Brochures and magazines – The end point of having a brochure, magazine, advert, anything you want people to read, is for them to take an action. This action might be to buy your product, patronize your services, or gain knowledge on a certain information you want to pass. Whichever action it is, the only way they can take action is if they read whatever it is you’re bringing to the table. And just a Jane Cleland, a design expert has pointed out, not everybody reads. Especially in this age where the reading culture is gradually fading out, it takes more effort to get people to read anything. And truth is, you can’t force them. For the sake of this article, brochures and magazines will be focused on.
So, a quick question: how do you get people to know about your business or an information? Quick answer: design a brochure or a magazine. But people don’t read these days, what should you do then? Simple answer: design an eye-catching brochure or magazine. Last question: how do you design an eye-catching brochure or magazine? Answer: read this article to the end.
In this article, you will discover 10 simple keys to designing eye-catchy, above-your-expectation-kind-of-results bringing brochures and magazines. So, dive right in
KEY #1: Have a Well-Defined Purpose
What are you creating a brochure for? What’s the point of a magazine? To what end? Having a well-defined purpose and objective for your brochure/ magazine will point you in the right direction. It’s like the foundation to having a great design. It determines your choice of colours, photos, font and content.
KEY #2: Know Your Customers/Readers
You don’t want to spend so much time and money designing and printing brochures and magazines and end up without readers, do you? Who are your targeted readers? Are you looking at investment bankers, market women, students, real estate owners? Remember, it’s not about you but about your customers and readers.
KEY #3: Don’t Mess with Fonts!
Font styles are very important in design. While you may want to be creative and unique, it is important to use the right font style for your design. Have in mind that there are particular styles that suite different concept. The font for a charity magazine/brochure would be clearly different from that of a fashion or food magazine. It is advised to use at most 3 fonts throughout the design.
KEY #4: Don’t Start a War of Colours:
You don’t go with a colour for your brochure/ magazine simply because it’s your favourite colour. Colour speaks. It’s what makes your design stand out or stand down. They represent your brand’s tone and the energy you want to send out. The colour wheel is a great tool for selecting the right colour combo.
KEY #5: Invest in Quality Photography
You will be half interested in a brochure or magazine with poor quality photos. Basically, it will be laughable and not taken seriously. Use the right pictures to represent your information and concepts in the right shades.
KEY #6: Content. Content. Content.
The value of a well thought out content cannot be overemphasized. It is the flesh of your design. It’s where the information about your business concept, pricing, benefits and other relevant information can be found. Here, choice of words matter. Stay away from complex words. Be straight forward if it’s a text. If your contents are photos, please refer to KEY #5 to guide you.
KEY #7: Do Not Underestimate the Power of a Good Copy.
Do you want people to keep flipping the pages of your magazine? Do you want have more readers daily? Do you want people to take the right action after reading your contents? Then use the right copy.
KEY #8: Make your Cover/Front Page Big, Bold and Beautiful.
When it comes to brochures and magazines, people judge by its cover. It is where you make your first impression. Once you nail it, your brochure/magazine becomes irresistible.
KEY #9: Make a Call to Action:
As you’ve read at the top, the end point is an action of purchase or patronage at most. Don’t miss out stating your price and making a call to action.
KEY #10: Don’t Do It Yourself:
Get a professional hand on your job. It saves you time and money. A professional will help you realize that dream idea for your business and translate it into that eye-catching design that will yield results. For starters, you can contact Lead Web Praxis Media Limited for this. Check out their successful designs on www.leadwebpraxis.com