How to create an effective brochure [A guide]

Brochures are a form of promotional material which we often come across, whether they are handed to us whilst strolling down UK highstreets or posted through our front doors, so how exactly can you be confident that your design will remain effective and strive heads and shoulder above others in your field? Allow us to offer you some of our top advice.

Identify your objectives

When planning the design of your brochure, the first step you should take is to identify and explore your objectives. Who are you targeting? What message do you want to convey? What impression do you want to give? What is the call to action? How formal would you like to be? These are all questions which will allow you to create a brief for your design that can point you in the way of originality.

Plan per fold

A noticeably characteristic factor of a brochure is its folds. Your recipients will use these folds to navigate their way through the information you are wishing to enlighten them with, so it is important that you plan what information, graphic or illustration, goes where exactly and how many folds you wish to include.

Pay attention to readability

The information you choose to display within the folds of your brochure should be simple to read and to the point. Your recipients will likely pick these up and skim through them at a fast pace, so large blocks of content won’t prove helpful for your brand and services. Focus on smaller sections of text or even use bullet points, allowing the information to be absorbed by each reader without them even realising it.

Use the headings and graphics that your audience want

Statistically, it takes less than 5 seconds for a recipient to assess a form of promotional material and decide if they want to read it or not. If you include headings, phrases and graphics that grip your reader, you may be in for a win. Utilising benefit-orientated headlines throughout your brochure will also grant the recipient with positive facts and therefore a positive experience with your promotional material, ensuring that they continue to navigate their way through your brochure.

Use high resolution imagery

When promoting your brand and services, using blurred or pixelated imagery is a true crime. You will be wanting to convey professionalism to your recipients and for this, you must use imagery of the highest quality. Unclear, pixelated or photography copied from the internet with no real purpose could cause a giggle from your reader and leave a negative impression of your brand. To differentiate yourself from your competition, you could also use illustrations to represent yourself, your team, your workplace or your services. Ensure that whatever form of imagery that accompanies your text is appropriate to your brand and of high-quality. No copy and pasted images from Google, please!

Speak through your materials

When handed a form of promotional material on flimsy A5, you get the instant – and possibly correct – impression that the business is a start-up, looking for their first customers and creating promotional materials on a small budget. It is statistically proven that those printed and delivered on a high-quality paper or card create an impression of professionalism, one of a brand that is succeeding in its field and is therefore worth reading about. The material you choose to print your promotional brochure upon will be a great investment.

It’s common to judge a brochure by its cover!

The front fold of your brochure will make the first impression for your readers, so it is important that the quality of your brand and services resonate from here. Simple factors such as the use of a thicker paper, as previously mentioned, the use of aspirational imagery and a gripping or catchy headline could be the difference between your brochure remaining on the coffee table, or being the one that ends up in the recycling bin.

Add a little sparkle

A little can go a long way with print promotion, so you may like to consider using some forms of subtle graphic embellishment, allowing your brochure to rise to the next level. This can range from the embossing of your headlines to a laminate effect onto your photos, allowing them to shine even more. Small yet simple effects like these can be the ones to leave an effect on your readers.

Here at Printingprogress, we have aided both individuals and businesses up and down the country with their print and design needs. Get in touch with a member of our team today to find out more information on the high-quality services we offer, or to get the ball rolling on the design and production of your very own, effective batch of brochures. Give us a call on 020 8290 1010 or send us an email at info@printingprogress.co.uk and we will be happy to assist you, no matter your requirements.