If you are designing a leaflet, it can be very easy to get carried away with your design prowess. The truth is a good leaflet is one that generates response, and to do that you need very little. So rather than trying to create a masterpiece that reflects the life, times and deeper meaning of your company or service, follow these guidelines to get a leaflet that does what you need it to do: generate customers.
1.) Plan your leaflet
Before you do any designing, it is absolutely essential that you plan your leaflet so that you can get an accurate idea of what’s possible. Imagining a leaflet often leads to major errors as in the imagination a leaflet can do all sorts of magical things! Take a piece of paper and shape it into the shape, size and style of your flyer, and draw onto it with a pencil to give yourself a more realistic and accurate idea of what you can do, making sure you keep your main message and main offering always in mind so that you don’t get carried away and try to recreate a Divinci Masterpiece.
2.) Use a heading
A good leaflet will have a strong, clear, bold heading that captures the attention of your audience. Whether you use a statement, a question or something else: having a bold, bright heading is the cornerstone of a good leaflet.
3.) Use compelling images
Whatever your product or service, an image will add a lot to your leaflet design. Even if your service is something that does not necessarily warrant what you may think of as a compelling image (such as if your service is dry cleaning for example), you can still use imagery to initiate an emotion in your target customer such as an image that feels fresh, or clean, or bright. Or if you are a handy man, a cartoon image of a smiley face can create a feeling of approachability and trust. In short: use images where you can, either to make a statement, create a feeling or simulate a sensation or environment: it adds an extra dimension to your leaflet, and no everyone is responsive to words alone.
4.) Use a big screen for your designing
Details that look minor on a small computer screen become very very obvious in print and so minimising your errors is an absolute must, especially if you are going to print thousands of flyers. For this, you will need to check your design on a big screen and have it proof read by someone who has not been involved in the design to make sure any errors and faults are quickly noticed.
5.) Use high res
If you are designing something that will be used for print, you will need to make sure that everything you use is in high resolution and a minimum of 300 dots per inch so that your leaflet does not print blurry and disjointed. Before inserting any images into your design, check the resolution to make sure the print version is as good as the digital version.
Ben writes about graphic design and print, he currently works for an a4 flyer printing and a5 leaflet printing company.