Brochures may seem like a relic from the past, yet they still play an important role in marketing and advertising. Despite many online resources, brochures remain a valuable tool for organisations to promote their products and services.

Top five reasons why brochures are still relevant

1. They are physical objects – Unlike a website or an email, a brochure is held and can be passed around. This tangibility makes them more memorable in communicating information. A brochure can be left with your customer, allowing them to read later, whereas a website may be forgotten or lost in a sea of open tabs.
2. Cost-effective – Brochures can be printed in bulk and distributed at a relatively low cost, making them a great option for organisations with limited marketing budgets.
3. Complement your digital marketing strategies – They can be used to drive online traffic by including QR codes or website addresses. You can then measure how effectively your brochure has engaged with your audience.
4. Reach a wider audience – Brochures can be distributed in public places such as trade shows or events, or through targeted mail, reaching potential customers who may not be online.
5. Increase brand awareness – Brochures are a great way to showcase your organisation’s branding, design aesthetic and credibility.

A brochure that Systematic designed for Premier Education Group

Brochure design

Designing a brochure can be challenging but by following a few key guidelines, you can create an effective and visually appealing brochure that communicates your message:

1.  Determine the purpose of the brochure – Are you launching a new product or service? Are you providing information about your organisation? What message do you want to communicate to your audience? When you have this clearly in mind it’s much easier to design a brochure that supports the message.
2. Consider the layout and structure of your brochure – The layout should be clear and easy to follow with a clear hierarchy. Graphic designers often use a typographic grid to organise text and images in a consistent and organised way. The grid is also an important tool for creating hierarchy and structure in the brochure, and can improve readability and legibility, as well as supporting variety in the layout. A brochure is a physical object and there are many different types of folds to consider such as the z-fold, gate fold, or half fold.
3. Design elements – Keep it simple, clean and professional. Use a limited colour palette and choose high-quality images that support your key themes and messaging. Use typography that’s easy to read and has a clear hierarchy, to make reading the brochure straightforward. Stick to just a few typefaces which are used consistently, to avoid your brochure looking cluttered and unprofessional.
4. Include a call to action – What is the intended outcome from reading the brochure? Do readers need to call you, or send an email? A prominent call to action is an important part of the design.
5. Proofread – Remember to proofread and edit the brochure before it goes to print. A brochure may be the first impression someone has of your organisation and any spelling or grammar errors would look amateurish.

A brochure that Systematic designed for IPS Group UK Ltd

Thinking about the sustainability of your brochures

• Sustainable specification – Embrace the benefits of a paper-based marketing resource. Paper is one of the few truly sustainable products, as wood is a natural and renewable material. We’ll work with you to arrive at a sustainable print specification so that we can give you access to Love Paper® branding. Adding this logo to your artwork shows that you are part of a global movement, whilst reinforcing that you care about the environment and use products from the sustainable paper industry. Read more about this opportunity here.
• Mailing efficiency – One of the distribution methods for your brochures may be mailing. If that’s the case, there are approaches that we can factor in to their design and print specification, to improve efficiency and sustainability, click here for the details.

In summary

Brochures remain relevant because they are tangible, can reach a wide audience, are cost-effective, increase brand awareness, and can complement digital marketing strategies. Brochures are something of a speciality at Systematic and designing them is our kind of challenge! We have specialist knowledge in all areas of printing as well as access to a huge range of paper stocks and print suppliers, so you can be confident that we’ll use the perfect stock and print process for your brochure. Our creative team can recommend print finishes and touches that will elevate the design to leave a lasting impression with your customers. And with sustainability front and centre at Systematic, rest assured we will recommend the most eco-friendly options. At Systematic we can manage the entire process for you from design, through to print and distribution.