You may think that design and communication are two quite different marketing disciplines, but when it comes to producing a leaflet, brochure or poster – or any piece of marketing collateral – it is essential that both are employed in equal measure, and are seamlessly combined, in order to achieve an effective result.

The Brief is key
There are many tried and tested brief templates in existence but the essentials include:-

Objectives – what is it we want to achieve, what are we aiming to do?
Audience – who is it we are trying to influence, motivate or impress?
Proposition – what exactly are we offering, what is our message?
Call to action – what do we want the reader to do (visit, phone, buy?)
Mandatories – Any specifics that are written in stone – addresses, phone numbers, sizes, etc.

A comprehensive, considered brief will ensure you get a good result first time, saving you time and money!

First impressions count
In a world stuffed full of leaflets and brochures, it is essential that yours stands out. Good design and good communication will go a long way to ensuring you get noticed. The best design is often the simplest design – we don’t need to see myriad pictures, differing type styles and every colour in the rainbow. A good quality, appropriate photograph or illustration, combined with a punchy, relevant headline can say so much more about your product or business.

Keep it brief
Your audience doesn’t have time to wade through reams of copy. Give them the facts in an engaging style and use bullet points to get the salient details across where possible. Less is more so resist the temptation to waffle and pad out the leaflet just to fill up some space!

Pictures tell a thousand words
But only if they are relevant and well shot (professionally if possible). You might well be pleased with your snaps, but do they really convey the right impression about your business or the services you offer? You employ an accountant to do your accounts, so use a photographer to take your photographs!

Keep things consistent
If you have a company logo, use it but don’t adapt or change it just for the sake of it. If you produce leaflets on a regular basis, make sure you use the same typefaces and branding. A consistent message is a more effective message and continuity of style can reinforce this.

Always have a clear call to action
We want the potential customer to read the leaflet, but we also want them to do something as a result. That might be just to bear you in mind for the future, but preferably they should, call or email you / send for more information / visit your web site. Whatever it is, we need to ensure the information is accurate and visible for them to respond.

We have only scratched the surface with a few basic principles which we hope will act as a guide when considering how to go about designing and producing marketing literature. We would be more than happy to expand on any of the points covered or help you with any issues regarding design and communication. Visit our website or call Alex Wall on 01283 585420