BE Interactive Consulting business cards.
BE Interactive Consulting wanted a strong graphic element to the front of their business cards as well as a logo representation of all the social media sites they most commonly use.
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Trimble Insurance business cards.
Trimble Insurance thank you notecards.
For Trimble Insurance we updated all of the employee cards, the corporate cards and the thank you notecards to include the new logo and layout.
We recently had the opportunity to work with SADORU on the launch of their website. While we didn’t work on the site directly (see NDesignPromo) we are providing many of their support materials including business cards, labels, flyers and video. Below is the first of many videos explaining the process, build quality and use of their signature product, the TANKHORN™. The Digital Dept. created the oval logo mark for labels and video, 3D logo animation sequence for their video intros, music and video editing.
SADORU’s focus is simple -Improve the experience for a rider during the physical task of riding a sport bike. The TANKHORN™ defines a new market category, and brings real world riding opportunities to the Sport bike community. It reduces body stress and improves rider comfort on extended rides.
Is this your first time creating a brochure? Or maybe you just need a few pointers to guide you along. The use of brochures is one of the most essential and effective forms of marketing right after digital marketing about which you can find more info of its relation with businesses on this weblink. The following are a few ideas to keep in mind as you go through the design process. 10 great tips that will help you produce a brochure that delivers the message you want.
1. Use Color:
Color is worth the investment. Color gets the attention of your reader. I’ve heard that the average mail recipient will spend seven seconds looking at your brochure deciding whether to act on it or not. You’re competing with all of the mail in the box and your brochure needs to be noticed. Nothing says look at me like a splash of color.
2. Use Photos: Use those seven seconds to your advantage. Don’t bog down your brochure with a lot of boring text. A generous helping of photos and other attention-getting graphical elements like headlines and use of bold will keep your audience interested.
3. Use Discretion:
Most people look at images first, then headlines, then body copy. Because of this, try to get your most important information and selling points across in the images and headlines. There’s no need to write a book when the images convey your message.
4. Use Less:
The most important rule of design that will get your audience’s attention during those crucial seven seconds is, Less Is More. Stick to three fonts or less for your brochure. Century Schoolbook, Century Expanded, Georgia, and Palatino are good, legible choices. Many people prefer to select a type “family” and use its components for different brochure elements (body text, headlines, captions). A type “family” includes specifically executed variations of a single typeface. For instance, the Arial family includes Arial, Arial Black, Arial Rounded MT Bold, and Arial Narrow.
5. Use Consistent Typefaces:
Don’t fill the small spaces of a folded brochure with big headlines that look like filler. Be consistent in your use of typefaces and sizes for headlines, body text, and captions; size 16 for headlines, size 12 for text, and size 10 for captions.
6. Use White Space Judiciously:
Break up the text with bullet points and keep paragraphs short. Use adequate line spacing to make your brochure attractive and legible, and don’t crowd elements on the page or push type together.
7. Use the Address Area to Your Advantage:
If you’re mailing your brochure, use the address area to include every bit of contact information you have: your return address, website, logo, and if you have one, your mission statement on the left side of the panel.
8. Beware the Fold:
I can’t tell you how many brochures I’ve seen where the edge of a photo is creased by a fold, or the text runs into a fold. You don’t want your message in the fold unless you’ve designed it that way. Whatever fold you’re using (bi- or tri-fold, z-fold, etc.), when you have your final design for proofing be sure you fold the brochure to check that your layout is correct.
9. Use a Proofreader:
Don’t waste your hard work with spelling errors, poor production, design mistakes, or incorrect information. Ask an independent person, preferably a professional who is in your target market to scan the brochure for any mistakes or design flaws. Also, ask the person to provide honest feedback and inquire if the content stimulates their interest. And if your brochure includes information on an event, be sure you confirm the date(s), time, and place before you send it to us. If you’re on a tight budget, triple-check that vital piece of information for accuracy. And finally, know the ‘chain of command’ for error-checking. If there is more than one person who approves communications such as brochures, create a list and be sure everyone who needs to has signed off on the final copy–literally signed on the final copy before it gets sent to us.
10. Use The Digital Dept. for Printing:
Just because you can print your brochure from your inkjet printer, doesn’t mean you should. This final tip really comes down to a decision based on your budget. But for the best print quality, at an affordable price, professional printing is the way to go. When you factor in the cost of ink, the cost of folding the brochures and applying labels yourself you can actually save a lot of money by letting us do the labor intensive work for you. You’ll get a professional looking brochure that will stand out from the rest.
While this post is geared toward the beginner, the tips here are used daily by beginners and professionals alike. They are intended as a guideline for you to get started. There are many other issues to be taken into consideration. For example, paper choice, use of stock designs and size are all things to think about. Please visit our website at www.digitaldept.com to see more brochure options.
If you’ve created a brochure for yourself or someone else, I’d like to hear from you. Please add your tips or comments below and I’ll try to address as many as I can.
I was recently asked “What kind of business card gets noticed now? Flat, multi-colored, embossed? I want our card to stay in my clients’ possession longer than our competitor. Have you noticed a trend? Any tips?” Which got me thinking, do you really want people to keep your card? I say no. You want them to call you.
Sure, they need to keep your card in order to have it when they are ready to call, but we really want action from that card. If they keep your card because of a unique design or a special shape, most likely it will sit in a drawer with a pile of other cool cards that barely get looked at again. Don’t misunderstand me here, great design can be part of it. In fact it should be part of it. Get noticed, stand out and be different. But that’s just the first part of it. Now you need a call to action.
Adding marketing oriented text and graphics to business cards pays off. Some companies like to put phrases like:
“Visit Today!”
“Stop by and see us!”.
I ask, why? Why should someone visit you? People are busy. They know you want them to come see you, check out the lated models and leave hundreds of dollars poorer. Give them a reason to come in.
These phrases are much more powerful:
“Present this card for a free ring cleaning.”
“Ask for Steve to get your first oil change free!”
“Log into MyWebsite.com for special savings!”
The last two can tend to be overused and are almost meaningless. What are they really saying to your customer?
Do you promise to return calls within a given time? Do you offer free loaner cars while theirs is being serviced? Do you offer free watch battery replacement while you wait, or a free warranty extension with every purchase? You need to say it on your cards.
Using a business card to simply exchange contact information is just plain wasteful. Your business card can be the most powerful, affordable and versatile marketing tool you have. And it’s convenient size fits in a purse, wallet or pocket. It’s portable!
Designing a full color business card that gets attention, appears more valuable and has a call to action will get you more business. Your customers will love them and you’ll enjoy handing them out.
What works for you? Please leave your comments below.
We’re facing one of the most critical economic times in our history, and a complacent business is one that could fail. Now is not the time to sit back and hope for the economic recovery to come to your rescue. As a business owner you should begin new marketing strategies to engage current and prospective customers. You need to muster up the courage to invest in your business. How can this be done?
- Check your profit margin. Folks are looking for bargains and if your markup is generous, it’s better to sell merchandise at a good discount than not at all.
- Give the customer a reason to come into your place of business. For existing customers it might be as simple as a postcard with an appreciation discount. We all like to be appreciated.
- Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Why should they shop with you? Are your prices competitive?
- Approach your vendors and ask them to work with you to offer special pricing, participate in co op advertising or renegotiate your contract.
- Update your marketing collateral – websites, print ads, brochures, business cards and other supporting materials should reflect your business’ identity. You only get one chance to make a good first impression.
These are just a few ideas to get you to kick start the positioning of your business for the economic recovery. I encourage you, whether a sole proprietor or have several employees, to think in certain terms during these uncertain times. You will definitely position your business to be even stronger once the economy rebounds.
We provide printed marketing collateral including cards, brochures, flyers, mini-brochures, business cards and more. To start your business, contact us today. Your competition did.