever visuals.
• Pick the appropriate fold.
• Choose appropriate typefaces.
• Think about content positioning.
• Select the ideal paper.
• Make Mock ups.

1. Select the Appropriate Audience

You must decide which customers your brochure is intended for before you go too far in the creative process. Start by asking yourself these three crucial inquiries about your audience:

Who are they?
What is it that they want from me?
What am I expecting them to do?

Who are they means who are the clients that your brochure is aimed at?
Do you present your work to prospective clients? You might also be following up on a sales visit or trade show, providing further details on a specific offering, or both. Is your audience looking for a specific good or service, or are they looking for more general knowledge? Establishing the target audience for your brochure can help to guarantee that the design resonates to them. And will ultimately aid in the creation of a brochure that is more effective.

What are they wanting from me?
After determining who your target consumers are, it’s time to decide what information you want to give them and consider what information they might require from you.

For instance, a potential new client would want to learn more about you, whereas a devoted customer might want to learn more about impending product releases or new services.

While some readers want more details on why they should choose you over your competitors, others want more basic information about costs and product features.

What am I expecting them to do?
Various outcomes can be sparked by brochures. For instance, some brochures are intended to boost sales, while others are meant to foster relationships.

Without first knowing what you want people to do – whether that be visit your retail store, make an online purchase, or recommend your company to their friend you can’t write an effective call to action (or design your brochure in a way that accentuates that call to action). Therefore, be sure to clarify the purpose of your brochure before you go too far in the brochure design process.

2. Create Valuable Copy

It’s time to compose material about your company once you’ve determined the goals for your brochure.
The information about your company, the details of your products and services, and a call to action (CTA) should all be included in all the areas of your brochure text. You must think about who will be receiving your Brochure and then waht they will want to know. Much like writing a blog post an SEO agency will need to know who will be reading it.

Information regarding you and your company.
Don’t miss the chance to expand on your company’s identity and mission with your brochure.
Share with prospective clients the things that set your company apart from the competitors, such as your purpose, values, or story.

It’s crucial to include contact information in your brochure, such as your website, social media handles, phone number, email address, physical address, and business hours.

Product or service details.
Use your Brochure to educate potential clients about the advantages of your goods and services. To make the material easier to scan and understand divide the text into categories possibly.

A CTA.
You must provide your audience with the appropriate call-to-action if you want your brochure to produce a particular effect. Write a compelling call to action (CTA) that instructs your audience on what you want them to do, then include that CTA in several places throughout your brochure. This call to action (CTA) can encourage clients to make a reservation for a product demo or to visit your hairdressers for a haircut.

Make sure to include information about how to follow through on that CTA. If you want a customer to visit you make sure to include your address and working hours.

If you want them to sign up for a product demo, include a URL for the sign-up page – or add a QR code for easy registration.

Write each section of your brochure keeping in mind the “cardinal laws of copy” as you do so.

Keep your phrases succinct, direct, and single-minded in nature.
Never refer to your readers as “customers” while writing in the first person. Instead, use “we” and “you” to make the material more intimate.

To make paragraphs easier to scan, keep them to 3 or 4 lines.

Make each section more consumable by dividing the content with subheadings and bullet points.

Less is more! Keep the focus on one or two important points rather than trying to tell readers everything there is to know about your business.

3. Make Clever Visuals

In general, brochures contain a lot of copy. But there are other ways to touch people besides writing! The appropriate images can also enhance your brochure’s message, increase brand recognition, and promote action.

You might think about including the following images in your brochure design:

Logos. Your logo is the one visual that will help you develop brand familiarity with your customers, thus it should be a prominent element in every brochure design.

To establish a unified brand look, you can also include your logo’s colours and design components in your overall brochure design.

Photos. When it comes to giving your brochure visual flair, photos may really help. If at all possible, think about hiring a professional photographer to capture pictures of your finished products, workspace, finished projects, or even behind-the-scenes photos of you working. If you choose to take your own pictures, try to get a good digital camera. These cameras allow you to control the lighting and depth of field, and they normally take better pictures.

You can buy high-definition stock photography online if you don’t need an original shot for your project. Just be careful to choose original photos nd not ones used over and over again.

Graphics. When designing a brochure, if you decide to include graphics, be careful to pick simple graphics that convey your brand’s message without being overbearing. We advise utilising graphics sparingly for maximum effect because some graphics can have a cheap, “looks like clip-art” vibe that can detract from the overall appearance and feel of your brochure design.

Aim to maintain order when you incorporate graphic components into your brochure design. Too many items on the page will cause your visitors to become visually disoriented.

4. Pick the Appropriate Fold

Once you’ve decided on your copy and visual components, it’s time to make everything fit together in your final brochure design. Start by picking the appropriate fold type.

There are three primary alternatives to pick from when it comes to choosing the fold type for your brochure design: tri-fold brochure design, bi-fold brochure design, and Z-fold brochure design.

Bi-fold brochure design.
A bi-fold brochure, often referred to as a half-fold, is created by folding a single sheet in half; the finished product contains a front cover, two sides of the brochure, and a rear cover.

This style of brochure is effective if you want to highlight your high-quality photos or if you want to illustrate your benefits with large graphics. The fold’s simplicity makes it possible for the design to take centre stage.

Tri-fold brochure design. 
The tri-fold brochure is divided into three independent, equal panels by two distinct folds that take each edge of the sheet and fold them in toward the centre.

Tri-fold brochures tend to be the best choice if you have a lot of content.

Z-fold brochure design.
Z-fold brochures also contain two distinct folds that divide the document into six sections. However, Z-fold brochures fold each side of the sheet in the opposite direction to create a zig-zag pattern, in contrast to the tri-fold design, which folds both ends of the page towards the centre. When you want to display larger graphs or photographs or if you want your brochure to present one big, comprehensive visual tale, Z-fold brochures can be a good choice.

Z-fold brochures effortlessly unfold into a single sheet due to the way they are folded.

5. Choose Appropriate Typefaces

Your choice of font is the following design component that you should think about. For consistency and clarity, keep your font selection to no more than two or three; any more can be visually overwhelming.
For body text and headings, use different fonts. To establish a unified look and feel, use typefaces that are consistent with your entire branding (if you have a brand style guide, use those fonts; if not, use the fonts you use in other marketing materials).

Use a lesser size of the second typeface or the third font for subheadings. Make sure these typefaces not only blend well together but also feel like a true representative of your brand. For instance, using professional style fonts in a brochure for a children’s clothing line would feel out of place, even though this font could be ideal for a financial services firm. Use italics to emphasise quotes or extracts in your brochure design if you want to keep the typeface consistent with the heading and body text.

6. Think About Content Positioning

It’s also crucial to think about where in your brochure you want to include particular content. Whether it’s a logo, a slogan, a photo, or a combination of those components, the cover image should convey the primary message and entice readers to unfold the brochure. Cover designs should be text-light but visually appealing having possibly only a Logo, one sentence of text and an image.

You’ll place the majority of your text in inside panels. Just remember to leave plenty of white space; it will make your text easier to read and will also prevent visual overload.

Your contact information and a call to action should always be on the rear panel. The Z-fold is one exception; on a Z-fold, the fourth panel in the order becomes the back when folded, so bear that in mind as you choose where to position the information.

7. Choose the Ideal Paper

It’s crucial to carefully consider your brochure’s design. But when it’s been designed and you plan to print it, the material on which you print your brochure also matters a lot!

The 5 types of paper stock used to print most brochures are:

Glossy, Matt, Silk, Uncoated and Recycled
Each paper has benefits and drawbacks based on the impact you want to achieve, therefore there is no “one size fits all” answer for the optimum sort of paper stock for brochures.

Gloss paper finish highlights vibrant colours the best. The thing to consider is the gloss can be reflective so can cause slight problems of reading text on it.

Matt paper gives a more stylish and what is thought of a professional finish. So matt paper can be considered if you want to give a professional corporate feel to your brochure.

Silk paper is a mxi of gloss and matt, somewhere in between the 2. It is often chosen because you can say it gives a good finish and is easier to print on. This is because matt paper can sometimes need sealing because inks do not dry as quick as on a gloss paper. Silk is the best alternative choice for this.

Uncoated paper feels more natural and rustic. It’s easy to read and write on, making it a versatile choice for a variety of brochure types – especially if you want to jot down your contact information at an event.However it does not give the best reproduction.

Recycled paper has a textured finish and is made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper – a great option if your small business is prioritising being ‘green.’ However just like uncoated paper it does not give the best reproduction.

8. Make Mock Ups

Play around with several mockups before you start the printing process if you’re unsure of how all of your design pieces will come together. You could put these components into practise:

• Make sample folds.
• Make a template.
• Play around with placement.
• Read your finished mockup.

Alternatively, if you are considering having a brochure designed and would like a professional brochure designer to have a look first, please contact us on 024 7660 1351 or email info@core365.co.uk