
A brochure is a powerful piece of marketing material that promotes your products, services or events.
Even in the digital age, brochures haven’t lost relevance. They remain an effective tool for marketers to build brand awareness and present a company’s information in a handy format.
However, some marketers don’t understand how brochures are used or the impact they can have on their marketing efforts.
In this article, we'll define what a brochure is, the types of brochures and how to use them. We’ll also show you how to create brochures that elevate your company's brand with Visme, along with ready-made brochure templates and examples to inspire you.
A brochure is a marketing material designed to inform potential customers about your product, company or event in a concise and visually appealing way. It is used to promote and sell products and services or advertise events and initiatives.
Brochures can either be in print or digital format. They are most effective when focused on a single theme or topic. For example, your brochure may focus on the launch of a new product, an upcoming event or a service you offer.
Brochures are versatile in design and use. They come in different layouts with captivating images and compelling text. You can use them to effectively highlight your company's key features and benefits and attract potential customers.
The most popular types of brochures are Gate-Fold, Bi-Fold, Tri-Fold and Z-fold.
Let’s take a look at each one.
A bi-fold brochure, also known as a half-fold brochure, is a single sheet of paper folded in half, creating four panels to showcase your content. The standard size is 8.5” x 11”, resembling a small booklet or a magazine.
Bi-fold brochures are best for sharing information that requires less text and more photos or design. They are commonly used for:
Tri-fold brochures, also known as letter-fold brochures, are folded twice over the middle section to create six panels where you can display your content. They are the most popular type of brochures we see around often.
The size of a tri-fold brochure (unfolded) is 8.5” x 11”, while each panel of the trifold brochure has a dimension of approximately 3.66” x 8.6”. Depending on your need or design, you can have tri-fold brochures in other sizes. Some popular ones are 8.5” x 14”, 11” x 17” and 11” x 25.5”.
Tri-fold brochures are versatile and are best used for communicating a large amount of information in a compact or organized format. You can use trifold brochures for
A gate-fold brochure–also known as a window-fold–is similar to a tri-fold brochure.
A gate-fold brochure has a gate-like appearance, with the 2 outer panels opening up like a gate.
This creates a dramatic reveal when opened, making it suitable for exclusive content, high-end products or graphic-heavy marketing where product pictures span across one page.
For example, a gate-fold brochure can be used to showcase the full length of a car or the interior of a hotel.
Gate-fold brochures may incur higher printing costs compared to standard formats because of their larger size.
In addition, they are suitable for luxury hotels, premium car dealerships, real estate listings, photography workshops and more. Even if you’re working with a bi-fold or trifold brochure, you can easily modify the size to achieve a gate-fold layout using Visme’s brochure maker.
A z-fold brochure has 6 equal-sized panels just like a tri-fold brochure. But instead of two outer panels being folded inward, the z-fold brochure is folded in a zig-zag pattern.
The z-fold brochure is best used to convey a lot of information broken down into smaller, sequential chunks.
It's a commonly used design usually used for technical guidelines, business presentations, educational materials, step-by-step instructions, safety procedure overviews, city tour maps, marketing timelines, infographics and more.
Here are some benefits of using brochures for your company:
Since brochures come in different formats, you can customize them for different purposes or use them in various industries. For example, you can create brochures for educational content, marketing, tourism, events and more. A study by Bentley University showed that 85% of people who read brochures learn about new companies and 61% of people buy products they see in brochures.
Professional brochures create a powerful first impression. They convey your company's commitment to quality and attention to detail.
Brochures also provide an opportunity to showcase your unique offerings and differentiate your business from competitors. By including customer testimonials and success stories, you can build trust with potential clients.
Brochures are tangible and portable, making them very easy to distribute. You can display your printed brochures at conferences or events, school environments, reception areas, restaurants and local businesses or deliver them with packaged goods or at checkout areas. Moreover, you can carry them around with you in case you come across a potential client or any opportunity to promote your business.
Distributing your brochure online is also super easy. You can share your digital brochures on social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and more. There’s also an option to embed brochures on your company's website or use them for online advertisements.
A well-crafted brochure can leave a lasting impression on your readers and potential clients. It serves as a reference point for potential customers to make informed decisions.
The tangible nature of brochures creates a strong impact. By incorporating high-quality images, compelling design and brand assets, your brochure can become even more memorable.
Depending on the style and purpose of your brochure, it may contain various elements. However, a brochure has the following key elements:
Now that you know the various types of brochures and what you should include in one, let’s take a look at some brochure examples and templates.
If you're racing against time or need help getting your brochure off the ground quickly, Visme's AI brochure maker can help you create one in a few minutes
Before we dive in, one of our customers shared their experience with Visme’s templates. Here’s what they had to say:
Marketing Manager
Research shows that 80% of employees prioritize having similar values with their company. And 88% of job seekers believe that a solid benefits package plays a role in their decision to join a company. With this stunning employee benefits brochure template, you can attract top talent to your company. It shares detailed information about your mission and employee benefit program.
This bi-fold template features a bold red color theme that can grab and keep your prospect’s attention. You can customize and share it at your physical office, job fairs, college graduations and more. However, if you want to distribute it online, turn it into an interactive flipbook that makes your brochure super engaging
You can embed your interactive brochure directly on your website or share the link on social media and email.
Use this stunning trifold brochure template to showcase your company’s unique offerings, including employee expertise and opening hours. It maintains a cool theme and adds pops of color across each page to create a dynamic layout.
The front cover features a captivating image that immediately captures the reader's attention and prompts them to read further. The text and photo sections are divided into equal parts, giving enough room to highlight necessary details and show parts of your services.
If you're looking for a surefire way to draw in new customers to your restaurant, this fun and vibrant brochure template is a perfect pick. It's ideal for showcasing your restaurant's unique story, special offerings and mouthwatering menus.
Plus, with our easy-to-use editor, you can personalize the template by adding your own delectable dishes. Right in the editor, you can use Visme's AI edit tools to make your images pop–remove background, unblur images and enhance the quality to ensure they truly stand out.
Here's another amazing bifold brochure template that makes your brand stand out. It highlights everything your university has to offer, from our top-notch programs and vibrant campus life to fantastic scholarship opportunities. The clean and modern design ensures that all the information is presented in a clear and easily digestible format.
Customize this template by incorporating your organization's colors, logo and relevant information. Visme's brand design tool saves you from the hassle of repeatedly adding your own brand colors, fonts and logos to each design. Simply enter your domain name and the tool will retrieve your site's assets and incorporate them into your brand kit. These assets will be automatically applied to all your designs on Visme.
Capture the attention of travel enthusiasts by showcasing the top travel destinations of the year with our dynamic travel brochure template. Customize your brochure to align with different seasons, such as summer, Christmas, Thanksgiving or birthdays.
Offer travel tips and brief descriptions for each destination, highlighting the optimal time to visit and local events. Instead of overwhelming your brochure with an extensive list of packages, encourage potential clients to contact us for more information, mirroring the approach demonstrated in this template.
To maximize the space on your brochure design, include mostly images of travel experiences your customers will enjoy. This can be pictures of the beach, tourist activities or fine dining experiences. Incorporating these images into your brochure gives travelers a glimpse into that destination, prompting them to reach out to you.
If you're struggling to find suitable images for your travel brochure, you can utilize Visme's AI image generator to create custom visuals. This tool can transform your text into a variety of image styles, such as photos, paintings, 3D graphics and more.
Use this inspiring brochure template to bring your ideas to life. Whether you're showcasing your latest masterpiece, providing design services or sharing the narrative of your creative journey, this brochure is your key to making a powerful and lasting impression.
This template features vibrant colors and striking fonts that captivate at first glance. Its warm and inviting layout gives ample space to incorporate visuals, images and text that convey your message. You can elevate this one pager design by adding your own images or branding.
Invite budding and aspiring photographers to your photography workshop with this electric brochure template.
Each panel is designed to captivate and flow seamlessly, drawing you into the world of photography. Use this template to not only display your photography prowess but also to motivate others to sign up for your workshop. And check out how we strategically placed the workshop goals in the center of the brochure for easy access, giving everyone a compelling reason to join your class."
If you're running out of time or need help, you can create any type of workshop or training brochure in seconds with Visme’s AI document generator, Open the AI document generator and input a prompt that explains what you're looking to create. Select the design and watch the tool produce it in seconds.
Appeal to the hearts of animal lovers and pet owners with this intriguing brochure template. It is decorated with clear and captivating photos of various animals in the shelter and color theme drives emotional appeal.
This brochure template has one clear goal—to persuade people to adopt a pet and the text conveys this message. Facing a writers block or need help writing a captivating copy for your brochure? Visme's AI writer has your back.
Describe the kind of text you want in a section, select the length and tone and watch it generate your text in seconds! You can also use this tool to summarize your text in a concise format that will fit into your brochure.
Promote your furniture business with this stunning tri-fold brochure template. Featuring a sleek but modern design, this template is great for connecting with home buyers, interior designers or renovators.
By highlighting your vision and achievements, you can inform potential customers about your services and build credibility with them. Customers will interested in seeing photos of your furniture or designs. Including these images provides a more immersive and engaging experience for potential buyers.
This brochure template strikes the perfect balance, offering plenty of space and a clean layout to showcase your images and compelling text. And don't forget to explore Visme's vast collection of unique icons, stock photos and videos to spark your creativity and take your brochure to the next level!
Inspire fashion enthusiasts with the trendiest summer looks. This brochure template showcases your various products and offerings in a unique way. Customize this template by selecting different font types and sizes that will make your text stand out and readable.
Do you plan to distribute this brochure online? Use Visme's animation and interactive features to make each category clickable and lead to a page on your website. You can also include other interactive elements like pop-ups, hover effects, animated icons and other special effects to create a more immersive experience for your audience.
If you would rather print your brochure, download it as a PDF with bleed marks for professional printing or as an image or PDF without bleed marks for standard printing.
In this section, we will show you how to create a brochure using Visme.
Sign up for a Visme account or sign in if you already have one. Complete the form and you'll be taken to the Visme dashboard.
Visme's library offers a wide range of compelling brochure templates you can choose from. These templates are professionally designed and cater to various industries and purposes.
Browse through our template library and select the template that perfectly fits your needs.
Once you’ve chosen a brochure template, you can customize it in various ways. The Visme editor provides access to a plethora of tools and features that can make your customization process smooth and effective.
Our drag-and-drop features make it easy for anyone without a coding or design background to produce stunning documents.
Here are some ways you can customize your brochure template:
Once you are satisfied with your brochure design, it is time to distribute it.
Visme offers a range of download and sharing options, whether you prefer it as a printed document or digitally online. These options include:
The difference between a brochure and a pamphlet leaflet is mainly in their purpose. A pamphlet leaflet is used as informative material and contains educational content. A brochure, however, is designed to sell products or services.
A brochure and pamphlet are similar in size and layout. They both convey information and are convenient to carry around. However, while pamphlets are primarily used for sharing information, brochures focus on driving sales.
There are three key elements of an effective brochure. They are:
Yes! Brochures are very effective marketing materials that showcase and promote products, services or events to potential customers. They leave a long-lasting impression and are easily referenced for informed decision making.
There you have it! Brochures are great tools for connecting with potential customers, showcasing new products and services and persuading customers to make a purchase or take action.
With Visme's free online brochure maker, you can design professional-looking brochures in just minutes, regardless of your design skills. Sign up for a free account and get access to thousands of professionally designed templates, millions of design assets and an extensive range of tools for branding, design, content creation, collaboration, analytics and more.
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