At a large business conference, an exhibition or spectacular industry event, you need to be prepared for any opportunity with a strong brand representation and marketing strategy. Here the printed piece comes into its own, offering a way to make a striking and memorable impression on the spot. Booklets or brochures are excellent promotional printed devices as they effectively combine compelling imagery with sufficient room for information. Additionally, they’re portable pieces which can easily be carried and distributed in large quantities on the go. However many businesses fall into the trap of trying to play it safe with a plain design, or trying to squeeze on all the information they can. For a promotional booklet that truly engages, here are some top tips detailing some creative ideas to inspire your next project:
The foundations
If you’ve only ever opted for the standard formal booklet, perhaps it’s time for a shape up – literally. You can instantly add interest to your booklet by moving away from centre-bound pages; there are a variety of ways to make your booklet fold out. Tri-fold and accordion booklets can open out into a larger display, such as a poster which displays your brand’s message overall. Even the pages can be different shapes to best suit your business and offering.
When it comes to size, again anything goes, as long as it suits your promotional purpose. Although full-page or landscape sized booklets are great for a very visual approach or for displaying sample work, smaller may be better if you want to put across a concise point that’s simple for people to understand and connect with. Smaller booklets are also easier to hold onto and fit into a purse or pocket.
If you’re worried about a smaller booklet being forgotten, interesting shapes and materials will set it apart. Consider using a thicker weighted or textured paper, for a more tactile and relatable appeal. Recyclable paper is a good choice for showing your environmentally friendly credentials and steps away from a highly corporate feel. Additional touches, such as using sleeves to encase your booklets, will give your promotional device an added personal value as you have to remove it to gain access to what’s inside.
Presenting information that inspires
Cramming on too much information that will bore your audience doesn’t make for an inspiring promotional print. Keep it concise and powerful, using teaser headlines or snippets of information which make the reader want to know more – just remember to clearly display where they can find it.
Make your booklet topical or offer fresh and unique information that will be useful to prospective readers. Solving relevant problems in your booklet will ensure that readers hold onto it for future use, in order to build a trustful relationship and your own authority in your field.
Visual tools such as graphs will make the text easier to digest and allow you to convey important company information in a more engaging way. Your text doesn’t have to be uniform and there are a number of ways to make the text stand out as a visual aspect in itself.
Rewarding design
It doesn’t matter how engaging your content is, if your design is lacking your audience won’t want to pick up or read your booklet. Your design should hint to the content and work with it cohesively to reflect your brand’s message.
A simple design can work very effectively without being boring. Using printing techniques, such as embossing, foil or lamination, can add contrast, texture and a more unique feel. Good quality printing for your booklet is so important in visually representing to your target audience your professionalism and the quality of your brand overall. Ensure you have high quality images – large or full-page, full-colour images make for striking visuals placed next to key information.
Design can also add a fun element to your brochure and make readers want to interact with your promotional piece. Die cuts, or cut out shapes, can be used to reveal colour, parts of images or interesting bits of information that will make them want to open your booklet to find out the whole story. Whatever design elements you choose, ensure that each element works together to create a solid promotional piece that really drives your brand purpose.
Making it functional
Functionality is a critical consideration for a promotional booklet that will add value to your audience’s experience with your business and help them remember you long after your booklet has served its immediate purpose. Consider how you can extend the life of your booklet for your audience as opposed to it just being informational.
An increasingly popular trend is to create pop-up or multi-purpose booklet designs – they could fold to function as a box, open out to a map or something that’s 3D and interactive – how can you make this relevant to your offerings and create a lasting impression for your business?
Including small surprises such as free giveaway items can also add impact and value to your promotional booklet. It doesn’t have to be extravagant; simple items such as stickers, gift cards or vouchers will help spark interest in your products or services and encourage further action.
If you have a promotional project you’d like to bring to life, or for any high quality printing solutions for your business needs, we’d be happy to help. Please contact us on 0121 359 0783 or email info@russellprinters.co.uk.