5 Reasons Brochure Design Is Important
Brochures have long been a staple of a traditional printed marketing campaign and they remain crucial despite the growth of online marketing initiatives. But why? Northern Print Solutions looks into brochure design.
The design of brochures remains a popular choice in the digital era because they remain incredibly versatile and particularly effective for service based, B2B industries.
Brochures are still important for the lead nurturing process that follows meeting somebody at a trade show or sales meeting – a well-executed brochure reminds that very prospect of your service and, additionally, what sets you apart.
- Enticing content
Although designers love to think that design is most important (in many ways it is), if the copy is littered with mistakes people will notice this over a poor design concept.
In the early stages, contemplate what style of writing you want to use for your brochure and how your readers will react to and engage with it. Copy comes as part and parcel of a strong design, so don’t consider them two separate elements – certainly not ones on different levels of importance.
- Pagination
For saddle stitched booklets there must be a multiple of four pages. Think about it, you have the front (page 1) and back (page 2) of the right side of the paper, with a crease down the middle to make the spine and then the front (page 3) and back (page 4) of the left side of the paper. So, the page numbering of your brochure will need to go up in ‘fours’ to ensure the correct ‘pagination’ throughout. Your brochure will be 4 pages, 8 pages, 12 pages, 16 pages and so on.
- Die cut
A die is a tool that cuts paper to any required bespoke size. There really aren’t any limits to using a die, other than the weight of the paper would govern how the die is made and applied to the stock. The die is built with metal pieces that pierce and cut the stock when direct pressure is applied – think of this as a huge cookie cutter!
The die cut option gives a totally unique finish. Although, we’ll be up front and say there is a higher initial cost to design and make your die, but once this has been made it can be used over and over again. Using a die cut design for a brochure front cover is one of the best ways to truly create something that people will want to pick up.
Surely, that’s the aim of every brochure ever printed…?
- Finishing and stock to match your message
There are hundreds of different ways to add a spark of individuality to your brochure, from hot foiling, embossing to die cutting and lamination.
Laminating is a process that covers the stock in a film and gives a great finish, as well as offering longevity to the brochure. The most common applications are matt, gloss and soft touch laminate.
Top tip: Laminating is also ideal for ensuring the print doesn’t crack around the spine if using a heavy print coverage of colours.
- Ensure your finishing and stock match the message you are sending.
We can’t tell you exactly what that will look like without understanding the project in depth first but as a general rule; If you are trying to exude high quality, excellent workmanship, selling a high class offering then using a heavy stock in brand colours with expertly implemented finishing is the way to go. Think about how much you want the reader to invest in you – you can’t claim to offer the most high class business proposal using the very cheapest print you could find.
In the same respect, a busy tool company selling discounted tools probably has a very different criteria. The criteria being to display as many of their discounted items as possible and get them to as many people as possible. Huge print runs, quickly turned around means a much cheaper stock is needed. The message is quick deals here and nothing more.
The last word
It is worth bearing in mind that a brochure with lots of pages (in quantities of four, don’t forget) will need to be bound in a different way than one with 20pp. The most basic and very suitable binding option is saddle stitch, which is when staples have been threaded through the spine to secure the pages.
For all brochures depending on the weight of the pages, you really want to look at a different binding option on anything from 32-48pp so you don’t get that horrible bowed page look in the middle of your beautiful brochure. A perfect bound option would be ideal (this does not need to be a multiple of four pages).
There are many different binding options whether your little beaut of a brochure is 16pp or 140pp. So, if you are looking for something a little different or just want to see how the leaves will look, give us a shout and we will be happy to help!
Whether that be wiro, perfect binding, lay flat binding, side stitching, plastic coil binding, tape binding, post binding, velo binding, ring binding. Ready to buy now? VISIT OUT ONLINE SHOP or if you need a bespoke quote….
