A brochure is a powerful marketing tool that can effectively communicate information about your company, products, or services. It is a print or digital document used to showcase your business in an attractive and organised way. Brochure design creates a visually appealing and informative brochure that can help attract potential customers and increase brand awareness. It involves elements such as layout, typography, images, and branding.
Whether you are creating a brochure for a small business or a large corporation, understanding the basics of brochure design is crucial for creating a successful marketing piece. In this guide, you will learn everything you need to know about brochure design.
Table of Contents:
- What is Brochure Design
- How to Design a Brochure
- How to Design a Trifold Brochure
- How to Design a Corporate Brochure
- How to Design a Travel Brochure
- How to Design a Marketing Brochure
- Creative Brochure Design
- Corporate Brochure Design
- Education Brochure Design
- Food Brochure Design
- Professional Brochure Design
- Brochure Design Softwares
- Tips on how to Design a Brochure
- What makes an Effective Brochure Design
- How much to Charge for Brochure Design
- Brochure Design Trends 2024
- Brochure Design Singapore
- Brochure Design Costs in Singapore
- Final Words
What Is Brochure Design
A brochure design is a process of creating a brochure so that it can be used to market, introduce or promote an organisation, company, service, or product. The brochure aims to provide relevant information to the general public and potential customers.
While designing a brochure, you can focus on one specific topic (e.g. showcasing the new product offerings) and summarise it. Brochures are a form of marketing tool and can help your business in many ways, and how you design it matters. Moreover, utilising brochures is also one of the most cost-effective methods of advertising.
How To Design A Brochure
Designing a brochure is a delicate process; you need something catchy and compelling that will reel in the customers, so you’ll need a stellar design that won’t end up in the trash. The following is a guide to help you develop a stunning brochure.
Step 1. Identify Your Target Audience
Identify the target audience first before designing the brochure. This step avoids many mistakes in the long run if you create it for the wrong audience. Remember, you’re not developing the brochure for yourself or your client but rather what speaks to the target audience.
Step 2. Create Messages For The Target Audience
Develop a clear message that you want your readers to get. Having identified the audience, drafting a message will be easier. The cover page of the brochure should attract the reader instantly, so the message should be brief and precise. Ultimately, the end goal is to make the reader pick up the brochure and flip past the first page.
Step 3. Identify The Type Of Brochure You Want To Use
You might think that the type of brochure won’t impact the design, but it does. There are dozens of designs are there, so it depends on the amount of information you have. The types of brochure include: Z fold, parallel fold, tri-fold, roll fold, double gate fold, single gate fold, accordion fold, etc.
Step 4. Have Your Illustrations And Images At Hand
Having illustrations and images on hand helps in the designing process; they impact the font size, the layout, and even the choice of the brochure. While designing the brochure, the images or illustrations should go with the words. It helps in telling your story. Some readers skim through the document, so ensure that you include catchy headings and subheadings.
Step 5. Choose A Style
Which stylistic element are you going to use? If you have a lot going on in the brochure, the message may be construed, so it should be direct and straight to the point.
How To Design A Trifold Brochure
Designing a brochure from scratch is not easy, especially if you lack experience in design. But the good news is that there are templates and software dedicated to brochure making. Bearing that in mind, before designing the brochure, there are some things you as a designer should consider—the target audience, the message, and what should be on the Cover page.
Now that you have everything you need, here are the steps to aid you on your design journey:
Step 1. Pick a design template and tailor it
Several templates online from various sites can be used to make things easier for you. For someone with experience, it can be a piece of cake, but if you need more experience, then an online template can help. All you need to do is to pick a trifold brochure template and customise it to fit your message.
Step 2. Use quality images, icons, illustrations, and background colours
It would be helpful to have a professional photographer so your brochure can have high-quality product images to convey your messages better. You should also use the images well; ensure you crop them to fit the brochure, wherever applicable. Visuals play a huge role in attracting customers, so ensure you play with the colours well. Do remember to include icons and illustrations in your trifold brochure.
Step 3. Focus on branding
Branding is essential when it comes to business and marketing. When designing the trifold brochure, ensure you use your logo, brand colours, and fonts. Once you have finished creating the brochure, go through it to see if it has incorporated all the elements from your client or company’s brand guidelines.
How To Design A Corporate Brochure
A corporate brochure is a print document that many companies use to show their product, services, and benefits to potential customers; they are usually folded into two or three folds to separate them from the pamphlets and flyers. Corporate brochures have proven beneficial when it comes to advertising the business, so here is how you can design one:
Before designing the corporate brochure, have the following information ready on hand – the target audience, company’s brand guide, copy writing as well as the company details. (e.g. QR code to website, social media handles, contact details, etc)
Step 1. Select The Brochure Type
There are many options to select from, and since most corporate brochures are folded, you can choose half fold, trifold, Z fold, accordion fold, double gate fold, roll fold, or parallel fold. Most Corporate businesses use the trifold brochure.
Step 2. Drafting The Brochure Copy
You should have the copy in mind first before thinking about other elements like images. Drafting a copy gives you a rough idea of how to structure your brochure. While preparing the copy, ensure the headline is powerful to catch the reader’s attention and include heading and subheadings for skimming readers. Write in a language that resonates with the audience in short and clear sentences. Then proofread to catch any mistakes.
Step 3. Design The Brochure
Start by choosing the brochure size, and design the brochure that places emphasis on your brand. Include well-taken photos and illustrations to elevate the brochure. You can consider using two different fonts to increase the appeal of the brochure. Do remember to include in the CTA (call to action), and ensure they are highlighted or noticeable. You can also use a different font for the CTA. Once you’re satisfied with the brochure design, you can proceed with printing the corporate brochure. Here’s a more comprehensive guide to designing a Corporate Brochure.
How To Design A Travel Brochure
Travel brochures have influenced the decisions of many travellers and tourists. Studies show that 37% of tourists who picked a brochure from a rack change their plans, and many people use it as a tool for planning before leaving home. So, the following is how you can design a travel brochure to reach your target audience.
Step 1. Choose The Brochure Size And Dimension
The size and dimension will influence the design of the brochure. You can go for A4 or A5. The type of brochures you can use is trifold, Z fold, roll fold, accordion fold, etc depending on the needs of your business.
Step 2 Settle On A Theme
This goes with the company’s brand. If you don’t have a theme, create one that aligns with your company. A theme can be the colours, marketing assets, or anything you feel goes with your business. A smart consideration is to look at what your competitors are doing, and work on something better.
Step 3. Decide On What To Write On The Brochure
Here you can include specific topics and remember to include headings and subheadings. The topics are
- Historic sites of interest.
- Best restaurants and coffee shops to try.
- Fun facts.
- Maps and locations.
- Testimonials.
- Something exciting to try.
You can also add vital information regarding the language, transportation, weather conditions, and climate. Accommodations and cost per person can also be helpful to influence consideration.
Step 4. Design The Brochure
When designing the brochure, you can use an online template or hire a brochure design company. Include images with the above information (in the previous step). Do take note to focus on the company branding as well to ensure a clean and systematic approach across the whole brochure. This includes the font, images, colours, and illustrations.
How To Design A Marketing Brochure
The main aim of a marketing brochure is to advertise their product and services. With the advent of digital marketing, a brochure is still trusted as a marketing tool.
Here are steps on how to create a marketing brochure:
Step 1. Outline Your Target Audience
Just like any other marketing tool, the brochure should have a target audience (usually customers) before starting the design process. Images and the messaging should also be in line with your target audience.
Step 2. Creating The Message
Figuring out the message for the front, middle, and back is essential. It gives the brochure structure. The cover page is the most important, so it has to be precise yet striking. Having a compelling headline or tag lines can also improve the layout immensely. You can also include brief descriptions of the service or product you’re trying to market.
Step 3. Compile The Necessary Images And Illustrations For The Brochure
Consider using a professional photographer and choose the best images that goes with your written content. Include icons and illustrations where necessary.
Step 4. Design The Marketing Brochure
It’s time to put everything you have on the brochure, the images, icons, illustrations, and message. Do not forget your company’s brand identity or brand guidelines in the process.
The beauty of a marketing brochure is that you can always remodel the initial design to suit your marketing needs.
Creative Brochure Design
Brochures dates back ages, and with many marketing strategies out there, there is a succinct need to find creative ways to design a brochure to make it stand out. A creative brochure design is a unique brochure designed specifically for the client or business.
Here are some things to keep in mind to develop a creative brochure design.
- Target audience. As a graphic designer, you should survey who the customer is; sometimes, you might be lucky if the client provides that information.
- Stick to two fonts. A brochure can contain a considerable amount of text, so you should use more than one font. But that only makes the design complicated.
- Brainstorm. You can jolt down a few ideas and share those ideas with other designers for creative input. This can improve the thought process and help create a unique concept.
- Sketch or use a template. It gives you a starting point; you can improve the sketch or customise the template depending on the client or your fellow designers’ feedbacks.
Coming up with a creative brochure design can create a great first impression on your client and the target audience, but do keep in mind that it should be simple with one or two colours.
Corporate Brochure Design
A corporate brochure is used for marketing a business, especially companies. It utilises print media and is usually folded so that you can distribute it efficiently. You can also give out brochures during conferences, so you’ll need a good design to attract potential investors.
An excellent corporate brochure should have the following elements for you to get the results you were hoping for.
- A stunning cover and title. As the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover; ultimately, one will only pick up a brochure if the cover speaks to them. So, the cover should have images and a good tagline or title.
- Enriching content. A corporate brochure should have information concerning the company; You can include the company mission or vision and any other relevant company milestones with relevant CTAs. E.g. Why should they seek your company’s services?
- Product images. It should be clear, concise and of excellent quality; they ought to showcase the services or products you’re offering.
- Call to Action. It is an essential feature in the corporate brochure; the primary purpose of the brochure is to market the company, so include some of the CTA in the brochure. Do you want them to sign up or check out your website? Other details like phone number, website, and email address is also crucial.
Education Brochure Design
An education brochure is a tool for marketing an academic institution, an educational event, and educational organisations. You can use education brochures to notify parents and guardians about the school and other extra co-curricular activities such as dancing, sports, and other courses.
The contents of an education brochure should include the school’s name, the logo, and a picture of the school for the cover page. Additionally, remember to include in the school’s phone number, address, and website.
On the next page, including a calendar of events of the school year and details of people like the headteacher, deputy, and relevant HODs (Head-of-Departments).
The remaining part of the brochure will be images and graphics; remember to put the school’s history, motto, and objectives. You can also showcase students’ artworks if there are any relevant ones.
Now that you know the contents of the brochure. The following are the steps in making one.
- Settle on the type of brochure to use.
- Write a copy of the text or content.
- Gather your images.
- Prepare your student testimonials.
- Design the brochure or use an online template.
- Proofread and edit where necessary.
Food Brochure Design
A food and beverage brochure is an effective marketing tool if you play with the visuals right. The truth is when someone is hungry, every food option looks delicious, and if your brochure has good imagery, the customers will salivate at the sight of it.
The brochure ought to showcase your menu and cuisine as well as showcase the restaurant branding elements. You can also consider using a food and beverage brochure to highlight or showcase any promotions.
Tips for Food Brochure Design
The brochure should focus on the restaurant logo and branding and apply the relevant theme and guidelines across the whole brochure. (It reflects your brand identity)
Use compelling images to showcase your products and services, e.g. a photo of the chef at work, and the dishes in your restaurant. The quality of the photo is highly relevant as you’d want to entice potential customers with the dishes you serve in the restaurant.
Remember to include in other dishes wherever applicable and the expertise of the chefs making them. If they specialise in a specific cuisine, do highlight that as well.
The address and operating hours should be in the brochure, alongside your contact information, website, and social media handles. If you do deliveries, then make sure the readers know the relevant food delivery platforms. It is also vital to let your customers know if you have a children’s menu.
Professional Brochure Design
For those who want brochures that leave an impression, you can have them professionally done. You can hire a graphic designer or graphic design agency to do all the work. All you have to do is to provide photos, the company’s logo, and the messaging to put across. If you still need to figure out this part, the design agency or company can usually help.
If you have design experience but have never designed a brochure, here are steps on how you can create one:
- Choose a brochure format. The format depends on the purpose and the amount of information you have; you can settle for a Z fold, trifold, or bifold. There are other options if the ones mentioned don’t fit your needs.
- Choose a design template. The beauty of brochure design softwares is that you will always have professional design templates. Select one and do your thing.
- Arrange your content. Layout your text, and use headings and different fonts to make the document easy to skim.
- Proofread and print. Use the ideal printing vendor, one that fits with the style of the brochure.
Brochure Design Softwares
Brochure design softwares are tools that every corporation or startup needs. Even though we are in the digital age, it doesn’t mean brochures will be obsolete; therefore, using brochure design softwares saves designers a ton of time and energy.
The softwares helps the designers come up with stunning, informative brochures that fit the need of the clients and customers; they have pleasing visuals that can attract prospective customers to clients. Graphic Design softwares usually contain a variety of templates and tools, all dedicated to creating excellent brochures. The tools help customise the template and enable designers to add their creative inputs.
Brochure design softwares available in the market can be either ‘free-mium’ or subscription-based. When selecting a design software, always ensure that it has all the tools needed to design a brochure. Examples of such softwares include; Venngage, adobe illustrator CC, adobe in design CC, Canva, Inkscape, Scribus, Microsoft publisher, affinity publisher, adobe creative cloud express, QuarkXPress, flip snack, lucid press, my creative shop, flipHTML5, Edraw, etc.
Tips On How To Design A Brochure
Designing an effective brochure involves a blend of good design principles, clear communication, and understanding the target audience’s needs and interests. Here are some tips to help you design a high-quality brochure:
- Know your target audience.
- Define the purpose of the brochure.
- Limit the use of fonts, don’t use more than two fonts.
- Use high quality images.
- Visual representations should be on point.
- Understand your audience before designing the brochure.
- Use simple, clear sentences.
- Always start sketching your designs on paper, then share them to see if the clients love them. Feedback from other designers can be of immense help.
- Be creative and make the brochure fun and playful. Incorporate colours and shapes in the design.
What Makes An Effective Brochure Design
For a brochure to be effective, it has to have all the relevant information that will encourage the potential client to take action and, at the same time, be simple and eye-catching.
Here are some ways to make an effective brochure design:
1. It Should Have A Clear Purpose
Knowing your audience will help you come up with a clear purpose. One purpose will help align the pictures, text, and other illustrations. Cramming too much information may be ineffective because the reader needs to know what you’re selling.
2. The Layout Should Be Readable
The brochure should be laid out so the reader can get a feel of the information. You can use an 8, 6, or 4-panel brochure if you have a lot of information to put across and use a rack card if you need more information but ensure an effortless flow of information.
3. Use the Right Images and Fonts
It all boils down to the graphic design of the brochure; it needs to be catchy with the right colour tone. You should select the right images and the right font to design a brochure that makes people interested.
Brochure Design Ideas & Inspirations
As a designer, you’re bound to make more than one brochure, and sometimes your well of inspiration dies out, which is expected. But luckily, there are design inspirations you can look up to rejuvenate your creative side. Some examples include:
Including a trendy modern style in the design where whitespace is used creatively with slight aesthetics. There is also the use of high colour and colour blocking.
A grid layout can inspire you; the typical trifold brochure has six panels total, and you can use a grid to section the brochure.
How Much To Charge For Brochure Design
Designing brochures includes paper stock, printing, and creative and design costs. You have to consider these factors because it affects the price. You can have a standard charge for the brochures, but you might also need to consider external fluctuations.
Experienced freelance designers usually charge USD$75 to $125 per hour.
Brochure Design Trends 2024
It is no secret that brochure design changes with time. It is a creative process; most designers will think out of the box and develop new trends. Some of the brochure design trends in 2024 include:
- Use of different shapes. Most brochure designers use a rectangular shape for the brochure. One of the trends will include other shapes like circles, triangles, and other forms.
- Use of bold colours. Designers have been using dull colours in their brochures, but using vibrant colours may make a comeback.
- Use of 3D. We are used to seeing two-dimensional brochures, but now designers can utilize three-dimensional brochures to show the depth of the design and also intrigue the audience.
- Use of vintage. The use of vintage elements as part of the design has been there, but now food and beverage industries can use it to market their products.
- Hand-drawn images or illustrations. Instead of using photos, there could be the use of images that were hand drawn.
Brochure Design Singapore
Businesses in Singapore can use brochures to make its products known online and offline. Many companies are also using e-brochures to target their potential clients. If you are wondering where to start, there are companies in Singapore that are dedicated to brochure design.
Here are some of the main reasons why any company in Singapore ought to use a brochure:
- Both small and large-owned businesses can use it because it is affordable.
- Depending on the type of brochure, the company can provide more information on the business type.
- You can easily distribute the brochures within minutes.
- You can create a lasting impression on clients with an impressive brochure design.
Now that you know brochures are a vital tool for marketing a business, all you need to do is design a brochure with compelling visuals that help elevate your business to the next level.
Brochure Design Costs In Singapore
A great brochure requires lots of details, including graphics and visuals, and sometimes the owner may need help developing a brand and designing the brochure. That is where graphic designers come in. Hiring a graphic designer in Singapore costs an average of $50 an hour. The price may vary depending on design requirements and number of edits.
The cost of designing a brochure range from $500 and up, depending on the company you’re seeking for your design needs. So, it depends on the quality you’re looking for. Higher costs usually means you can get quality work and faster turnaround time, but you can still find professional design at an affordable rate.
Final Words
Designing a brochure is an exciting thing to do, whether on your own or with a designer. Seeing your ideas come to life is exhilarating. If you have a passion for designing, consider using brochure design softwares to increase efficiency. Understand the design trends and start adapting your design style towards those trends.
Upon the completion of the brochure, look for strategic placements and distributions to reach the targeted audience.
Need a helping hand to bring your design needs to life? Contact us to schedule a professional consultation!
