Brochures: A Versatile Marketing Tool

By Jerry Veit - Graphic Designer
Posted on November 29, 2023

Brochures are versatile marketing tools that can be distributed at trade shows or placed into brochure racks at your business. Their portable nature also allows people to grab them to read at their convenience.

Other than being an informative or sales driven resource, they can also be used for restaurant menus, invitations, maps, or instructions.

While brochures can vary in style from bi-fold and tri-fold to the accordion fold, which can showcase four or more panels, they all follow a common format.

• The front panel displays the company name and logo with a topic headline or imagery.
• Inner panels support the headline or goal of the brochure. Advertising products, prices, services, or acting as an informative, “about us” piece.
• The back panel usually has contact info and a call to action.

One of the things to keep in mind is the limited space for copy. Supportive text less than 450 words with images and white space can be more impactful than a wall of words. Break up the text with bullet points or subheads.

Typefaces should be limited to 1 or 2 while utilizing their weights for visual appeal (bold, regular, italic). Sometimes if the subhead is a serif face the body copy will use a sans-serif, and vice versa.

Some brochures can be so enticing that people actually want to keep them. A high-quality glossy paper with hi-res color imagery or informative charts and timelines tend to spark the scholar in us all who likes to collect resources. These can be the evolution of a product or brand, conversion charts or helpful tips.

As with any printed material, always proofread to ensure that the brochure is free of spelling and grammatical errors, and that the information is accurate and the message is clear.

Here are some ideas you could include in your brochure:

• Descriptions of products, services, exhibits or attractions
• Pricing
• Itinerary
• Narrative (history)
• Checklists and questionnaires
• Images, illustrations, charts, graphs and maps
• FAQs
• Company blurb
• Case studies, testimonials, client list or staff bios
• A tear-off tab (coupon, contest entry, mail-in order or sign-up)