Brochures are an eternal marketing favorite of brands as they still remain a staple in the marketing toolkit. Many people think they have lost their relevance due to the digitized marketing approach, but trust me; brochures offer a more tangible connection with clients and customers that digital ads or digital brochures can’t replicate. The feeling of touching and sensing the premium quality of a great brochure instantly connects your brand to the heart of a customer. However, you must also ensure that it stands out. How? Let me help you.
In this article, we will be learning about:
- Understanding Brochure Design: Let’s thoroughly understand what a brochure stands for and the concept of hand-held brochures
- Why Brochure Design Ideas Matter: Discover the top reasons why brochure layout still plays a vital role in your brand’s marketing efforts.
- Creative Brochure Layout Design Tips: Explore ways to make your brochure stand out from the rest.
- Personal Opinion: Gain insights from personal experiences to elevate your brochure tactics.
It’s time to move on from vintage brochure ideas and styles To truly surprise your clients, you need to start thinking differently. If you’ve decided to spend your hard-earned money on marketing materials such as brochures, you should ensure you produce unique and snappy designs. From employing innovative folding techniques to using high-quality materials, this article includes all the essential details to help your brochure stand out.
Table of Contents
What is a Brochure?
Think of a folded paper; it looks visually appealing and is compact, opening you to a new world of a brand. Brochures are small booklets or pamphlets that businesses use to introduce themselves, their products, services, events, or a place for their customers to share essential information with them.
So basically, a brochure is an informative advertising material through which more people get to know about your company and increase brand awareness. The most important part of a brochure design is to get immediate attention from the target audience, for that, every graphic designer plays a major role.
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To grab attention, designers tend to make it visually rich with bold colors and designs, eye-catching images, and short, concise paragraphs that use legible typography, so viewers get enough information with one look but are also intrigued to check out the entire booklet. It is a cohesive envelope that includes letters to bring you closer to the brand. Moreover, I feel what excites most users is the physical connection with the high-quality paper, creating a tangible connection with the brand. I think it also has to do with psychology. We tend to connect more with sensory actions, so if a brand can establish that connection through the feel of touch, texture, colorful visuals, and, of course, smell, it can leave a lasting impression on the minds of the audience.
So, what sizes do these brochures come in?
Standard Brochure Sizes:
- 5.5″ x 8.5″
- 8.5″ x 11″
- 8.5″ x 14″
- 11″ x 17″
- 11″ x 25.5″
- Custom
Why Brochure Design Matters in Digital Marketing
When you create a logo for your company, it immediately creates a visual image in the minds of your customers at first glance, becoming the iconic identifying factor when they hear your company name. Now, brochures can be utilized to create a connection with the audience for the type of service or new products you’re introducing to the market. This way, when they see and feel your brochure in person, they will always relate to your brand when they once again hear anything related to that product or service.
Okay, another fact time: I’ve read in Statista that 79% of small to medium-sized businesses in the USA still use brochures. You have to agree that nothing feels better than having the physical touch of a great paper booklet or book in your hand, making sure that print design continues to be relevant. So, what are the reasons that brochure design still matters in the digital marketing world? Let’s check out.
It’s More Than Just a Piece of Paper
Brochures include everything related to your brand, your company logo, what you stand for, brand identity elements, and everything else. This means brochures reflect your brand identity. So, don’t just treat it like it’s another piece of paper. It can be utilized to showcase your company’s values, mission, and professionalism through design elements like color schemes, typography, and imagery. You can leverage brochures to stand out from your competitors.
Delivers Effective Information
This is no special news. Yes, as you all know, brochures are a tool for communicating key information, but how can you make it different? Modern designs use infographics and other ways to deliver effective information so that people can grasp it at a glance. Highlight your products, services, and unique selling points in a visually rich format that people can understand without taking time to read. Add unique twists in designs that make the brain take time to process. This way, organizing information in a classy, imagery-based way can help deliver effective communication.
A Tactile Experience for Digitalized Minds
We live in a world right now where we expect everything to be delivered to us through our mobile screens, like PDFs, online brochures, and images. But brochures are tactile, ensuring people have a uniquely engaging experience. The physical act of handling and reading a brochure is much more memorable than looking at a digital ad among countless information bombarding viewers on a mobile screen. This way, people can connect more with the texture of paper, the vividness of each picture, and the weight, all contributing to the sensory experience that digital media can’t replicate.
Small Budget but High Impact
Yes, you guessed it right. Brochures still remain a cost-effective marketing and branding tool. When designed with the help of the right graphic designers, they can yield a high return on investment by reaching a wide audience and generating leads. Another way is to print in bulk to reduce significant costs. A single well-designed brochure can be used in multiple contexts, maximizing its value.
Creative Brochure Layout Design Ideas
Now let’s look at how to make your brochure design stand out from the rest in the market. I’ve included some popular brochure layouts to help you figure out which one suits your brochure the best and matches your marketing goals.
Tri-fold Brochure
This is the most popular and most common creative brochure layout. A tri-fold, as the name suggests, involves the triangular folding of a sheet of paper into three sections. However, how uniquely you design the three parts depends on how much creativity your graphic designer has. The paper here has six sides, one for each section, and how you fold the paper will decide which sections are visible and what information you place in each section.
Creative Die-Cut
A die cut is a printing technique done with a piece of equipment, like a stamp made of blades. You can create a variety of shapes and sizes on a piece of paper to make a versatile and unique brochure experience. You can cut the shape of your company logo or create a pop-up feature of the product you’re selling when opening a brochure. You can create a three-dimensional effect and make the folder convey unique messages. This die-cut way can be used to promote relevant information and create a stand-out feeling among regular rectangular flyers. You can add a call to action in the written content and let the readers figure out your unique printing techniques. There are many ways in which you can make use of this printing technique to enhance the brochure experience for a common user.
Cross Fold
This fold of the brochure is a type of fold that opens outward from the middle, like opening window panels to create a cross shape. It’s an underused printing technique and is powerful in creating a sense of curiosity in the minds of users, encouraging them to see what’s inside. The main highlighting feature is that it takes some time for users to open the brochure, less than a fraction of a minute, but it engages readers and fully focuses their attention on the brochure, making it a memorable experience. Giving a tactile experience of unfolding and presenting surprising design elements can help increase customer satisfaction. This is a versatile way to create curiosity, such as by attaching a small gift card inside it, so people will feel a lasting connection with your brand. Another similar fold is known as a gatefold or double parallel gate bi-fold.
Z-fold
A Z-fold brochure is a versatile three-panel format that holds a zigzag shape, creating a “Z” when viewed from above. This type of fold can be utilized by marketers who aim to tell a story or speak about their brand’s mission to their customers. Users can unfold the content in a logical sequence, enhancing user experience and their curiosity to know more as they unfold the whole booklet. Make sure the content is easy to navigate, and break down information into organized sections. At the end of every fold, add a curiosity-driven surprise so that they feel compelled to open up more to discover what’s next. Don’t forget to add visually appealing illustrations as well to create an interesting way to attract potential customers with this fresh and snappy design.
Think Avant-Garde
We’ve witnessed a huge trend in marketing recently, where people love nostalgic feelings and utilize retro advertising styles, such as pop art advertising, and incorporate retro elements to market their products. So here, don’t hold back; make sure your creative boiler is on. You can create a new form for your brochure by bringing in concepts such as avant-garde, bright colors with visual elements, and warm imagery. Find unique design layouts. For example, if your brand is related to a travel agency, create a brochure that looks like an original passport. Make the texture feel like one so customers can experience the essence of traveling. This has endless possibilities and creative ideas where we can incorporate professional design into a unique layout, creating a memorable experience that truly helps bring in great results.
Components of Brochure Template
To make sure your brochure is successful with your customers, don’t forget to make sure all three components are aligned properly.
Content
When putting out information in the brochure, you should always stick to the main goal of the brochure design. Avoid big chunks of text, and only use the key points. To attract more users, try to provide images, infographics, charts, and illustrations to make them rethink about your brand. I feel like you can write in a way that emotionally connects with the audience and caters to answer their needs and queries. This ensures that the brochure satisfies the customer’s experience.
Layout
The final layout of the brochure depends on the amount of content that you’re planning to put. So, not to surprise you, but yeah, it also depends on the budget as well. If you’re planning to make a long brochure with a lot of content, it can become more expensive. I think with the help of proper designers, you can deliver big with less and a minimal layout. While it’s all about minimalism in the market, make sure your layout presents content logically and that the layout is unique to improve customer satisfaction and the overall brand experience.
Graphics
Graphics play an important role in every marketing collateral. The designs can elevate the user experience, so make sure your designs are always on point when it comes to brochure design. Try using the brand colors and the right legible font for your content. Make use of different photos and images that visually tell the story more than the content, and utilize white space effectively.
Personal opinion
I still feel brochure design has the power to get more customers for your brand. The best brochures are those that communicate their message clearly. A good layout helps guide the reader through the information seamlessly. I appreciate creative brochure designs that break away from traditional formats. It shows that the brand is willing to think outside the box. Using a grid system is crucial for brochure design. I’ve seen too many layouts that look like everything was just thrown together without any thought.
So, to help with your brochure design and layout problems, I’d suggest you connect with the right graphic designer. If you’re not sure where to look, we are here to help! Graphically.io helps you create unlimited graphic design services with faster turnaround times. We offer professional designers to help you achieve sophistication and take social media marketing to new heights. We will help you design the best brochure design layout that is unique and versatile. Connect with us today!
Conclusion
A creative brochure design layout is necessary to make a brochure work with the masses. If you find the same old brochure style in front of you, will you care to take it and check it out? I won’t, so make sure the layout is well-structured and designed. It’s amazing how much easier it is to engage with content when it’s organized properly in a brochure. I’ve seen brochures where the layout seems random, with no consistent style or theme throughout. It makes them feel unprofessional. Keep in mind that a brochure can effectively improve the ROI and help you get your brand name across to many.
FAQs
1. How to design a creative brochure?
2. What is the most popular brochure layout?
The most popular brochure folds include Trifold (3 panels), Bifold or Half Fold (2 panels), Z Fold (3 panels), and Accordion Fold (4 panels). Each offers unique ways to present your content creatively and effectively.
