A properly thought-through, well planned and cleverly structured website is vital if you want to get the most from your online presence.

Follow these basic steps from the start and you’ll be sure to stay in control of the whole process and finish up with a website that delivers exactly what you need. 

To convey powerful communications messages for your business you’re likely to need the brochure design services of an experienced creative agency. 

To convince potential customers to do business with you rather than with your competitors isn’t always easy. Brochure design that you may see to be “eye-catching” or just look “pretty” might look attractive, but it’s not necessarily the answer to make it successful or profitable.

• Write a list of the main goals: What is the main purpose of your website? Is it simply to gain publicity for your business? Or sell products via an ecommerce shop? Or use for lead generation to acquire visitor contact details?
• Set a budget for your website: For a bespoke website which is designed and built specifically to meet your individual requirements you should have a minimum budget of £3000. You will need to account for the initial creative design of the main pages, html development programming, web hosting, plus any on-going site maintenance you may need.
• Assign the key people that will be involved: These may include key company stakeholders such as the MD or marketing manager in your business, website designers, experienced html/css web developers, and content writers.
• Decide the strategy for your content: Think about what your target audience will be most interested to read, look at including engaging images, informative video content, blog posts, case studies or informative guides. If you’re not confident in writing content yourself then hire a professional website copy writer.
• Site structure: Generally most websites will have a home page, about page, services/products page(s), a series of blog pages and a contact page. Knowing the objectives or goals you want to achieve will help you decide if more pages are needed and how they will be structured.
• Website navigation: Ensure your menu items and how links to other pages of your website are displayed cleanly and clearly. Do your research and look at the functionality of other websites and note which you like and dislike – show these to your website designer to explain what you want to achieve.
• Create wireframe mock-ups: These are simple sketches which outline where components or content blocks will be positioned. Remember to think about how pages will be displayed on different devices and how the layout may be effected. An experienced website designer will be able to assist and give you advice with this.
• Designing the page layouts: With all the elements prepared in advance you are now ready to brief your website designer. Choose your designer carefully and ask to see evidence of their work, ask what steps they take to help you through the process. Most importantly, make sure they offer to show you precise design visuals which demonstrate exactly how your website will look (layout, fonts, colours, etc) before any html development work begins.
• HTML development: Most websites these days are built using a content management system (CMS) which allow the website owner to edit and add pages after the website designer and developer has finished. The most common is WordPress which is used for tens of millions of websites worldwide. Your website developer will provide the necessary instructions or training to help you edit and add content yourself to your website.
• Check your website thoroughly before it goes live: Go through and preview all the pages and test them on different devices (smart phones, tablets, desktop computers) and web browsers. Your website developer should be experienced enough to build your site properly, but sometimes things can get missed. Your website should also pass the mobile friendliness.
• Maintaining your website: Have a plan for who will be responsible for maintaining your website, undertaking software updates, etc. You can monitor its performance by using clever analytics software (offered free by Google) allowing you to see very detailed user behaviour. Keep an eye on bounce rates, unique visitor numbers, your most popular and also least popular pages, helping you decide how to make any ongoing improvements.  Coupled into this is Logo design.  Logo design is one of the most challenging creative elements to get right in any business. The design of your logo appears on almost all the visual communication material used in your business. You will want to make absolutely sure that it looks 100% right.  Palmiero Design will create design solutions that will highlight your key brand messages so they become larger than life. The design of your exhibition graphics will be tailored to attract your target audience and help make your event a memorable experience they won’t forget.

The traditional brochure is a promotional document primarily used to introduce a company or organisation and its products or services and promote their benefits to potential customers. They can take on many forms, from simple 4 page mailers, to high value coffee table lookbooks.

Before the digital revolution, printed brochures were king, but now they can be printed, digital or a mix of both, using technologies like augmented reality.

Here we are going to focus on the traditional printed brochure. Click here to find more about the design of electronic e-brochures.

Engaging content

Professionally written content to support the design of your brochure is crucial for several reasons.

• First, a well-written brochure is more likely to grab your reader’s attention, convey the right message, and create a lasting impression.
• Professionally written content can help build credibility and establish trust with potential customers.
• A professional copywriter can tailor the language and tone of the brochure to your target audience, making the content more relatable and engaging.
• Finally, high-quality writing can increase the chances of your brochure being shared and circulated, leading to increased brand visibility and potential sales.
• Overall, investing in professionally written content to support the design of your brochure is an essential ingredient if you’re looking to make a lasting impact on your target audience.

Brochure size matters

Brochures come in all shapes and sizes, and the perfect fit depends on many factors, so keep these things in mind when deciding the format of your brochure:

• Square format is a less common shape and can be more eye catching
• A4 is a standard size for company sales brochures
• A5 is half the size of A4 and is a good format for promotional brochures, mailers, and catalogues
• A landscape format may work better for a portfolio type brochure
• Consider how many pages are required – a smaller brochure with more pages, or a larger brochure with less pages?
• Also consider how much information you need to give, as this will help decide on size and pagination.

Materials

A brochure needs to be fit for its intended purpose - if it’s a general sales brochure then high quality papers and finishes are warranted, but if it’s a promotional brochure, then reducing the quality is OK as it will have a very short life.

• Thicker, better quality papers are great if the brochure will be handed over in person, but if the brochure is to be mailed out, it needs to be as light as possible to save you postal charges
• Is it a coffee table book? If it’s something that will be kept or displayed, then you can really go to town on materials and finishes
• Always bear eco solutions in mind, but don’t greenwash, as people are savvy to this and you will just end up damaging your brand.

Finishing

How a brochure is constructed and finished is also an important consideration

• ‘Saddle stitched’ – where all pages are stapled together along the crease – is a cost effective solution for brochures with less pages
• ‘Perfect bound’ – where all pages are glued into a spine like a book – is a great solution for brochures with a lot of pages, or thicker papers. It is a more expensive process, but does add a more ‘quality’ tone
• Fold out pages can be used to add more content and create an unusual product
• Internal pockets can be used for providing content that is constantly changing
• Special finishes such as metallic inks, coloured or textured papers, die cutting, and high gloss varnishes can also be used to add quality to a brochure.

Free iStock Images to give your Brochure more visual impact

We include up to 6 FREE iStock library images to complement the design of your brochure.

• Beautiful, high resolution photo images – if you don’t have access to your own photo images we can often recommend many suitable royalty free iStockphoto library images relevant to your content, such as life-style or application shots, and propose these as part in the design of your brochure
• Make a statement with striking illustrations and vectors – illustrations from our stock library come in a wide variety of styles to suit almost any application and can often convey your ideas better than a photo. We can suggest the right visuals to keep your audience engaged
• Icons and infographics – The use of iconography can convey your key messages in more creative ways that will engage your readers. Minimal styling of icons is quick and easy to understand and is often more effective than photos or complex illustrations.