How to make a brochure

With so much throwaway marketing material out there, investing in marketing materials that showcase your organization and create long-lasting connections with customers has never been more important.

For those in the know, a well-designed brochure is a tried-and-tested marketing tool to create meaningful promotional material that captivates your audience (and doesn't end up in the bin).

Whether you're a seasoned graphic designer, a marketer looking to enhance your promotional materials, or a creative exploring the world of brochure design, Linearity Curve's intuitive software and thousands of ready-made templates make brochure design simple and fun.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through crafting a digital brochure from start to finish with practical tips and a step-by-step guide. 

Image source: Unsplash

Before we get going, let's unravel some insights that could make or break your brochure's design. Creating an effective brochure involves deciding your message, budget, timeline, and audience engagement, just like choosing between print and digital flyers.

1. Target audience: Your first consideration should be your target audience. Think about their preferences and habits. A printed trifold brochure may be the way to go if you're targeting a more traditional audience or a local community. On the other hand, a tech-savvy audience that consumes information online might prefer a digital version.
2. Budget: Assess your budget carefully. Printing and distributing physical brochures can be costly, whereas digital brochures generally have lower production expenses. Weigh your resources to make a cost-effective decision that aligns with your marketing strategy.
3. Timeline: Consider the timeline of your campaign. Digital brochures can be quickly distributed online, reaching a global audience almost instantly. A digital format is likely the most efficient solution if you're working with time-sensitive information.
4. Interactivity: Think about the level of interactivity your brochure requires. Digital formats allow for multimedia elements such as videos, hyperlinks, and interactive features, which can enhance engagement. A digital trifold brochure is the way to go if your message benefits from dynamic content.

Now that you've considered these factors, let's start creating your professional brochure.

Ready to start our brochure design tutorial? Let's do this.

7 steps to creating the perfect digital brochure

We know it's tempting to start designing right away, but understanding the purpose of your brochure is a crucial first step in the design and content creation process. A well-defined purpose helps you shape your brochure's direction and ensures that all your hard work delivers the desired results.

Here are 8 questions to ask yourself before designing your brochure:

Choose your brochure fold and layout

There's a world of options when it comes to beautiful brochure design. Decide whether to start your brochure from scratch and create custom brochures for complete creative freedom or use a template as the base for your brochure design.

Image source: Senoda

We've made a roundup of digital and print brochure options for you to decide on the best course of action for your objective.

For this tutorial, we'll show you how simple working on Linearity Curve can be and how much time it saves you. In the ultimate productivity hack we'll create a PDF brochure using the design template.

Get this template

This is just one of the great presentation slide templates in the Linearity Curve pre-made Templates Hub, so explore the wide range in the Templates Hub and pick the right one for you.

Customize your design

Use the template as your base if you're not working with a blank document, and customize it to align with your objectives. We think a good place to begin is by first creating your brochure outline and then replacing the pre-set images in the template with ones that speak to your vision for the brochure.

Source high-quality photos and graphics—they're crucial for grabbing attention. Linearity Curve's Unsplash Library is a great resource for free stock photos, with millions of royalty-free images that allow you to tell your story without the additional costs and time required to find the best sample images for your brochure. 

Craft clever, captivating copy

Loosely put together all the information you want to communicate to your audience in a blank Word document. Then it's time for copywriting: the art of editing unnecessary details and simplifying them into a concise version of what you want to say, i.e., interesting copy (text) that converts your audience to customers.

We know it's tempting to let the creative spirit turn your information into poetry, but make sure you make significant provision for essential information and call-to-action (CTA) lines like contact details.

Ensure that you maintain readability (you only have a few seconds to capture your audience), so get the font pairing right by trying not to use more than two well-paired typefaces.

Choose fonts and colors

Working with the right color palette and fonts creates a winning flyer. Customize the default background color theme with your color themes that match your vision and create a sense of cohesion. Only use three to four colors (including your accent color) to avoid overwhelming the design.

Get your layout balanced and beautiful

It's time to use those design skills and arrange your flyer's elements into a balanced layout. Start by placing the headline prominently at the top, followed by the images, copy, and other design elements.

Ensure there’s enough white space to create a clean and organized look, ensuring the information hierarchy is clear and understandable from a quick look. Crop images, make some bold headlines, use bright colors where you need to draw attention and branding elements that make the organization’s brand clear.

Finesse and finish

Before finalizing your brochure, proofread the text and review the overall design. Check for any spelling or grammatical errors, and ensure that all the necessary information is included and accurate. Having a second and third pair of eyes review your brochure beforehand to catch mistakes or provide feedback is always a good idea.

Catch and release

Once you're happy with the design and content of your brochure, download it for print or share it digitally, and watch the responses flood in. Make sure to save your design in a widely accepted printable file format that's easy for printers, such as .pdf or .jpeg.

To do that, tap on the File name menu item and open the Export dropdown.

Select your file format and save.

If you're printing, choose a high-quality printing service or print your brochures at home with your own printer. 

You can distribute digital brochures via email to your newsletter audience. We also recommend transforming them into social media posts for the platforms your audience uses (like Facebook, Instagram, or even LinkedIn for your work events).

Linearity Curve's ready-made template designs have multiple variations for various platforms, so search the Templates Hub for the different versions of your design.

Use relevant hashtags to get your brochure trending on social media. 

You're officially a marketing wizard

Great job, you just made your first brochure. But as any business owner knows, it's just the start. The only limit is your imagination, so keep exploring and experimenting with your brochure designs. Don't be afraid to push the boundaries of what a brochure can be.

With Linearity Curve as your tool and your creativity as your guide, you can design brochures that will get any business popping.

Don't forget to share your masterpieces with us—we can't wait to see what you come up with.

Frequently asked questions