What are the Do's and Don'ts of Corporate Brochure Design?

Designing a brochure is probably one of the more rewarding projects in the field of graphic design. There is nothing more gratifying than creating something you can grasp, touch, and read. Plus, design is more than just a layout; it encompasses texture and feeling that digital projects like website design can't convey. However, a perfectly designed brochure can be intimidating. In addition to the usual design project considerations that need to be taken into account, there are some things specific to print projects that need to be taken into account. Today, Zhonghui Design (Beijing Zhonghui Avenue Consulting Co., Ltd.) introduces ten useful tips for improving your brochure design!

Original Design by Midway Design

1. Know the print specification

Unlike designs that rely on digital media such as website design, you need to know exactly what your budget is and what you are allowed to print. This can affect quantity, size, paper stock and results.

Recommendation: Set up a manual specification for the project at the very beginning, and be clear about what you need and what you're going to create from the outset.

Consider things like paper size, folds and bleed plates. It's important to know what your printer can do before delving into the design process. For thicker, smaller style booklets, you may also need to consider the form in which the pages will be assembled.

2. Carefully consider the needs of the user

The form and distribution of the brochure design should reflect the wishes of the audience. Even designs that look like traditional paper brochures can be digitally converted with the interactive features of PDF format. If you need to distribute brochures to your audience, consider a size and format that will fit easily in a pocket or bag.

Finally, thicker or tougher, multi-page or larger sizes may be more appropriate for stakeholders or key partners.

The last thing to consider is the audience - consider the age of the audience. Are they young or old? This will affect the type size and overall feel of the design.

3. Use high-quality elements

You can't afford to use low-quality elements in the production of your print. A low-resolution photo or illustration can easily detract and ruin the overall visual.

So everything you use needs to be high quality and high definition to ensure your brochure design looks great. This includes images, illustrations, icons, logos, fonts and a clear color palette.

While you won't be able to achieve exact specifications and a uniform print method depending on the project, generally the images and design elements you want need to be at least 300 DPI in size.

4. Use textures

There are many physical features that you can include in your print booklet design. These elements help to increase the perceived value of the information to the reader as it is highly visually appealing to the reader.

Consider these effects:

- Foil: add glossy fonts or elements to a section of the design.

- UV dots: use a special gloss or matte in the design.

- Foil: a raised imprint on some part of the design.

- Folding: there is no limit to the form of folding, and interesting folding patterns can encourage user engagement.

- Paper: Different textured paper types can set the tone of the project.

- Die cut: cut out parts of the design to create a mysterious transport through something else.

5. Don't forget the call to action

One of the most common factors in print publications is the call to action. What is the purpose of the manual? What should the user do after seeing or reading it?

You need to make them understand the purpose of the call to action. Whether it's going somewhere to an event or calling a phone number, identify what the user should do and encourage that behavior throughout the design process.

The more pages or layouts you design, the more repetitive calls to action should increase accordingly.

6. Consider display pathways

Where will users see or pick up your book?

Create a graphic design that still works in that environment.

One of the most common problems with brochure design is forgetting that most brochure designs need to be able to work for multiple avenues of presentation.

Make sure that key visuals and information can be easily seen and read when pulled from the medium of presentation.

Another key consideration is scale and size. How large does the brochure need to be designed? What is its optimum distance to maximize the user's attention? Design elements should be scaled.

7. Stick to the visual theme

Apply white or highly visual colors? Make a single design or prepare multiple versions?

Find a theme for the brochure design you are preparing and stick to it. This is important whether you are thinking about the design from page to page, such as the cover and interior pages should follow the same theme, or you page can plan to create multiple versions of a similar brochure.

A unified theme sets the tone for the brochure and provides a consistent user experience for the reader.

8. Prove it and prove it again

There's nothing more embarrassing than finding a typo or an error and discovering it after the brochure has been printed.

Print and verify the design. Then give it to someone else to repeat the process of verifying and checking. Printing errors are quite expensive and you should avoid them as much as possible.

9. Choose high-quality paper

Believe me, the quality of the paper you choose can affect the success of the user's acceptance of the design and information. In addition, it can also affect the technology used in the design process.

As a rule of thumb, thicker paper is more flexible in the use of color and printing techniques. At the same time, this paper quality can make it feel more expensive and impress users. But that doesn't necessarily mean thicker paper is better.

Sometimes you may need a lower thickness or quality, especially if the high hit volume is large or if it needs to be mass-distributed to a large audience.

When picking the style and style of paper, think about what message it conveys and can they be matched?

10. Designing for print

Remember that the ultimate purpose of the graphic brochure you are designing is to be printed. Use CMYK format colors, create a bleed plate, and, if necessary, be mindful of how to continue readability in broken or creased elements.

Sometimes it's hard to imagine what a complex print design would look like in real life. Whenever possible, create a copy at each key step to ensure that the elements and pages in the brochure look as expected.

Sometimes effects such as letterpress can look interesting, or die-cutting can create an oddly spacious design element. Pay attention and look for special issues that need to be addressed during the design process so that your print job is successful.

Summary

Booklet design can be fun, but there is a lot to consider. When you are faced with doubts, lean towards a simpler design which can be easier to visualize how it will actually print and prepare everything for the pre-press process.