Latest Trends in Brochure Designs

Freelance Project, May 2009

Sure it seems like everyone is online tweeting, emailing and texting but that has not removed the need for the quality brochures. However that does not mean brochure design has remained stagnant. Updating your brochure means more than just adding your email and Twitter ID. Once you have a potential customer's attention, how will you keep it beyond the seemingly two second glance and thus avoid the recycling bin?

What do you sell? Let's say it is lamps. A brochure in the shape of a lamp with the shade opening from the top and the second half of your brochure text visible when you open the bottom half of the lamp. A colorful design and this unique shape will capture the attention of the consumer.

A popular trend is to design a brochure related to a particular theme. For instance there has been a resurgence in recent years with crafts such as knitting. Local craft stores often allow passionate knitters to meet in their store. A colorful brochure using yard and needles near the cash register will easily capture the eye of the shopper. A sewing pattern like look would also fit for sewing or quilting groups.

As with fashion and vehicles, each year there are color trends. It is important to keep these in mind for your brochure design. An outdated color palette will cause the reader to quickly overlook your material or dismiss it as dated.

Headlines have a heavy focus on green technology and growing organic and recycling movement, variations of green are a nature choice. However, organic also brings to mind the pale hues of unfinished wood, or sandy color tones. Terra cotta or rattan colors with a weave pattern can fit well with a gardening type theme.

Not everyone has abandoned city life. Silver and metallic tones are often associated with an urban look. As more people are moving into lofts and management seeks to build a sense of community, they frequently use brochures to advertise upcoming events and news. An urban brochure design gives an opportunity to incorporate texture by using foils in an effort to highlight the metallic look.

Keep in mind how the bold colors are utilized. Perhaps it is best to have a splashy cover with complimentary but toned down colors inside the brochure. The text should be easy to read and although a deep pink and fuchsia are colors that will stand out, the reader would likely have a hard time reading the information. So, use a bold cover, and then edge the inside with the bold color pattern using white or a pale pink for the text area. Then the brochure will have a punch of color, yet remain readable.

The standard rules of brochure design still apply. Be creative but do not go overboard by trying to be too trendy or squeezing four full-size pages of text in a tri-fold brochure design.

When designing a brochure do not be afraid to stretch the boundaries in your effort to create unique promotional material that will capture the attention of your audience.