You may try to design a brochure yourself, you may use a freelancer or use a brochure design agency like ourselves. There are many ways and useful resources to use to design a brochure.
As professional brochure designers we use InDesign software from www.adobe.com
If you are ready to take the step to having a company brochure we have listed the various steps to consider and do when creating your brochure design. After all you will want a brochure that explains fully what you do and will create enquiries and sales for your services and products. Some of the steps do not directly impact the brochure design and but will do so indirectly. In this blog post we are assuming your brochure design is to be printed rather than be a digital brochure that works as an online page turning brochure.
The steps to designing a brochure are:
- Target the right audience.
- Write valuable text copy.
- Use smart visuals.
- Choose the right fold.
- Find the right fonts.
- Consider content placement.
- Pick the perfect paper.
- Make a mock-up.
1. Target the Right Audience
Before you jump into it determine who your brochure is intended for before you get too deeply into the design process. Three important questions regarding your audience should be your starting point:
Who are they?
What are they expecting of me?
What am I asking of them?
Your answers to these questions will help you gain the knowledge you need to choose the proper font and fold style for your brochure. Let’s delve a little deeper into each of these inquiries:
Who are they? Who are you trying to reach with your brochure in terms of customers? Are you introducing your work to potential clients? Or perhaps you’re following up on a sales visit or trade show by providing further details about a specific product. Is your target audience looking for specific goods or services, or are they interested in more comprehensive knowledge?
By identifying the target audience for your brochure, you can make sure that your design communicates to them. This in the end will guide you to an effective brochure design.
What do you need to do for them? It’s time to decide what information you want to give to your target customers once you’ve established who they are. Then consider what details they require from you.
For instance, a new client may want to learn more about you, whereas an established customer might want to learn more about impending product launches or new services. Others may want to know more about why they should choose to choose you rather that your competitors, while others require more detailed information on costs and product features.
What are you hoping they will 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 friends and family – 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. Write Valuable Text 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 should all be included in the three fundamental components of your brochure text (or CTA).
Details about you and your company. Take advantage of the opportunity to tell people more about your company and what you stand for by using your brochure to do so.
Share with potential clients important details about your company, such as your mission, values, or stories, or explain what sets you apart from the competitors.
Additionally, it’s critical to include in your brochure contact information such as your website, social media handles, phone number, email address, physical location, and business hours.
Product or service details. Brochures can be used to educate potential clients about the benefits of your goods and services. They are a terrific selling tool.
To make the material easier to scan and understand if you offer a variety of items, products, or services, divide the brochure into sections it into categories.
A Call to Action (CTA). With the appropriate call-to-action, you must instruct your audience what to do 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, and then include that CTA throughout your brochure in various places. This CTA may suggest that clients register for a product demonstration or visit your restaurant for a dinner.
Make sure you provide instructions on how to act upon that CTA. Include your address and operating hours if you want them to visit your establishment. Include a link to the sign-up page if you want them to sign up for a product demo.
We also say while writing the text copy for the brochure follow the basic rules for writing copy which are:
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 use of Images
In general, brochures contain a lot of text copy. But there are other ways to communicate with people besides writing! Using 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, use 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 photographs online from outlets like Shutterstock if you don’t need an original shot for your project. But don’t use photos you see all the time on the internet. You need individual photos not used by your competitors.
Graphics. If you decide to include graphics in your brochure design, be sure to pick simple images that convey your brand’s message without being overbearing. We advise utilising graphics sparingly for maximum effect because some images might have an amateur, “looks like clip-art” feel that can cheapen the overall look and feel of your brochure design.
When you’re adding visual elements to your brochure design, aim to keep things clean. You don’t want to throw so many elements on the page that your audience is visually overwhelmed and no longer knows where to look.
Remember: visuals should serve your core message, not confuse it.
4. Select the Appropriate Fold
Once you’ve decided on your text 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.
Design of a bi-fold brochure. 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.
Design of a tri-fold brochure. Tri-fold brochures have two different folds that divide the document into three equal panels by folding each side of the sheet inward toward the centre. Tri-fold brochures are the best option when you have a lot of information or components you want to include in your brochure because they have more space for prose and images.
Z-fold brochure design. Z-fold brochures also have two distinct folds that create six separate sections…but unlike the tri-fold design, which folds both ends of the sheet towards the centre, Z-fold brochures fold each side of the sheet in opposite directions, creating a zig-zag shape. Z-fold brochures can be a solid pick when you want to feature larger graphs or images, or if you want your brochure to tell one large, comprehensive visual story.
Because of the way they’re folded, Z-fold brochures easily fold out into one page.
5. Select the Proper Fonts
Your choice of font is the next 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 smaller size of the second typeface or a third font for subheadings. Make sure these typefaces complement one another nicely and feel like a true reflection of your brand. For instance, employing corporate fonts in a brochure for a children’s clothing line would seem 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. Bear Content Placement in Mind
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 elements, the cover image should convey the primary message and entice readers to unfold the brochure. Covers should be text-light but visually appealing.
You’ll place the majority of your text in inside panels. Just remember to leave plenty of white space; it will make your tet 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. Select the Ideal Paper
It’s crucial how you create your brochure. However, after it has been designed, the material on which you print your brochure is equally crucial. Three different types of paper material are typically used to print brochures:
Glossy / Matte / Uncoated / Recycled
There is no “one size fits all” answer when it comes to the ideal sort of paper stock for brochures; each paper has benefits and drawbacks based on the look you want to achieve.
If your brochure design includes vivid colours or big photos, glossy paper is excellent. Just bear in mind that glossy paper’s high reflectivity can make it challenging to read in bright light, so keep that in mind if your brochures have a lot of text.
If you want to stick with black and white or use any high-contrast colour combinations, matte paper is fantastic. In addition, matte paper is sometimes unconsciously seen as being more “professional” than glossy paper; as a result, if you’re aiming to convey a more corporate or professional vibe, this could be a smart choice.
Paper that is not coated has a more earthy, rustic texture. It is a practical choice for a variety of brochure types because it is simple to read and write on, especially if you need to jot down your contact information at an event.
Recycled paper is 100% post-consumer recycled paper with a textured finish, making it a great choice if going green is important to your small business.
8. Create a Mockup
The adage “practise makes perfect” is true. 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:
Create test folds. To see how it looks, fold a piece of paper into one of the standard configurations. Repeat for at least one more type (for example, a tri-fold brochure and a bi-fold brochure), simply to give yourself a few possibilities.
Create a model. When you have your sample folds, draw out the essential components that will fill each panel and then compare the two to determine which feels more powerful.
Play with the positioning. To determine where you want each sort of information to reside in your brochure, print off your text blocks, logos, and illustrations and arrange them there.
Does the ratio of content to white space, for instance, work? Are the necessary components simple to locate? Glue or tape the components in place once you’ve decided where you want to put them to get an idea of how the design will ultimately look.
Read through your final mockup. Once your mockup is complete, go through the entire brochure. If the knowledge and ideas are flowing to your satisfaction, excellent! You’re ready to print.
If you haven’t got these skills or the time then employing a professional brochure design company like ourselves will guarantee you get the brochure that works for you. It will save you time and money in investing in brochure design software.
Designing a brochure that looks ok on screen is different to designing a brochure that can actually be printed.
This stage is setting up the brochure design artwork ready for print. This is another set of work which we cover in another blog post.
If you are considering having a brochure designed please contact us on 024 7660 1351. Or email info@core365.co.uk and let our brochure designers show you how to do it.
