10 Tips To Designing Great Printed Brochures

Brochures are an incredible marketing tool for many industries, no matter whether your focus is business to business (B2B) or business to consumer (B2C). The essential thing all brochures must do is to provide the correct information to your audience. This will mean getting your design right so your message is clear. Expert printing services in Hampshire have 10 tips for getting this done.

1. Get the pencil out and start sketching

Before anything else, sit down and consider what you want from your brochure. Sketch out ideas and concepts, and brainstorm with colleagues to see what direction you want to take. Do your research, look at competitors brochures, and check out the latest trends in brochure design.

2. Know your audience

Brochures are like any other form of marketing in that you will only get out of it what you put in. Don’t design a brochure that you and only you like; remember your customer. Get the input of some customers and find out what they want to know about concerning your products or services. You need to think about creating a brochure that your target audience will want to read.

3. Remember your brand

Your brochure, like all marketing materials, is representing your brand, so be sure to remember your core brand values. Using your brand colour schemes and fonts will show consistency, and allow customers to recognise the brochure, and let your audience become familiar with your brand as a whole.

4. Limit your fonts

With most marketing materials, there are brand guidelines that dictate how you use your fonts, but there may be a little more freedom when it comes to designing brochures. However, don’t go crazy with your fonts. Much like the brand message, try to keep your fonts consistent with your other marketing material and only use 3 sizes – a heading, subheading and general text.

5. Keep it clear and simple

Maybe one of the most important design tips for any medium, especially brochures, is to keep it clear and simple. Make sure your audience can clearly read the copy and use space to help images and text stand out, with colours that work and compliment each other.

6. Remember the importance of your cover pages

Think of your cover page as an entrance to your shop or business – you’ll want to encourage customers to come inside. The cover page should make your customers want to turn the page and find out more. Keep the message clear on your cover page and use an image or headline or something like a special offer, act as a hook to make them flick through your brochure.

7. Provide important contact details

A printed brochure is usually created to sell something, be it a product or service. If you want the reader to take further action, then provide them with the necessary details to find out more, whether this is an email address, website, phone number or your location. Let your audience know where they can find you and how they can contact you.

8. Use quality images

When it comes to designing your next brochure, be sure to use high-quality images that will really do your brand and offering a good service. Don’t fall into the trap of finding a stock image online, copying it and using it – this may become pixelated and the quality will suffer. Try to use unique images where possible ensuring that quality doesn’t suffer.

9. Guide the reader through the page

When designing your brochure, you need to have every customer in mind. Some customers will be familiar with your brand while others may just have come across you and your offering. Make it as easy as possible for all customers to understand what it is you are offering. Carefully plan your page layout so it guides the end reader through your brochure, and won’t leave them feeling confused.

10. Proofread, proofread, proofread

Before you even think of going to print with your great new brochure, be sure to go through every page and proof it for any errors. Get your colleagues to run a fresh pair of eyes over it, and if you have the budget, invest in a professional proofreader to ensure your brochure is perfect and ready to go.

For all your marketing materials, whether it’s brochures, leaflets, luxury business cards, or exhibition materials, visit our print shop in Portsmouth to see how we can help.