Brochures
What is a brochure?
Main Entry: bro·chure
Pronunciation: brO-'shur, British especially 'brO-"
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from brocher to sew, from Middle
French, to prick, from Old French brochier, from broche
Date: 1748
: PAMPHLET, BOOKLET; especially : one containing
descriptive or advertising material
They commonly look like . . .
But can also look like:
Paper Folds—C-fold
C-fold is also known as
Business letter fold
Spiral fold
Tri-fold
the folded in end panel is
usually 1/32" to 1/8"
narrower than the other
panels
Paper folds—Accordion Fold
Also known as
Zigzag or z-fold
Panels are the same size
Four panel Accordion
Three panel
Four panel
Brochure Design Tutorials
http://graphicdesign.about.com/library/weekly/aa101499.htm
http://graphicdesign.about.com/library/weekly/aa111399.htm
http://graphicdesign.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2F
www.hbgraphics.com%2Farticles%2Fdesign_broch.htm
http://graphicdesign.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A
%2F%2Fsmalltownmarketing.com%2Fbrochuredesign.html
Microsoft also has a template in Word.
Baker’s Dozen Quick Tips
1. Determine what you want your brochure to
achieve.
2. Keep it simple. Copy should be short. Like this.
3. Promote your company.
4. Promote your products.
5. Promote service and warranty if that is
important, but relate it to reliability.
6. Include a brief company history. It establishes
credentials and credibility.
Baker’s Dozen Continued
7. Include testimonials or a client list. Good references
work wonders.
8. Promote your unique and special expertise or
leadership in your industry. What do you have that no
one else does?
9. Avoid clichés and trendy jargon.
10. Avoid listing product prices and/or pictures of your
staff.
11. Be politically correct.
12. Keep your brochure focused on your main points.
13. Avoid Using Printers for Design Work
What are my goals for this brochure?
Goal 1 Goal 2 Goal 3
What are my goals for this brochure?
Goal 1
What What What graphic
images content design (fonts,
will help will help me layout) will
me achieve this help me
achieve goal? achieve this
this goal? goal?
Comprehensive Editing of Brochures
Essentially, you are re-thinking through the
planning process to make sure the document
fits its audience and achieves its purpose.
Who will read the brochure?
Where and how will it be distributed?
What is its purpose?
Look before you leap: Identifying your target market
Some issues to consider when designing
brochures are:
Who is my target audience?
– What are their needs/desires?
– What information will they want?
– What messages will they respond best to?
*Australian publisher’s advice.
What is my marketing strategy?
What images am I trying to portray?
What style of product will best suit these images (eg. up-
market products generally use heavier quality paper,
thematic photographs and lower density per page)?
*Magician vs. professor example.
What are the objectives of my brochure?
What do I want the brochure to do (eg. attract more
visitors to the site; encourage people to stay longer;
provide information about surrounding
areas/attractions)?
Is there a range of objectives, and if so, which are the
most important?
*I have never had to design a brochure professionally that
had only one objective. Ever.
How will the brochure be distributed/displayed?
If relying on travel agents and/or visitor centres, brochure size may
be dictated by the size of display shelves.
Hint: Display racks are often crowded - ensure your brochure is
easy to identify and that the title is not in a place that will be
covered by other brochures.
If using mail services, the size of standard envelopes and the cost
of postage must be factored in.
How can I attract the attention of potential visitors?
*readers
How can I make the cover page appealing?
Will the images on the cover page convey the
intended message? In particular, is the cover
page relevant to the brochure content?
Effective brochures have the following
characteristics:
The brochure is distinctive
– The cover page stands out from those of competitors (eg. attractive
and appealing design).
– Headlines are fresh, provocative and reflect the content of the
brochure. The use of analogies and word plays can be effective
provided they are not too 'clever'.
– Logos are used consistently.
– Themes are carried throughout all promotional materials.
The brochure targets its market audience
The brochure content is relevant and appealing
to the target audience.
The headline attracts the attention of the desired
audience.
The text is easy to understand
The headline summarises the major benefit/attraction of the product:
'Escape to the Tablelands: Nature's air-conditioned wilderness'
- evokes images of cool, pristine wilderness areas
'Nearest telephone: 50km'
- suggests peace and tranquillity
'The ultimate family adventure'
- suggests a fun, active experience suitable for the whole family
Text is written in short simple sentences using a conversational tone
(for more detail see Formatting text).
Information is relevant and specific (eg. directions, admission prices, times of
opening, contact details).
The layout is simple
*but that doesn’t mean unsophisticated
The arrangement of typeface and illustrations is
uncluttered.
The text is logically presented and easy to read.
Typeface, size and overall style is fairly consistent.
Separate services/products/features are delineated by
boxes, headings, lines and white spaces.
There is a dominant element
Brochures that are mainly text need a large heading to attract
attention;
Illustrations will capture attention provided they are simple and large
enough for people to decipher;
Illustrations need to be useful and must relate to the content;
and
Photographs are particularly effective
The use of colour is appropriate for the product
Most tourism advertising relies on visual images and
colour for creating images and impact (eg. pristine
white sand against the clear blue ocean; colourful
parrots amongst verdant green leaves; clear blue skies
over green rolling hills; bright splashes of colour to
indicate fun and adventure).
Photographs should be sharp and have high colour
contrasts.
A feature is NOT a benefit.
You must translate features into
benefits until the benefit is obvious to
everyone in your audience.
Ex: bag
lipstick
Big Problem in Tech Comm
Thinking that features are benefits.
But they’re not—except to certain audiences.
Healthy Back Bag
Feature
Benefit
Benefit of
the Benefit
Lipsticks
Use benefits of features and appeals to
the user’s values.
Price conscious
Fashion conscious
Busy
Calls-To-Action
Try to avoid ―Call me if you have any questions.‖
That only works when you are providing
information you don’t think they’ll have
questions about.
For anything else, if you want them to do
something, be specific about what they need to
do.
Cars Exercise
Write a short paragraph advertising your chosen
car to:
1. A 22-year-old male engineer who is interested
in mechanical power
2. A 30-year-old woman who is interested in
safety, economics, and looks
3. A 45-year-old couple who are interested in
power, safety, looks, and investment
Now:
What kind of corporate ID work does the brochure do? How do you know it's a
BMW brochure, for example?
If you have two brochures, what features make them consistent? Can you tell that
they're from the same company?
What kinds of design and layout do they use? What types of fonts? How much white
space? Anything inspirational for when you redesign your final project?
Does the brochure look expensive? How? Why?
How much information is in the brochure? What kinds? How is it organized?