Brochures are a classic marketing strategy for both getting your business in front of new customers and for reaching out to current ones. Here are the basic elements of brochure design that you need to know.
A brochure is the format of choice when you need to communicate lots of information in a relatively small amount of space. Many print formats used in marketing materials call for short copy and eye-catching visuals—think billboards, magazine ads, or direct mail coupons. That’s because the average consumer will get a few seconds to look that them.
But brochures are typically delivered in a setting where consumers are more likely to stop and read. Think expos, open marketplaces, or office waiting rooms. Since these consumers are more likely to want to really get to know your brand or product, the brochure is an opportunity to make a strong, lasting impression.
Before diving into creating your own brochure, you’re going to want to think about your audience, goals, and key messages. This planning stage is important because it’ll drive all of your copy and design decisions.
Brochures are effective marketing tools, combining key details about your product or services with your contact info in a physical product that customers can hold onto—but they only work if they’re well thought-out and cohesive.
Beginning Your Brochure Design
Start by thinking about who your audience is. Is it new clients or existing consumers? People who have already heard of your company or not? Deciding on your audience first is important because you’ll tailor the information in the brochure to that person.
What are your goals when talking to that audience? What information do they need to know? What kind of key messages will be most effective at reaching them?
If you’re trying to get new customers at, say, a booth set up at a local marketplace, the key message is likely about your business and offerings. If you’re trying to offer information to existing customers, your key message is probably about how to use the product.
It doesn’t matter how excellent your graphic design skills are, if your audience doesn’t understand how to use the information you’re providing, you risk missing a sale or losing a customer.
Once you wrap up the planning stage, it’s time to design your brochure. A brochure is a simple document that uses both sides of its source paper. They’re extremely efficient not only because of their two-sided nature, but also because the folded design creates natural breaks. These breaks make it easy to organize information clearly for the reader.
Ready to get going? Check out these brochure design tips to help you create a document that’s both informative and visually striking.
Keep Information Simple and Organized
There’s a surprising amount of space to fill in brochures, and you also have a lot of information to share. It might be tempting to go ahead and fill it to the brim. After all, too much white space is boring. But you don’t want to overwhelm your reader, either.
Here are a few things you can do to create a brochure that’s information-rich but not so saturated it confuses the reader:
- Limit yourself to two fonts: one for the headers and one for the body text.
- Use visuals that help illustrate the relationship between pieces of information.
- Use bullets, numbered lists, or other hierarchical text formats to convey information without unnecessary wordiness.
Use Design Elements to Amplify Information
The average brochure usually has more text than visuals. But a stellar design will have these two elements working together for an informational and visually striking finished product.
Here are a few tips for using design elements to give your brochure extra appeal:
- Large chunks of text make your brochure difficult to read. Break up your copy with images or visuals on every panel.
- Use different font colors to show information hierarchy. (For example, use black for the title font and dark gray for the following copy.)
- Arrange your information carefully so it flows logically for your reader, and make sure your brochure unfolds in a way that complements that arrangement.
These tips will make it easier for your brochure design to hold that balance between being information-rich and just plain busy.
Make a Brochure Using Create
Professional designers can spend up to forty hours on a single brochure, but you don’t have to. With Create, it’s easier than ever to make a brochure in minutes.
Here’s how to make a brochure using Shutterstock Create:
1. Decide What Type of Fold to Make
Go with a bi-fold when you have too much or too little technical information to deliver in a business context. Bi-folds can shine as an uber-technical educational tool or bonus marketing touch-point for your audience.
Use a tri-fold when looking for a viable in-betweener option that’s budget-friendly and still cares about curating a highly-interactive experience for readers.
Form a Z-fold if you want a design that pops out from afar and keeps things fun for consumers.
2. Select a Brochure Template or Blank Canvas
In Create, click File > Create New > Templates. Search “Brochure” in the Templates sidebar or scroll to find the category. Select a template in the results for it to appear on your canvas.
Prefer to start from scratch? In Create, go to File > Create New > Blank Canvas. Scroll to Print Sizes or type your own dimensions into the dimension boxes in the top-right corner of the blank canvas screen.
Then click Make it!
Pro tip: If starting from scratch, use the Collage asset to create grids that you can design in!
3. Swap Photos and Add Graphics
Click Images > Upload. Choose where you want to pull images from, including your computer or our epic stock image library.
Click Graphics to browse thousands of graphics from the drop-down menu.
4. Customize Text
Click Text > Add headline to add a new text layer, or swap out the text that exists on your brochure template. Customize your text however you want.
Try out text effects like Curved Text, Shadow & Outline, or image fills living on the top text toolbar. Change text color, fonts, size, and shape.
5. Download and Print Yourself or Send to Your Local Printshop
Download your design as a JPG, PNG, or PDF. Share digitally or print.
If printing, you can use Create’s crop and bleed feature to account for bleed space prior to sending to your printshop. To get there, click the Settings (gear) icon from the bottom toolbar, then toggle on Show bleed marks. That’s it!
Simply take each step one at a time to build the brochure you desire. You got this!
Cover image via eamesBot and Martial Red.
