Offline marketing tools are still a highly effective way of promotion – in an increasingly digital world, it’s important to remember that there is still a lot to love about more traditional marketing methods such as brochures, flyers, posters, and banners.
But how do you go about designing them effectively? There are a number of different brochure and flyer ideas you can take on board – but what are the core principles of designing offline marketing materials you should always remember?
Choose simplicity
When it comes to all manners of design, less is always more. This is particularly true when you’re designing a brochure, flyer, or poster. Remember that most people will only have a few seconds to glance at the design, so you want to be able to make the best possible impact that you in can in that short space of time.
Confusing, convoluted designs are simply going to confuse potential customers. In a moments’ glance, a person needs to be able to see who you are, what you do, and what you’re promoting via the flyer. If that’s not possible, your design is too complicated and you need to simplify it.
Unified branding
The key to all marketing materials, whether online or offline is that you need to display a cohesive brand identity. This means that your logo, your typeface, your font, and your tone of voice all need to be unified. They don’t always need to be identical, but a person looking at the flyer needs to be able to identify your business quickly.
This is where understanding what sort of typefaces are the easiest to read and how to make your logo stand out is going to be the most helpful. Consider the right tone of voice for your brand, your customers, and your niche – do you want to be more formal and proper? Or are you better suited with a more informal style of communication?
Colour matters
Colour is one of the primary things that will attract attention to your marketing materials, so pick your colours wisely. Be wary, however, that you don’t simply go for impact and attention at the cost of legibility. Shocking pink, neon yellow, and lime green may all be eye-catching, but they don’t make it very easy to read your copy.
Does your business have a colour scheme? It’s worth considering – not only does it help with brand identification, but it also means there’s one less decision you have to make when it comes to choosing the appropriate colours for your marketing materials. Think, for example, the white, red, and black of Coca-Cola – it’s always identifiable.
Test your ideas
The key to designing effective offline marketing materials is to be able to make mistakes and consistently learn what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes you can only do this through trial and error. Fortunately online printing has become so affordable and convenient that it’s easier than ever for a business to hone their offline marketing materials.
It’s an investment that’s always worth making.