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Top Design Tips For Creating Effective Marketing Brochures

Sounds like a simple question, right? But there are many things to consider. How will your brochure be used? Are you trying to increase sales? Increase foot traffic in a museum? Explain your company’s services and pricing? Send mailers to potential or existing clients? Stand out at tradeshows? Tell people about your upcoming lecture? Create takeout menus for your restaurant? Give fans a schedule of upcoming sporting events? A brochure is a great way to educate others about your services or products. Whether you are providing information to patients in your office, telling potential customers about your services, or letting the community know about your upcoming event–knowing your purpose is the first step in creating a successful brochure. A quality printed brochure can tell the compelling story of your organization with pertinent beautiful graphics that will draw potential customers to your store, event or site. Getting clear on your message in your online brochure printing will help your customers understand exactly what you have to offer and where to find it. 

Why use full color brochures? Marketing brochures can be used in so many different ways. A product brochure is an affordable way to increase awareness of your product and increase sales. A company or corporate brochure will include a description of your firm and illustrate the image that your company would like to project. Promote your services, organization or product with an advertising brochure–used as a self-mailer, at point of purchase, or as a leave behind brochure to leave potential clients with a tangible product. Sales brochures are also useful as handouts when a client enters your store, something to take home and ponder.

 Clean, simple text and beautiful images on booklet brochures

Let’s not forget the most important thing about this brochure—who is it for and how will it be used? Is this a give away at a museum, information given out by your church or a call to action for your event? When someone opens your brochure, what will it say to them? Design and write for that person, not for yourself. Make sure that your graphics catch the attention of your intended audience, that your copy answers their questions and informs, and that the layout, copy and graphics are compelling and make sense. Nobody is going to invest time in trying to figure out what you are saying–do all the work for them. You have two seconds to catch the eye of a potential client, so make sure your graphics are simple and interesting enough to get their attention. Then once you’ve hooked them with your beautiful graphics, keep your copy short and sweet so that it will get read. Less is more. If you’ve honed all your prose down to its most succinct and interesting and it’s still too long for a brochure, you might want to consider printing a multi-page brochure booklet. 

Multi-page Brochure Booklet

Great copy is often the most undervalued element in brochure design. It is also a visual part of the overall design concept. At the early stage of any brochure design project, experiment with the copy to see if it needs reworking. Your copy should be succinct, compelling and pertinent. Try this exercise to get you there. Write everything you think you need to say. Then cut that information in half. Then cut that information in half. What you are left with is the bones, the little hidden gem. Don’t be afraid to cut and edit, your readers will thank you. Most importantly, they’ll read what you have to say–which is the whole point! Also, keep these things in mind when creating content for your brochure. 

  • You are building your brand identity–every word and image matters. Create a provocative story!
  • Become a credible source of information.
  • Make a long lasting impression with straightforward, well-organized prose, that and the simple beauty of your graphic images.
  • List prices and services.
  • Provide contact information, web address, a map or guide if relevant.
  • Educate and inform potential buyers.

Remember, you are handing out something tangible to a prospect, possibly the only thing they know about you. Use this opportunity to make an impact! 

Your brochure design needs to fit in with your business. Good photos or artwork can be used to emphasize whatever is important about your business. You can often find great stock images online–textures for backgrounds, photos, artwork. You might want to show your location, photos of people or products, or interesting photos that show tools of the trade. For a sports brochure, photos of team members along with using team colors in your layout. Or photos of animals for a veterinarian, with photos of the building or inside shots–if the building is something you want to emphasize and you can get good photos. Simple is better, sometimes a closeup shot might have more impact than a distant shot. Make sure the artwork or photos speak for themselves, that the colors convey the mood you would like to get across, that the type projects the right image. Playful? Exciting? Calming? Business-like? All of these can be determined by your color, image and type choices. You have two seconds to catch the eye of a potential client, so choose your images with that in mind. 

Simple images can transform your brochure

     There are so many ways to incorporate brochures into your marketing. A brochure with a mailing panel can be sent directly to prospects or customers. Include in a sales packet, hand out in your store or put in a display.  Use at tradeshows, lectures, events, restaurants, or attractions.  Brochures are commonly used as inserts, pricelists, schedules, circulars, menu’s product sheets, leaflets, notices and tracks– and are the perfect shape and size for handouts, reports, maps, and portfolios. To inform people about your business, charity, organization or cause; brochures are an efficient and affordable way to transfer information to the public. 

 Full-color printing helps to enhance the quality of brochures. You are not limited to a folded sheet, there are a variety of folding and sizes availableOur most popular folding options include a half fold brochure, tri-fold brochure, or z-fold brochure, but there are many other options to choose from.  Sizes vary from an 8.5 x 11; 8.5 x 14;  11 x 17;  to 11 x 24.  Paper choices include 80# and 100# gloss and matte text;  or 80# and 100# gloss or matte cover with UV coating available.


So, ready to get started? 

If you don’t have your own design software, use our Free Online name labels to drag and drop your images and text and create your brochure. Create 8½ x 11 tri-fold brochures and 11 x 17 half fold brochures with our online photo design tool. Choose which Online Design Tool you’d like to use according to brochure style. Click here to get started!

Already have your own design software? Use our Free Downloadable Pre-Designed Templates to give you a quick start using your Adobe Design software. Use our templates to make sure you get all the file requirements and specs correct the first time.

Finding you’ve got more to say than will fit in a brochure? Check out our Brochure

Booklets, Magazine and Catalog pages to find the option that is perfect for you.

Now that you have all the resources that you need to tell your story and create the best print marketing brochures online.

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