How many times a week do you receive a printed brochure or marketing leaflet through the door and dump it straight in the recycling bin? Quite a few? Thought so! In today’s high-tempo and high-technology world, our attention spans are becoming ever shorter. So, for a brochure to grab our attention, hold it and keep us reading, the graphic design and quality of the printing finish needs to be pretty special. Here are our top five brochure printing design tips to get yours from so-so to outstanding!
1) Who is your printed brochure going to be aimed at?
Ensure that you have thought out the details carefully: a marketing brochure needs to strike a careful balance between giving too much detail (it should not be a lengthy catalogue) and not giving enough (it needs to get the reader interested in your product or service). Decide who it is to be aimed at (target audience.) Will it be given away at events, tucked inside the local newspaper or targeted at a specific demographic through the post? You will need to factor in different brochure design graphics to specifically target particular people i.e. If you’re at an event you want lots of pictures and graphics with minimal text as people will be reading it on the move and may not have time to read paragraphs of text. You will also have to consider your printing specification and finish in regards to bottom line costs when targeting a specific audience i.e. you would want to hand out a high quality printed brochure on a luxury stock if you were selling cars at a prestigious event because your marketing material reflects your brand.
2) Simplicity is key
It is tempting to use a variety of exciting different fonts when you are designing a brochure. Keep in mind, though, that simplicity is key here: you need your front cover to be easily read and digested and filling it with too many different graphic design styles can come across as amateurish and can distract or put off the reader. Gothic or Comic Sans anyone?
In the same vein, keep the content simple, too. Remember that many readers will have short attention spans and that anything too wordy runs the risk of being flicked past and ignored. Ensure your brand logo and marketing message is prominent and that the front cover reflects your brand but is subtle enough to capture the interest of the person reading it.
3) Quality images
Don’t make the mistake of copying and pasting stock images from Google into your design: there is nothing more likely to make your brochure look like an old GCSE IT project! With a decent SLR camera, you should be able to take some good quality images, even if your marketing budget doesn’t stretch to a professional photographer. Pictures taken on smartphones can become pixelated and blurry when put into print, so avoid this if you can. Remember that you are trying to inspire confidence: a great quality image is the best way to do this. If you’re struggling to find the inspiration or time to get out and take the relevant photos checkout one of our previous blog articles which could help you on your quest to design a perfectly printed brochure. 3 Fantastic FREE Stock Photography Websites
4) Create engaging copy
The look of your brochure print and design is key but so are the words. Ensure that your copy is engaging, creative and interesting, remember to check spelling, grammar and punctuation is immaculate throughout. The classiest looking printed brochure can be let down badly by spelling mistakes and wayward apostrophes, so make sure that you are squeaky clean in this area!
5) Abide by the 10 second rule!
First impressions count for everything in marketing print design. You will have around 5 to 10 seconds to engage your reader before they lose interest, so make sure your brochure’s front cover is eye-catching and exciting. Consider using embellishments or a thicker paper to give a luxurious feel and exude quality. Go for a different sized brochure than the regular A4 or A5 designs, or choose a square or irregular shape to add interest.
Checkout this great article from Canva: Brochure Design: 25 Tips to Create Marketing Materials That Sell for a little bit of brochure print design inspiration.
Here at Print UK, we understand the importance of creating a great first impression. With our easy-to-use but sophisticated online design technology, you get an agency-quality design at a price you’ll love. Have a look at our brochure design pages today at PrintUK.com . Printing has never been so simple!
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