Direct Marketing - How to Do Simple Graphics for a Brochure
Saturday, November 23, 2013
A well-designed print brochure is much more likely to grab the attention of its intended audience. That's because these brochures always employ some basic graphic design techniques that make sure the most important information is emphasized in the most eye-catching way. Thankfully, you don't have to be a graphic design expert to accomplish these design techniques. Usually, the simplest graphics techniques are all you need.
1
Look through readily-available clip art, such as the clip art gallery offered in Microsoft Word, or use photographs you have taken yourself. Save time and energy by using appropriate clip art images already available to you. Or, if you use photos, be sure to format them properly in software such as Adobe Photoshop. The photos should be at least 300 dpi in size for a print brochure.
2
Keep your fonts consistent. You may not think that graphic design elements apply to the actual type, but they do. In fact, the type might be the most important graphic element of the brochure. Use no more than three different fonts throughout the document. Format the fonts into proper headlines, subheads and body text. In general, sans serif fonts are best for headlines (because they capture the eye more easily), while serif fonts are good for body text.
3
Pay attention to the space between elements. Too little space will make your document appear too cluttered and will turn off a prospective reader. Likewise, inconsistently spaced elements will make the document look sloppy. Use guides and rulers within the software you are using to create the brochure to ensure the spacing between headlines, text, photos and other elements is consistent.
4
Make sure the most important points in the brochure are reflected by the design. For example, make a compelling quote or statement into a "pull quote" that is broken out of the text and highlighted in a larger font, perhaps in a different color. Likewise, make sure your headlines are concise and compelling. A person should be able to understand what the brochure is about simply by reading the headlines, seeing any photos or clip art and reading any pull quotes.
Tags:
Direct Marketing, Marketing
1
Look through readily-available clip art, such as the clip art gallery offered in Microsoft Word, or use photographs you have taken yourself. Save time and energy by using appropriate clip art images already available to you. Or, if you use photos, be sure to format them properly in software such as Adobe Photoshop. The photos should be at least 300 dpi in size for a print brochure.
2
Keep your fonts consistent. You may not think that graphic design elements apply to the actual type, but they do. In fact, the type might be the most important graphic element of the brochure. Use no more than three different fonts throughout the document. Format the fonts into proper headlines, subheads and body text. In general, sans serif fonts are best for headlines (because they capture the eye more easily), while serif fonts are good for body text.
3
Pay attention to the space between elements. Too little space will make your document appear too cluttered and will turn off a prospective reader. Likewise, inconsistently spaced elements will make the document look sloppy. Use guides and rulers within the software you are using to create the brochure to ensure the spacing between headlines, text, photos and other elements is consistent.
4
Make sure the most important points in the brochure are reflected by the design. For example, make a compelling quote or statement into a "pull quote" that is broken out of the text and highlighted in a larger font, perhaps in a different color. Likewise, make sure your headlines are concise and compelling. A person should be able to understand what the brochure is about simply by reading the headlines, seeing any photos or clip art and reading any pull quotes.
