A brochure design can be a strong and informative way to engage your potential and current customers. If you need to provide information on a service, product or event, a brochure will provide a flexible and tangible way to present your brand information.
Brochure design can be a time consuming process from brief to production. To ensure the artwork stays ‘on brief’ and the full brochure design process is undertaken efficiently, try these tips.
Brochure Design Advice
- Plan the brochure structureThe first step is to loosely define a structure and determine how many pages you will need for all text and image content. Brochure printing can usually only accommodate multiples of four pages so it is a good idea to adhere to this when considering the number of pages. The costs for multiple pages can also vary considerably for both design and print. We suggest you relate the number of pages to your budget.
- Compile the contentOnce you have determined your structure the next stage is to compile all the content to pass to the designer. This would include images and text where applicable. When printing, it is necessary to include high-resolution images. Images saved from a website will not allow for high quality print reproduction since they are generally low-resolution.
- Consider the designA good way to approach this is to examine your competitors and identify their methods. Try to get an understanding of what works well and what doesn’t. Examples and also designer input is valuable for this end.
- Directions to the brochure designer The first thing that any designer should ask is ‘What is the key purpose of the brochure?’. Ensure you get this point across because a good designer will align the design with this intention. They can also provide feedback that assists in realising this purpose.
Writing copy for a brochure design
When considering copy, try to keep your information informative, concise and simple. The focus should be on the point and not the way that it’s said. Be cautious of using repetitive metaphors and sales clichés that are distant and impersonal. We believe it is better to be creative and personal to inspire a personal response and emotion.
‘Never use a metaphor, simile, or figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.’ George Orwell
Brochure Printing
There are a multitude of printing options to enhance the presentation of a brochure design. These options can affect the costs considerably but may encourage a stronger return for you.