
Whether you’re looking to drive traffic to your business, promote your products or services or get the word out about your business or an upcoming event, brochures can get the job done.
But, let's face it; creating a brochure that truly stands out can be daunting, especially if you don't have little or no design experience. And if your brochure isn’t well designed, it may not only fall flat but fail to achieve its purpose.
The good news is that with a few tips, tricks and customizable templates, you can whip up a professional-looking brochure that will capture and hold the attention of your target audience. It's all about striking the right balance between compelling content and stunning design elements.
Whether you’re a beginner or you’re feeling overwhelmed with creating a brochure from scratch, we’ve got you covered.
In this article, you’ll discover how to create a brochure that will help you achieve your marketing goals.
We’ve also put together best practices you should know and professionally designed brochure templates to help you create one easily.
Let’s dive right in.
Making a brochure doesn’t have to be complicated. We’ve simplified it into five easy steps. Here’s what you can expect.
Brochure design isn't a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. Yes, you are creating it for marketing purposes, but a lot more has to go into it.
Before you work on your brochure, you need to know what you want to achieve, but mainly who you're designing it for and what resonates with them.
This will determine the brochure's design layout, visuals and information.
There's a common saying, "If you market to everyone, you market to no one." Having a specific audience in mind
Ask yourself these questions:
When you understand who you're designing for, you can steer your design and content in a direction that's authentic to your audience and increase your chances of success.
Here is a quick tip from Victoria Taylor, Head of Content, to keep in mind while you research how to define your audience:
"Never assume what your audience wants; try to do in-depth research to take out the guesswork and assumptions. Start with reviewing common customer support queries, social media mentions, or highlights from sales calls or interactions."
Next up, you'll need to outline your brochure's copy. The copy is just as important as the design and should always include the following:
Whether you're using a template or creating a brochure, your brochure design can make or break it's success.
The visuals you choose dictate how well your content and overall brochure are received; it's based on facts and research. In fact, Outbrain found that content with visuals gets 94% more views, and readers are 80% more likely to read information in the first place if visuals are involved.
When choosing your visuals (photos, videos, or graphics), ask yourself:
Once you've selected your visuals, make sure they're high-resolution images (at least 300 dpi), so they look sharp and professional when printed.
When selecting your graphic elements, consider the following:
You might want to check out this free design course if you're designing your brochure. It's beginner-friendly and will help you understand the basics with real-life brochure examples.
Brochures come in all shapes and sizes. Depending on your outline, copy, and visuals, the fold you choose will either complement your content or even influence how you structure it.
The fold is based on, well, how it's folded. So when you're picking a fold keep in mind that a:
The fold you decide will also affect the next step, which is printing your brochure.
The last step is to print your brochure. Depending on your budget, needs, or preferences, you can print your brochure at home or with a professional printing company.
Regardless of which option you choose, be sure to double-check the following before you send it off to print:
One last gem of advice from Creative Designer, Daniela Verduga is to only print what you need!
"Avoid overprinting. Order the number of brochures you'll realistically need. Many printing services offer bulk discounts but only print what you can use within a reasonable timeframe to avoid unnecessary costs."
Visme offers 100+ bi-fold and tri-fold brochure templates you can choose from to inspire your next design. Here's how you can create a brochure in 3 simple steps.
To create a brochure in Visme, create an account or log in if you already have one. Once you're logged in, you'll be taken to the Visme dashboard. Click on "Create" or "New Project," then select "Brochures" from the list of available project types.
In Visme’s library, there are tons of captivating brochure design templates to give you a creative head start. These templates are designed by professionals and cut across a wide range of industries and use cases. No matter your niche, you’ll find the perfect brochure design ideas and templates that match your business needs.
Browse through the options and select one that suits your needs. You can also start from a blank canvas if you prefer to design from scratch. You can also select your preferred template from the brochure examples we’ve shared in the next section.
After selecting a template or starting with a blank canvas, you can customize your brochure in various ways:
Once you're satisfied with your brochure's looks, it’s time to share it with your audience. Hit Share at the top right-hand corner of your page. On the Publish for Web tab, edit the brochure, add a description and click the share button below it.
Once done, click on the “Copy” button to copy the shareable link or on the “Share on Social” button to share your project on Social Media.
By clicking on the “Share Privately” tab, you can share your project with others with different permissions, such as view, comment or edit or by sending them an invite. Click the embed button to generate an embed code that you can place on any website or landing page.
Aside from sharing your project online, you can download your brochure in multiple formats, including:
If you choose to print your brochure at home or at the office, choose PDF, which will provide a high-quality PDF file ready for printing. However, if you decide to go to a professional printing company, then use the PDF with bleed marks as it supports professional printing processes.
Now we've shown you how to create a brochure plus templates you can use.
But here's what you should keep in mind. Creating a successful brochure isn't just about throwing together some text and images on a page.
Here are certain design principles and practices you should follow to ensure your brochure stands out and achieves its intended purpose.
When designing your brochure, keep your brand identity at the forefront. The visual appearance (logo, colors, fonts and images) throughout the document should be consistent with your brand guidelines.
Brand consistency extends beyond the visual elements. Your brand tone and language should align with your brand’s voice, personality and vision.
Haven’t created brand guidelines or designed a style guide for your company? Discover 22 Brand Guidelines Examples & Templates to Inspire You. We’ve also rounded up 10 Style Guide Templates to Make Your Own & Best Practices to Use.
Visme also has an extensive repository of brand guidelines templates you can use to create yours quickly. These guides should outline the dos and don'ts of your brand's visual identity. Make sure to share this document with everyone involved in the brochure design process, including designers, writers and managers.
When designing, it's easy to get carried away with how pretty your design looks, but don't sacrifice readability for aesthetics. Both are important, but if your audience can't read or enjoy reading the copy, then all your work amounts to nothing.
Use legible fonts, pair fonts well and make sure the text is well-spaced. Keep the font size large enough for easy reading, especially for key information, so contact details are accessible.
How will you know if your brochure is successful if you don't track its performance? Without metrics, you won’t know if you should totally overhaul things to reel in more results or stick to the same design.
Set measurable objectives and monitor the response rate, either through online analytics or by collecting feedback from readers.
For example, you can track the number of people who visited your website from the unique URLs in your brochure, redeemed a voucher or coupon, became a customer or made purchases after responding to your brochure.
Visme offers an all-in-one tool for creating stunning visual content for sales, marketing, creatives, businesses and nonprofits.
With Visme’s brochure maker, anyone, regardless of their design experience, can create captivating brochures in no time. Our tool comes packed with an intuitive editor, an extensive template library, a robust array of features and everything else you need to create amazing brochure designs.
Even if you're running out of time, you can use Visme's AI brochure maker to create professional-looking brochures quickly. Just input your prompt, choose design and watch the tool generate your brochure in a few seconds.
Before we dive in, here’s what one of our customers has to say about Visme’s design software
“Visme saves time and is a whole lot more affordable than most other content development programs out there now. It makes it easy to develop professional, polished content.”
- Kendra Bradley, Graphic Content Developer at WOW! Read the full case study.
We’ll start with our top examples of bifold brochures. Follow the steps we’ve shared earlier to make this template your own.
Showcase your products and services in the best light using this business bifold brochure template. This stunning business brochure is a visual masterpiece that seamlessly blends the warmth of yellow and the purity of white to create a truly captivating experience. As you flip through each page, you’re greeted by captivating visuals that showcase the essence of your business.
The business brochure template is fully customizable, so you can swap the text, icons and images according to your design needs. Get free access to a wide range of stock photos and vector icons to add to your brochure. You can also upload your custom fonts, logo and color themes to personalize this template.
Spread the word about your innovative product with this bifold brochure template. The template effortlessly blends the tranquility of a blue color palette with captivating imagery to create an unforgettable impression. Both pages of this brochure capture sections such as details and pricing, specs, features, FAQs and more.
Increase engagement and create memorable experiences with Visme’s animation and interactive elements. You can animate text, create hotspots, popups and hover effects that reveal additional information when clicked or hovered upon.
Running a business in the creative space? This brochure design checks all the boxes for effective sales enablement content. The front page has an accent color, stylish text and a bold close-up shot of the model's hands holding the hoodie to cover her face. The orange and white hue, stylized text and striking images on the rest of the pages add depth and visual interest.
Get your creative juice flowing and create custom designs with visuals from Visme’s rich library of stock photos, icons, widgets and other design elements. If you can’t find the perfect visual, you can create one using Visme’s AI image generator. The tool lets you generate unique photos, paintings, pencil drawings, 3D graphics, icons, abstract art and more.
Looking to increase awareness and sales for your listings? This custom brochure is the perfect sales material to help you stand out from competitors.
This bifold brochure template is designed to draw attention to information about your company’s vision and services. The statistical data from your service amplifies your expertise and experience and further lends credibility to your brand.
Make sure to use eye-catching images that capture a residential look and feel to make your brochure more impactful. With Visme, you can easily add or replace icons, images or color themes of any text or asset to fit your branding.
Using the shortcut feature, you can find any design element in seconds. Just tap the forward-slash (/) and you’ll find a search bar to help you find anything you need.
With this minimalist bifold brochure template, your audience can easily grasp information about your product or service without distractions. This pamphlet template strips off all the unnecessary details, allowing key information such as pricing, features, ratings and contracts to take center stage.
The blue color theme and simple icons create a cool and professional look. But you can utilize 3D icons, shapes and animated graphics to drive more visual appeal.
With multiple sharing and downloading options in Visme, there’s no limit to how you can utilize this custom brochure design. You can embed it on a site or blog or share it online as a digital brochure using a public or private link. You can also download your brochure in PDF, PNG and JPG formats.
However, if you want to get quality output after printing, we recommend downloading it as a PDF with bleed marks. This helps to maintain quality after the brochure is downloaded and ensures your designs aren’t pixelated.
If you’re looking for a clean and attractive restaurant brochure design, this free template is just what you need. This well-designed brochure is more than just a menu; it's an invitation to savor the flavors and ambiance of our restaurant.
On the cover page, a bold, high-quality image of a signature dish takes center stage. Not only is this image inviting, but it also tantalizes your visitors' taste buds and nudges them to place your order. The rest of the pages capture details of your offerings. The offerings are presented with clarity, making it easy for your audience to explore and place an order right away.
If you have multiple people on your team, you can brainstorm and come up with stellar designs and ideas using the Visme collaboration tool. Team members can tag each other, comment and reply to comments, resolve comments and make changes to the template in real-time.
Wondering how to create a brochure in trifold format? In this section, we’ll share trifold brochure designs to get you started
Studies show that 77% of patients begin their search for medical information and solutions on search engines. Improve your healthcare marketing efforts and expand your reach with this professional trifold brochure.
The brochure layout is clean and well-organized, making it easy to navigate through the information. The templates highlight the different departments and a block of text highlighting why clients should choose your medical facility.
Need help with content ideas or polishing your copy before sharing it with prospects—both online and offline? Visme's AI writer not only generates high-quality content but also serves as a sharp proofreader, ensuring your writing is error-free and compelling. Just describe what you want the tool to do and get results in seconds.
Advertise your travel agency in style by customizing this travel brochure design.
Packed with breathtaking visuals, custom icons and shapes, this template fits the bill for shining the light on your amazing brand. The map and cityscape or urban landscape in the background, with elements such as skyscrapers and streetlights, enhance the edgy, contemporary feel of the design.
The beautiful thing about using Visme is that you can easily tailor each template to different prospects while maintaining a consistent brand image. With the dynamic fields feature, you can add custom dynamic fields for sections, such as the title, client name, contact information and any other relevant details. Then, easily swap out the text in those fields for each client and watch as your changes are reflected on your document in real time.
Whether you're promoting the latest iPhone, iPad, MacBook, or Apple Watch, this trifold brochure template has got you covered. This powerful marketing material will help take your Apple product sales to the next level.
This tech tri-fold brochure is divided into sections for your product's features, pricing and what sets your brand apart. With its visually striking color scheme and engaging graphics, this brochure will surely capture your audience's attention and leave a lasting impression.
Use Visme’s wide variety of intuitive data visualization tools to:
If you’re in the world of design, your brochure design needs to reflect the elegance and sophistication of your interior design services. This marketing collateral not only embodies excellence but also has a strong visual appeal.
The cover page features an image of a beautifully designed living room with a statement piece of furniture in the center. The other pages include captivating visuals of various interior designs with key sections like About, Product and Service and Contact Details.
With Visme's online brochure maker, customizing this template is a walk in the park. You have the option to add custom fonts, logo and color themes to fine-tune this template according to your needs.
You don’t have to manually add your brand colors, font and logos every time you create a design. Visme's brand design tool automatically pulls your brand assets from your website and adds them to your brand kit. All you need to do is input your URL and watch the wizard do its magic.
If you run a vet clinic or a pet daycare, this pet care trifold brochure template is the perfect pick for your marketing efforts. This veterinary brochure template has a gray color theme and the front page has a happy, healthy pet with a catchy headline. The branding (logo, color scheme and font style) is consistent, giving the brochure a professional and cohesive look.
The template has sections for About Us, a wide range of services and medical treatments for pets. It also includes special offers or promotions to entice new customers to try your services. The template is fully customizable, so you can always repurpose it for other industries.
If you have multiple people on your team working on this design template, you can use Visme’s user permissions to control who can view, make changes or comment on your printables.
The creator or workspace admin has the ability to assign various access levels to your brochure, such as view-only, edit or comment directly. Additionally, you can make it password-protected, limiting access to a specific group of people.
Watch the video below to see how you can control access to your projects.
Our last pick is a non-profit brochure template with a nature-inspired theme. You can use this brochure to create awareness or request support and donations for charitable causes.
This template features a clean and modern design, complete with eye-catching graphics and imagery that will grab the attention of potential supporters. With plenty of space for text and images, you can effectively communicate your mission, goals and accomplishments.
When making a brochure, you can spice it up by adding animated illustrations, characters and clickable social media icons that link to your social media pages.
Brochures are still as effective as they were many years ago. Not convinced? Here’s the complete finding from a Bentley University study
Printed brochures are a valuable resource that all businesses should add to their marketing arsenal. You can also use them to boost your online and offline marketing efforts. They are cost-effective and help to show your company’s value proposition to potential customers.
The standard brochure sizes include:
Depending on how you want to present your information, you can also choose a tri-fold, bi-fold, gatefold, accordion fold, double gatefold, parallel fold, rollfold, Z-fold, half + tri-fold and half + half fold. We recommend choosing the size and fold that most delivers the best results for your business.
When designing your brochure, it is important to have these key elements:
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make a brochure in Word
The downside of using Word is that the design customization options are limited. This can make the brochure’s design less creative. If you need to share your design with a professional for further refinements, Word file formats aren’t suitable for graphic design or professional printing, especially if the brochure requires full-bleed printing or uses specific color palettes.
There you have it. Creating a brochure can be a great way to showcase your brand and connect with your audience.
Whether you're promoting a product, service, or event, we’ve provided all the tools and best practices you need to create a brochure that not only informs but also delights and engages your audience.
We’ve also discussed how to create a brochure with Visme; now it's time to take it for a test drive.
Visme’s brochure maker makes it super easy for anyone, regardless of their design skills, to create professional-level brochures. The software has an intuitive and user-friendly editor, a professionally designed template and scalable features for creating visual content for marketing, sales, HR and business teams.
Sign up for Visme’s brochure maker to amplify your brand message, reach a wider audience, fill your sales pipelines and grow your business.
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