Before starting any design project, you must think about layout, goals, and your audience. As with any marketing material, you need to have a plan in place before getting started. Whether you segment by age, location, or lifestyle, keep your target audience in mind as you design your messaging and imagery. When creating a brochure, you need to map out your idea and plan what belongs on the front, middle, and back of the brochure. When writing the copy, think about how you can draw the reader to each panel while telling a story.
The front page of a brochure needs to be attention-grabbing. It should make them want to find out more. A clear message of what you have to offer and branding throughout for consistency is essential. Limit yourself to one clear message on the front page, and express that message with as few words as possible. Once you have grabbed their attention, the main brochure contents should give them what they want, which is information about your products or services.
Write copy so that it will fit into each panel with a header and brief description – this makes the story easier to follow. Your headers should be clear so that readers can quickly see what you are offering. The headings should deliver meaning without further explanation, and beneath each header, you’ll want to describe the product or service in more detail. Keep these descriptions brief and to-the-point, providing information to the readers to inspire them to take the next step: purchase, go to a website or visit a location.
The back panel should contain contact information, ensuring the reader has what they need to continue with the next action, whether it’s your email address to contact you, directions to your business, or a link to your website. It’s standard practice to put the essential contact information in the middle back panel of a tri-fold brochure.
Assignment
This week’s assignment was to design a tri-fold brochure for a fictitious travel agency. I choose to focus on a specific area of travel concerning Wedding Destinations. I used photography from my destination wedding and kept with complementary colors of the ocean to provide a feeling of an exotic location. The front cover contains a title, the service provided, and a corresponding image – which displays to the reader the purpose of the brochure. The first panel they would see when opening the tri-fold would be a short description of what the service is and how to get started.
The back panel contains the contact information, the company logo, Captured Moments, which I designed in Illustrator. Once they open the brochure, they will see three panels – service details, save time-leave the planning to us, and travel – all with the theme of “planning” within the title. Images are displayed in each panel and a short description to explain what services the reader will receive. The content flows to bring the reader’s eyes to each panel, provides concise information so they can quickly scan for details. The goal of the brochure is to motivate the reader to start planning their special day now – call, visit, or proceed to the website for more information.
View the brochure here
Resources:
Landa, R. (2019). Graphic design solutions. Boston, MA: Cengage.
Holly Checchia 