How to make a brochure
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With so much throwaway marketing material out there, investing in marketing materials that showcase your organization and create long-lasting connections with customers has never been more important.
For those in the know, a well-designed brochure is a tried-and-tested marketing tool to create meaningful promotional material that captivates your audience (and doesn't end up in the bin).
“Marketing is really just about sharing your passion.” Michael Hyatt, NY Times Best Selling Author
Whether you're a seasoned graphic designer, a marketer looking to enhance your promotional materials, or a creative exploring the world of brochure design, Linearity Curve's intuitive software and thousands of ready-made templates make brochure design simple and fun.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through crafting a digital brochure from start to finish with practical tips and a step-by-step guide.
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Image source: Unsplash
Before we get going, let's unravel some insights that could make or break your brochure's design. Creating an effective brochure involves deciding your message, budget, timeline, and audience engagement, just like choosing between print and digital flyers.
- Target audience: Your first consideration should be your target audience. Think about their preferences and habits. A printed trifold brochure may be the way to go if you're targeting a more traditional audience or a local community. On the other hand, a tech-savvy audience that consumes information online might prefer a digital version.
- Budget: Assess your budget carefully. Printing and distributing physical brochures can be costly, whereas digital brochures generally have lower production expenses. Weigh your resources to make a cost-effective decision that aligns with your marketing strategy.
- Timeline: Consider the timeline of your campaign. Digital brochures can be quickly distributed online, reaching a global audience almost instantly. A digital format is likely the most efficient solution if you're working with time-sensitive information.
- Interactivity: Think about the level of interactivity your brochure requires. Digital formats allow for multimedia elements such as videos, hyperlinks, and interactive features, which can enhance engagement. A digital trifold brochure is the way to go if your message benefits from dynamic content.
Now that you've considered these factors, let's start creating your professional brochure.
What you"ll need:
Reference material: Head to a few of your favorite businesses (or competitors, but don"t say we sent you) and collect brochures that speak to your vision. Once you"ve done that, start assembling a folder of visual assets you could use in your brochure.
Software: If you don"t already have one, you"ll soon find Linearity Cuve is an all-in-one tool to create the perfect brochure. Of course, you"ll also need your device. For this tutorial, we’re using Linearity Curve on a Macbook.
Marketing collateral: Gather detailed company and product information, style guides, and all the eye-catching images, illustrations, vector graphics (like logos), and other visual elements related to your content.
Creative elements: Start thinking about engaging text content, including headlines, descriptions, and additional information for maximum visual appeal. A carefully chosen color scheme that matches your organization"s look and feel will also go a long way toward making the design process more efficient.
Ready to start our brochure design tutorial? Let's do this.
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Take your designs to the next level.
7 steps to creating the perfect digital brochure
Step 1
We know it's tempting to start designing right away, but understanding the purpose of your brochure is a crucial first step in the design and content creation process. A well-defined purpose helps you shape your brochure's direction and ensures that all your hard work delivers the desired results.
Here are 8 questions to ask yourself before designing your brochure:
8 questions to help you find your brochure"s purpose
1. Who"s your target audience for the brochure?
Before determining the purpose of your brochure, it"s crucial to understand your intended readers. Ask yourself who they are regarding their demographics, interests, needs, and preferences.
2. What specific goals and objectives do you want to achieve with the brochure?
Think about what outcomes you"re aiming for with your brochure. Make a plan that outlines how you intend to inform, promote, educate, inspire, entertain, sell, or advocate for something.
3. What"s your unique selling proposition (USP) for the product or service you"re promoting?
Understanding what sets your product or service apart from the competition is important. Work out how your USP can help define the purpose of your brochure.
4. Where"s your target audience in their decision-making process?
Consider the stage of the buyer"s journey your audience is in: are they looking for basic information (awareness stage) or comparing options (consideration stage)? This should inform how your brochure aligns with their position.
5. Have you analyzed brochures from competitors or similar organizations?
Review competing brochures to identify gaps or opportunities and understand how your brochure addresses these and fulfills a unique purpose.
6. What key messages do you want to convey in the brochure to fulfill its purpose?
Brainstorm the primary messages or information the brochure should emphasize based on your goals and audience.
7. Have you set measurable outcomes to gauge the brochure"s success?
Determine specific metrics or targets that you aim to achieve to measure the success of your brochure"s purpose and use them as the campaign benchmark.
8. Have you consulted with relevant stakeholders, such as marketing professionals or subject matter experts?
Gather knowledgable input and expertise that can contribute to refining the purpose and objectives of your brochure.
Step 2
Choose your brochure fold and layout
There's a world of options when it comes to beautiful brochure design. Decide whether to start your brochure from scratch and create custom brochures for complete creative freedom or use a template as the base for your brochure design.
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Image source: Senoda
We've made a roundup of digital and print brochure options for you to decide on the best course of action for your objective.
| Type of brochure | Businesses | Benefits (print) | Digital alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bi-fold brochure | Retail, restaurants, small businesses | Compact and cost-effective. Easily convey essential information. Ideal for menus, promotions, etc. | .pdf file or .jpeg versions for online sharing. Web-based flipbooks for interactive digital experience. |
| Tri-fold brochure | Travel Agencies, real estate, tourism | Provides multiple sections for organized content Suitable for presenting tours, property listings in real estate brochures, and more | Online brochures or e-brochures for easy access on websites Interactive multimedia presentations with videos and links |
| Z-fold brochure | Event planners, creative agencies, art galleries | Unique folding style for creative presentations Reveals content in a sequence, creating anticipation | Digital versions with scrollable sections and animations Virtual tour guides for art galleries or exhibitions |
| Gate-fold brochure | Luxury brands, premium products, real estate developers | Adds an element of surprise with a dramatic reveal. Ideal for high-end products or exclusive promotions | Dynamic digital brochures with rich interactive elements and 3D product displays Augmented reality (AR) brochures for immersive experiences |
| Accordion brochure | Educational institutions, nonprofits, cultural organizations | Provides a unique visual experience Accommodates detailed information. Ideal for storytelling and history | Interactive storytelling apps or websites with custom URL and multimedia content Virtual museum tours for cultural organizations |
For this tutorial, we'll show you how simple working on Linearity Curve can be and how much time it saves you. In the ultimate productivity hack we'll create a PDF brochure using the design template.
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This is just one of the great presentation slide templates in the Linearity Curve pre-made Templates Hub, so explore the wide range in the Templates Hub and pick the right one for you.
Get creative with our ready-to-use templates.
Linearity Curve offers templates for every social media platform and various use case templates for posters, business cards, slides, app store screenshots, and more.
Step 3
Customize your design
Use the template as your base if you're not working with a blank document, and customize it to align with your objectives. We think a good place to begin is by first creating your brochure outline and then replacing the pre-set images in the template with ones that speak to your vision for the brochure.
Source high-quality photos and graphics—they're crucial for grabbing attention. Linearity Curve's Unsplash Library is a great resource for free stock photos, with millions of royalty-free images that allow you to tell your story without the additional costs and time required to find the best sample images for your brochure.
Pro tip: Learn to add Unsplash images to your document directly from the Library tab in Linearity Curve.
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Step 4
Craft clever, captivating copy
Loosely put together all the information you want to communicate to your audience in a blank Word document. Then it's time for copywriting: the art of editing unnecessary details and simplifying them into a concise version of what you want to say, i.e., interesting copy (text) that converts your audience to customers.
“When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it ‘creative.’ I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product.” David Ogilvy, British advertising tycoon, founder of Ogilvy & Mather, and known as the "Father of Advertising."
We know it's tempting to let the creative spirit turn your information into poetry, but make sure you make significant provision for essential information and call-to-action (CTA) lines like contact details.
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Ensure that you maintain readability (you only have a few seconds to capture your audience), so get the font pairing right by trying not to use more than two well-paired typefaces.
Pro tip: Font pairing is a fine art. We"ve created a simple step-by-step tutorial for pairing different fonts to get the best outcome for your projects.
Step 5
Choose fonts and colors
Working with the right color palette and fonts creates a winning flyer. Customize the default background color theme with your color themes that match your vision and create a sense of cohesion. Only use three to four colors (including your accent color) to avoid overwhelming the design.
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Step 6
Get your layout balanced and beautiful
It's time to use those design skills and arrange your flyer's elements into a balanced layout. Start by placing the headline prominently at the top, followed by the images, copy, and other design elements.
Ensure there’s enough white space to create a clean and organized look, ensuring the information hierarchy is clear and understandable from a quick look. Crop images, make some bold headlines, use bright colors where you need to draw attention and branding elements that make the organization’s brand clear.
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Step 7
Finesse and finish
Before finalizing your brochure, proofread the text and review the overall design. Check for any spelling or grammatical errors, and ensure that all the necessary information is included and accurate. Having a second and third pair of eyes review your brochure beforehand to catch mistakes or provide feedback is always a good idea.
Catch and release
Once you're happy with the design and content of your brochure, download it for print or share it digitally, and watch the responses flood in. Make sure to save your design in a widely accepted printable file format that's easy for printers, such as .pdf or .jpeg.
To do that, tap on the File name menu item and open the Export dropdown.
Select your file format and save.
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If you're printing, choose a high-quality printing service or print your brochures at home with your own printer.
You can distribute digital brochures via email to your newsletter audience. We also recommend transforming them into social media posts for the platforms your audience uses (like Facebook, Instagram, or even LinkedIn for your work events).
Linearity Curve's ready-made template designs have multiple variations for various platforms, so search the Templates Hub for the different versions of your design.
Use relevant hashtags to get your brochure trending on social media.
You're officially a marketing wizard
Great job, you just made your first brochure. But as any business owner knows, it's just the start. The only limit is your imagination, so keep exploring and experimenting with your brochure designs. Don't be afraid to push the boundaries of what a brochure can be.
With Linearity Curve as your tool and your creativity as your guide, you can design brochures that will get any business popping.
Don't forget to share your masterpieces with us—we can't wait to see what you come up with.
Jumpstart your ideas with Linearity Curve
Take your designs to the next level.
Frequently asked questions
Garreth van Niekerk
Contributing Writer
One of GQ's 'Young Creatives To Watch' and described as a "Creative Force" by the Sunday Times, author, designer and marketer Garreth van Niekerk is a contributor for Linearity in Johannesburg.
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