5 Steps to great brochure design « Back to list

Everyone in the business world will have experienced just how effective brochures can be at one point or another.  It’s no secret that this kind of marketing material is used all around the world in thousands of different industries and has proven to be successful time and time again. The most important thing to consider when designing a brochure cannot be defined by one thing, but rather – it is a process. In today’s blog post we take a look at everything you need to know about designing brochures and the process.

 Steps to designing the perfect brochure

1. Choose a software tool

With the large quantity of available software tools that can facilitate brochure design, like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark Xpress, and Microsoft Publisher, some business owners decide to design and create their own brochure design. There’s nothing wrong with this if you know what you are doing. Before you decide what exactly it is you’re going to do – research these software tools and find out which best suit your needs.

If you decide that you don’t have the ability to do this well – then don’t do it at all. Get some help from professional designers and you can still have input on your brand new brochure.

2. Know and understand your print size

All too often businesses have trouble understanding what design size means in relation to print size. You need to get familiar with printing sizes, for example – don’t use an 8.5mm x 11mm layout and submit it for printing on 8mm x 10mm paper.  Your print resolution may well be compromised that when your printer has to stretch or shrink a brochure layout to fit the paper, so get to grips with print size before it’s too late. We offer you the opportunity to follow our templates to ensure you get your sizing right or download print size guide.

3. Allow for bleed

Lots of people don’t fully understand what is meant by the term bleed. It’s easy to think of bleed as an insurance policy to ensure your print looks its best but what is bleed and how can you control it? Well, the process of printing brochures involves printing together in sheets and following this – slicing into single units. The blade that cuts out each brochure is accurate but when cutting thousands of pieces – it is inevitable that it will fluctuate slightly over the course of the order. In order to keep your insurance policy – you must allow for bleed. To do this you should expand your brochure design slightly beyond the established page borders. When we cut each page you’ll have solid ink coverage from edge to edge. Designing your brochure with an extra 1/8 inch of coverage beyond each edge is recommended.

4. Using high resolution images

It’s not an option – it’s a requirement. Poor image resolution means poor quality and no one keeps a poor quality leaflet. The use of high-resolution images in your layout is a critical step toward creating a professional looking final brochure, the last thing you want is out pixilated images. If your brochure is for your business– you need high def images of this product or service. This is personal and professional and by far the best approach, using stock photos whilst cost effective – will not give your brochure or indeed your brand a professional appeal.

 5. Paper

Paper comes in all shapes, sizes, weights and textures. You probably aren’t aware of the possibilities so it’s important to familiarise yourself with the type of paper available to you and your brochure and what effect it could potentially have. For example, using a heavier paper may create a more professional and expensive looking brochure but in fact – it could be much more cost effective than you think. We have a wide range of luxury papers available at Digital Printing.

Remember

Originality and creativity are admired in the brochure world. A brochure is a chance to explore your business identity and bring brand awareness so rise to the challenge. Or – if you think you don’t have the in house talent to do all this – call on the professionals.

If you need help, advice or general information on printing high quality brochures or any other material, simply speak to our expert team today who are always on hand to help. You can also keep up to date with all the latest news here at Digital Printing, by connecting with us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.