A Complete Guide To Design Your Brochure

Posted on: May 10, 2021 8:54 am

Brochure Design | Kaizen Brand Evolution

When we think of traditional printed marketing collateral, Brochures are the first thing that comes to mind. Brochures are an integral part of marketing for a company despite the growing popularity of various online marketing tools. With brochures, we can capture the attention of potential users. A brochure with captivated visual effects proves to be the most effective as it contains product-specific information. Your brochure or booklet focuses on the business and services. With the help of best brochure design, you can bag the undivided attention of your customers, unlike producing a product advertisement in magazines and newspapers. Moreover, a brochure is a cost-effective way for a small and emerging company having a tight budget. 

The objective of printing a brochure;

  • The ultimate aim of effective marketing campaigns is to emphasize customer interactions. Likewise, brochures are another way of interacting with customers. Ensure that your printed brochure should have an interesting pitch, precise information, appropriate graphics, and a call to action.
  • In addition, if we compare reading content from emails or websites to a printed brochure, it is far easier to read from a brochure. Brochures are versatile pieces of information utilized for promoting more or less all sorts of products and services and different venues like reception desks, academic events, and any other promotional event in that matter. 

By now, we have become familiar with the power of a brochure. But choosing the best brochure design and fold to get the perfect result is a real deal! Because there are different types of brochures available in 6 folds.

Let’s take a look at some compelling brochure folds-

  • Gatefold Brochures – This type of brochure is durable as made up of premium quality paper. Gatefolds are for high-end marketing. However, its unique feature of inward folding makes it compact, and thus, it becomes easy for a person to carry around. It has an 8-panel structure with adequate space for describing your product and services. It also contains complementary images. 

The other specification of a Gatefold is –

  1. It has graphics-heavy designs and menus with comprehensive visuals like landscape images and architectural layouts.
  1. Its standard size is 8.5’’ * 11’’.
  1. A Gatefold is also known as the Window fold. It usually works great for a single product presentation. The width of its central panels’ measures doubles from the side panels.
  • Bi-Fold Brochures- The extended version of the Bi-Fold brochure is a booklet. A booklet contains multiple pages, and it looks more like a magazine. However, as the name suggests, the Bi-Fold brochure has 2 folds that form 4 panels. It consists of- two internal panels, a front panel and a back panel. You can describe your product and brand in the space given on the inner panel. It is the most conventional type of brochure as it contains more space for product description.

Its other specifications are – 

  1. It is inclusive of a single sheet of paper. The single sheet of paper gets to fold twice and is also known as the Half Fold.
  1. The standard brochure size is similar to the GateFold, that is, 8.5’’ * 11’’.
  1. It suits best for manufacturing product sheets as they have rich content, specs, and photos. Also, it is convenient for simple product presentations, pricing, programs, city maps, and real estate offerings.
  • Tri-Fold Brochures– These brochures are the next version of bi-fold brochures as it contains 6 panels. The Brochures with more panels contain more information. Because of this feature, Tri-fold brochures seem to be the muse of most large organizations. 

Some other specifications are-

  1. Since it has 6 panels, a single sheet is divided into 3 folds, as the name is suggesting. The three sections of the brochure will be outside, inside, and both zipped.
  1. Its popular sizes are 8.5’’ * 14’’, 11’’ * 17’’, and 11’’ * 25.5’’. 
  1. It does not contain many visuals hence is used for a simple product presentation. 
  • Flyers and leaflets- These brochures are different from other brochure formats. They are generally used to target a large audience. Flyers and leaflets are single-page brochures used for small-scale marketing. However, they are predominant as they reach many people. If you consider them a part of your promotional campaign, make a distinctive design to create the difference.

Other specifications are- 

  1. Its standard size is A4. 
  1. Either you hand it out to your target audience or insert it with print media( newspaper, magazine)
  1. They are one of the most effective ways to promote your product. These leaflets contain product information and announcements only.
  • Folders and Inserts- If you want your event, conference, or exhibition to gain attention, then folders and inserts are the best way to advertise your enterprise uniquely. These brochures have an appealing feature of folders within them. Further, the printed sheets that contain information about the topic go inside the folders and are called inserts. 

Other specification-

  1. You can insert feedback and free coupons in the folder as well. They are considered ideal and credible for presenting business material. 
  • Z Fold Brochure- This brochure, as the name suggests, folds like the letter ‘Z.’ It has a 3-panel zig-zag fold, exemplary to show lists, user manuals, and technical specifications. 

Other specifications-

  1. Since it is a 3-panel fold, it folds using the document folding method that includes two parallel folds to create six panels(three panels on each side). These six panels have equal sizes. 
  1. The way this brochure fold gives an aesthetic appeal, like the Accordion! Its 3 panels have ample space to write about your product.

Well! By now, you are aware of the types of brochure fold you will use for your next campaign. But what about the design? It is crucial to give attention to your brochure design as the perfect design will enhance the appearance of your brochure.

Here are some of the best brochure design tips- 

  1. Do not try to infuse many colors. Although your brochure should look appealing, a simple color correction can make you achieve the target. Always use brand colors to design the brochure.
  2. Try not to use an artistic font. Too artistic an approach for a font would spoil the readability. And eventually, that can lead to a blunder. Choose a classic style of font to give an appealing look. 
  3. Put graphics, images, and illustrations in an equal proportion. Too much of any one thing will spoil the visuals. 
  4. Always add the Call-to-Action! Do not ever forget that.

Although, if you need a little professional help, take help from Kaizen Brand Evolution! We have expertise and knowledge of the brochure designs and folds.