Discover the most essential elements of a good brochure design
A good brochure design will attract interest and be easy to scan. A poor brochure design may not get past the gatekeeper or user at all. So what makes a great brochure design? Here are six of the key elements that every designer should know about when putting together a brochure:
- Fonts: Titles and body text should use Sans-serif typeface for its pleasant, crisp, and clean appearance. Serif fonts are best reserved for body copy for their more elegant appeal;
- Size: The font size should be clear to read without hovering over it or squinting one's eyes. A good rule of thumb when choosing a font size is to take the height of the text and divide it by two, then add two lines of space. If you were going to print this on an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper, you'd have 10 points for the title, 6 points for sub-title if needed and 4 points for body copy.
- Color: The best colors to use in brochures are black and white or tints of these colors as they are easiest on the eyes. Avoid using reds, blues or other bright colors as they can be distracting and overwhelming. If you must use color, limit it to a small section of the brochure and make sure it relates to the message in that area.
- Size: A common mistake made in brochures is to enlarge photographs or render them too big for the space. If you are going to include photos, make sure that each one has a purpose and does not detract from your message. The same goes for other design elements like charts and graphs. If you need to include charts or graphs, make sure they are legible and easy to understand.
"Some designs were just so cluttered with information that we weren't able to read the entire brochure. If the information fell in your lap you were going to read it, but we found that the information was not clear or concise enough that it made us want to pick up the brochure and read it. It did its job."
- Columns: Too many large columns can be overwhelming and make a brochure difficult to scan. So keep them simple by keeping the content in one column and adding columns if necessary for subheadings or a more detailed list of facts. The exception to this is when using a table as a layout for certain sections of your brochure where keeping three columns would be beneficial.
- Lists: Lists of three or four items are best for people's short attention spans. If a list has more than four items, consider breaking it up into a few easy to read sub lists.
- White Space: White space is critical to a good design as it not only allows your eye relief from the surrounding text and images, but also helps your brochure look inviting and easy to read.
- Graphics: The best graphics are eye catching photos that have relevance to the brochure's message. Graphical elements should be used sparingly if at all to avoid looking cluttered or distracting the reader.
"The best brochures were the ones that had a layout that made the information inviting and easy to read. They didn't bog you down with too much information or too many graphics that distracted you from the main focus of the brochure."
- Use graphics sparingly, or not at all in some cases - The use of images can be very helpful in grabbing a reader's attention, but only if they are relevant to your message. The visuals should not detract from becoming a source of confusion for your reader, but rather clarify your message and inform them of key details. Not only can photos be used to illustrate products or services, but they can also show individuals enjoying these goods and services.
- Organize your information - By organizing your information effectively, you can allow your reader to scan the brochure quickly and accurately. Headlines, sub-headings and bullet points are some of the ways that you can do this. When using the techniques of organization, be sure to make them succinct so that they will not confuse or mislead.
- Make it look inviting - A good brochure will be easy to scan and visually pleasing; not just in content but also in its design. You can achieve this by using white space as well as font size, typeface and color to create contrast between your images, text and advertising copy.