Easy Design Tips for Creating Brochures for Your Business

Every business needs a brochure to market their goods and services. A brochure contains design elements to capture the attention of their intended audience. Brochures entice prospective clients to probe deeper into the content by reading further about a topic or getting contact information about the company.

A well-designed brochure should contain effective color contrast, images, and text to communicate a succinct positive message. Businesses used to hire graphic artists to design their brochures; but since the advent of the PC, small businesses have saved themselves the cost of designing their brochures by doing it in-house using Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Word, and Adobe In-Design. Businesses only need to invest time in making their brochures look professional.

Brochures can increase brand awareness and keep merchandise in the public eye when used in conjunction with other marketing campaign strategies. Before creating brochures, consider the different formats such as pamphlets, checkout brochures, response brochures, mass mailed brochures, and visual aid brochures for presentations that can increase a customer's buying potential. Pamphlets, or pocket-sized brochures also called tracts, is an 8in X 11 sheet printed on both sides that are folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, known as a leaflet. Brochures can range from three to eight panels, with the latter used primarily for formal presentations.

Politicians usually leave tracts behind as they go from house to house talking to people who are willing to open the door. A salesperson will drop off tracts at checkout counters to grab the attention of customers leaving the grocery store.

Response brochures answer inquiries of prospective customers who already have an interest and want to learn more. Brochures that are produced for mass mailings have high-quality graphics, photographs, and content that describes the company's goods or services.

Understanding the different types of brochures will improve any business' marketing potential.

Brochures increase brand awareness in the public eye.
Create a standard tri-fold brochure for tracts and mass mailed brochures.
Use multiple fold brochures for quality presentations.

Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher are the easiest software to make attractive, affordable brochures. Before you begin, remember fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Century is popular typefaces because they are simple in design and easy to read. The general rule of thumb for layout design is to use 12-point font for text, 10-point for captions, and 14 to 22-point fonts for headlines.

Focus the content on educating or informing the target audience about the company's products and services. Avoid overly hyped sales pitch and unsupported claims. Use captions and bullet points to convey a clear message. Incorporate real testimonials by customers. List a money-back guarantee and a return policy to ease the concerns of prospective customers. Look out for any defects when printing the brochures; discard any with smudge marks, faded lettering, and blurred pictures.

Choose an easy-to-read font.
Use 12-point font for text, 10-point font for captions, and 14 to 22-point font for headlines.
Avoid overly hyped sales pitch and unsupported claims.
List a money-back guarantee and return policy in an obvious place.

Businesses can create their own brochures in Microsoft Word 2007 by following these easy steps:

Step 1: Open the Microsoft Word program.
Step 2: Navigate to Page Layout . Click on Margins and select Narrow.
Step 3: Click on Orientation and select Landscape .
Step 4: Select Page Color and then choose the desired color.
Step 5: Navigate to Insert and then select Text Box . Next, select Simple Text Box from the Built-In pop up box. Set the size of text box to 3.5 inches to create a standard tri-fold brochure. Drag the text box to the right-hand side. Type relevant text into the box itself.
Step 6: Right click on the text box and then choose Formal Text Box at the bottom of the menu. Choose the desired background and outline.
Step 7: Select the Text Box tab while still in the Format Text Box window. Select the text align center of the text box.
Step 8: Navigate to the Shapes button and then add a rectangle. Choose the size of the document's length and then select a height and fill color. Right click and set the box behind the text from the Order option.
Step 9: Add at least three text boxes for tri-fold brochures, or set the default text box to three columns to align the text boxes. Repeat the instructions in Step 4 to add more text boxes.
Step 10: Add text and images as desired.

Businesses can incorporate the same principles into Microsoft Publisher 2003 with these easy steps:

Step 1: Launch the Microsoft Publisher 2003 program. Select Publications for Print and then select Brochures . Choose a design that resonates with the business's goods and services.
Step 2: Choose a three or four panel brochure. Choose to include the customer's address on the brochure panel. Click the appropriate form and then add it to the brochure. Click Color Schemes and then select the desired color. Click on Font Schemes and then choose the desired font.
Step 3: Arrange the title of the brochure to look presentable to an audience. The title should convey a clear message to the target audience. Click on the pieces of the design to move them accordingly and then drag them to their new position. Click on Select Objects button on the toolbar to move multiple objects. Click on the Text Box icon and then drag it to the appropriate location on the screen.
Step 4: Align the boxes neatly. Click on View and then Boundaries and Guides to display how the brochure will look without the non-printing elements on the page.
Step 5: To recolor a series of images to a monochromatic look, click on Format Picture and the Picture tab. Next, select the Recolor button. Select the desired color from the Color drop down list. Click OK .
Step 6: Choose Format, Styles and Formatting and then Modify to change the formatting of the text.
Step 7: Proofread by using spell and grammar check to ensure an error-free brochure.
Step 8: Print the brochure.

If a business doesn't have the resources to hire a graphic artist or if they don't have an employee to create brochures in-house, the third option is to find a reputable online printing company. Many online printing services offer competitive prices and discounts. Online printing companies will allow businesses to create brochures by choosing from a selection of templates; although it might be easy and convenient, customizable brochure design comes with a steep fee. Be sure to ask for a sample brochure before placing bulk orders.