8 Must-Have Design Elements to Make a Good Corporate Brochure
Imagine this: You’re waiting for your doctor’s appointment feeling bored, and happen to come across a brochure kept at the side table. You pick up the 3-fold brochure that speaks about eyeglasses. You just glance through it once and then the nurse calls out your name and you forget all about it.
Later, may be two weeks after that incident, one of your co-workers speaks about how he needs to change his glasses soon. And in that conversation, you recommend to him the eyeglasses brand that you had seen that day in the brochure. That is the power of well-made professional brochures!
Smart Use of Brochures
As per a study by Bentley University, 85% of people who read brochures learn about new businesses. Brochures can be a great way to promote a product/service directly to the consumer. In this highly digitized age of social media, it may seem like brochures are no more effective. But if used smartly, brochures can go a long way in spreading brand awareness and increasing conversion rates.
Key Elements of a Good Brochure Design
To get the most value out of your marketing brochure, avail of brochure design services by a professional agency. Below, we look at some key elements that must be incorporated in every good brochure design.
1. Grab Attention with a Striking Cover Design
A corporate brochure needs to be eye-catching. It should pique the interest of the reader at first glance. Brochures are often judged by readers based on their looks and if the covers are not attractive enough, they won’t be picked up by the readers for perusal. Hence, a striking cover design is an important detail that cannot be missed out.
Work with your designer in selecting an appropriate cover image. Should you go for real-life models, stock images, or vector graphics? The decision will depend on your overall product/service and the message you want to convey. Keep in mind that a good cover image should also be supported by a relevant title.
The brochure’s cover should not be too cluttered in appearance. Ideally, it should have three main elements: the image, the title text, and the brand logo. The logo is an essential part of your brand identity and is a must on the cover.
2. Set the Right Tone with Appropriate colours
Colours are not only used to catch the attention of your reader. They are also an intrinsic part of your brand identity. So, when planning for your business brochure designs, make sure you incorporate colours that are in line with the rest of your branding strategy. For example, a Baskin-Robbins product brochure will always be in the themes of blue and pink. Similarly, the colours you choose for your corporate brochure should be complementary to your brand colours.
Colours are also used by marketers to set the tone of your messaging. For example, if you want your brochure to have a fun and playful vibe, then you may use plenty of bright colours. But if you want to showcase a serious and professional image, then muted colours like blues and greys would be more appropriate.
3. Choose the Right Font Style & Font Size
Brochures are descriptive in style. They contain a large chunk of information about a product or service, its features and benefits, and the company details. But when you do a corporate brochure design, you make sure that this information is presented in an engaging way to the reader.
While visual appeal is important, it should not override the readability factor. Hence, it is important to choose a font style that’s easy to read. Go with a typeface that has clean and crisp letters. There may be certain products that demand a decorative font style, such as jewellery or may be handicrafts. But make sure the font you select is easily readable by the average person.
The font size is also an important factor that must be kept in mind. A good designer will use different font sizes to relay the importance of different sections in the content. For example, headings and sub-heads should always be bigger to grab attention. The supporting information can be written in a smaller font.
4. Content is the King
The goal of a marketing brochure is to convert readers into consumers. And to successfully do that, the content inside the brochure must be persuasive enough. You need a skilled writer who can positively engage with the readers and convince them to take the intended action.
If you choose to hire brochure design services from an agency, you may also opt for professional content writing services. They have the skills and expertise to communicate your key branding message with the help of just a few strategic words and phrases.
When it comes to making a corporate brochure design, the content should incorporate essential details like the company profile, its mission and vision, core values, revenue generated in the past year, any CSR activities, and a brief overview of its product offerings.
The content should be brief and to the point, while keeping it engaging with relevant statistics or graphs. A corporate brochure should successfully provide a quick snapshot of a company’s goals and achievements. So, make sure the content does exactly that.
5. Engage the Readers with Images & Graphics
Brochures must be visually appealing. Large amounts of descriptive texts will look monotonous if not paired with some attractive imagery. When making professional brochures, always balance your textual component with high-quality images. Marketers are free to use stock photos, real-life models, product photos, or vector graphics to make a brochure look more engaging.
Since brochures have limited size, take care to not go overboard. Typically, for a standard-sized brochure, using 3-4 images is more than enough. Adding visual elements alongside the content gives the brochure a more appealing charm. They make it more interesting for the reader.
6. Use White Space Strategically
A good brochure includes both textual content and visual elements in it. There are headings and sub-headings, descriptive text, images, statistics, and graphs. White space is an essential component that gives breathing space to your brochure layout. A skilled designer will strategically use blank spaces in the design to make your brochure look clean and organised.
Putting too much information in the brochure will make it look cluttered. This is neither visually appealing nor effective in engaging readers. White space is an important rule that must be followed while making the brochure layout. Resist the urge to fill in the blank spaces and let them be.
7. Don’t Forget the Call to Action
What is the outcome you want from your marketing brochure? Do you want the customer to visit your physical store or click on the website? Should they download a mobile app? Whatever you want them to do, mention it clearly and loudly within your brochure. The call-to-action is an integral part of your core message and should never be missed out.
Moreover, putting your company’s contact details in the brochure makes it more legitimate in the eyes of the customers. When they see a phone number, website URL, or store address, then they are more likely to trust that brand.
8. Always Account for Page Bleed
In printing materials, sometimes an image or a text may extend beyond the set margins of a page. In business terms, this is known as a ‘page bleed’ where the content bleeds off the page. Since brochures are meant to be printed on paper, the final layout must always have an extra margin to account for the page bleed.
Typically, designers keep about 1/8-inch of a page bleed margin as the standard practice in the industry. In the absence of it, images or paragraphs may get abruptly cut off near the edges. A brochure design might look perfect when viewed on the software, but without accounting for a page bleed, the printed result may come with errors. When you hire professional brochure design services, they know the standard practice to be followed.
Closing Thoughts
Brochures are an effective tool in marketing. By using a smart distribution plan, you can reach your customer directly and educate them about your brand offerings. But before that, you must design the perfect brochure to grab the attention of your target audience. At Logo Design India, we provide unique and innovative brochure design services for all your marketing needs. To know more, get in touch with our team.
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