BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: Les from Hull
Date: 02 Aug 06 - 08:59 AM

Although there are plenty of good ideas about brochure design here, we might manage on or two more.

MS Publisher is very useful, including as it does plenty of layouts to chose from, and making it easy to change things like artwork, pictures and colour schemes. You can then take the file to a print shop and they'll do the rest.

One thing often overlooked - the words. Writing good copy is a real skill, and it's worth spending enough time on it to get it right. You might go through several rewrites before you get something you want to print, so allow enough time for this. Keep it simple and effective. Use plenty of verbs, some effective adjectives and keep the sentence length to an average 12-15 words.

Get people whose opinions you trust to look it over before you print. That is, people who have some knowledge of design, writing or gardening.

But most of all - enjoy it! It can be a very rewarding experience.

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: s&r
Date: 02 Aug 06 - 07:14 AM

This place provides a good online service.

Once you're a customer they'll flood you with cheap offers. The secret is to stay with their basic package - all the extras add up, but stay basic and they're cheap (often for postage only)

Stu

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: GUEST,Bruce Baillie
Date: 02 Aug 06 - 06:44 AM

...Personally being a graphic designer myself I'd just say get it done professionally, there are always plenty of designers about who won't cost you the earth and it'll look a lot better than some half assed amateur attempt, if you're serious about your business then what's the point in making yourself look crap just to save a few quid!

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 Aug 06 - 04:31 PM

Under the Spreading Chestnut?

The Bower Flowers?

Shady Lane Gardening?

Under Cover of Trees?

Flora...Undercover?

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: Mr Red
Date: 01 Aug 06 - 01:20 PM

Maid in the Shade

Maid for the Shade

Personally I would find other words than shade - just in case it evokes "Shady Deals" in some potential customers.

But maybe "Shaddows" would work.

I guess "North Facing" would look too "anoraky"

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 Aug 06 - 12:47 PM

You might also get some ideas from Made in the Shade in "Country Living."

If you do use that slogan, I would add "gardening" to the end of it.

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: GUEST,petr
Date: 01 Aug 06 - 12:02 PM

mostly good advice.

what is the brochure intended to do?
mail out, hand out -

I ask the question because for instance if you are advertising
by doing a mass mailout, then a postcard or a mailer/tearoff postcard
with a business card that can be torn off might be the way to go.
YOu could have a simple message - with say, before and after pictures of a garden etc. The reason I suggest the tear off business card is that they are effective, people like something they can tear off and keep. (I do tons of them Im a printer)

Design:
Id say first thing, brainstorm - write down anything you can think
of.
2nd organize your points, then cut down the text.
Cut it down some more,(repeat as often as necessary) because most
people just look at the pictures and glance over the text.

if you are printing them yourself on your printer or having them colour copied at a copy shop - (its probably ok) but it will look less professional than having them done at a professional printshop.

if you are taking your brochure to a printer directly Id definitely avoid Microsoft PUnisher - most printers do not use it.
(if you do have it in Word and include pictures etc, most printers will lay it out and format it for you)

(if you are doing it yourself, Id suggest Illustrator, Indesign etc)
good luck

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 Aug 06 - 10:55 AM

Or, how about SHRINKING VIOLETS!**bg**

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: Bobert
Date: 01 Aug 06 - 10:45 AM

I like it...

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 01 Aug 06 - 10:28 AM

Something like :-



.MADE
.          in
.          the
SHADE



But hand drawn lettering or a suitable font?


Quack!
GtD

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 01 Aug 06 - 10:19 AM

MADE
in
the
dark greenSHADE

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: Bobert
Date: 01 Aug 06 - 07:47 AM

Well, all very good ideas... And I will help her with composition and even text... I'm not all that pudderized 'nuff to do it myself and don't have quite the hours I used to have now that I have a farm to keep up....

One Catter has offered to assist and the P-Vine and this person will probably talk this evening by phone and get the ball rolling...

Seein' as the P-Vine is a shade gardener I have come up with "No Sun? No problem!" as a potential hook but still like "Made in the Shade" as well...

But thanks fir the suggestions and keep 'um comin'...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 01 Aug 06 - 07:21 AM

Keep it simple - people can grab a simple idea and remember it. Too much information confuses.
Don't forget the important stuff, such as how/where to contact you (a common mistake).
Design companies DO NOT have better ideas than anyone else - just look at some of the crud in telly adverts. I often suspect they just recycle the ideas they had when they were at college/design school - if it has worked before, it will work again.
If you can, design a memorable logo for the business venture. Once again, a distinctive logo will prompt a potential customer's memory.
The Acme Company gets to the front of a phone book, but you might get sued by roadrunner.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: katlaughing
Date: 31 Jul 06 - 11:20 PM

Lots of good advice. I've done lots of these over about 25 years, from three-fold, both sides, full-colour to simple two-sided postcard sized handouts/mailers.

Stress the BENEFITS, not the features, as mentioned above. Yes, she has the best plants, the best design ideas, etc., but HOW will that benefit the client...tell them...ease of caring for the garden, beautiful landscape to look at/lessen stress/relax,improve property value, etc.

With your art skills, I'd think you could come up with some great art for her for a logo, etc. Try to use some element which keeps the continuity from page fold to the next, such as a line, top and bottom which leads the eye, or, in this case, a border of not too busy flowers/ivy/etc. Keep the whole thing simple, clean, and neat looking, with some BOLD highlighted words and maybe bullets, but be careful not to get too busy with them. Elegance is best achieved with restraint.

Let us know how it turns out, okay?

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: GUEST,Old Guy
Date: 31 Jul 06 - 10:15 PM

Get Microsoft Publisher, part of Microsoft Office, and there are brochure "Wizards" in there that will crank one out easily.

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: GUEST,Bee
Date: 31 Jul 06 - 09:15 PM

If you know how you're going to distribute it, that can affect your design plan. If you want to mail it within certain local districts, consult the post office people about how they charge for various types of mailouts. If you're planning on leaving them at garden centres, etc., see what kind of folded paper is likely to find space at the front desk (some places have containers, others have heaps, some will only let you place bus. cards, which also can be made on your handy computer.) of . You may also want some one-side-only printed flyers to place on bulletin boards.

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating an Embrochure....
From: Severn
Date: 31 Jul 06 - 09:11 PM

When someone asks, "Brochure?"


Just say, "Sure, bro!"

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: jeffp
Date: 31 Jul 06 - 08:42 PM

A couple of tips:

No more than 2 fonts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(can you tell it's a pet peeve?)

Spell check it, read it 3 times minimum, then have at least 2 friends proof it.

Create it, lay it down for a few days, then look at it again and see if you can stand to see it.

Don't list your references in the brochure unless she gets some long-term commercial accounts. You don't want to have to revise very often. Supply current refs on request.

That's all that I can think of at the moment.

Jeff

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: Helen
Date: 31 Jul 06 - 08:05 PM

Hi Bobert,

If you are lucky, and if you have MsWord (in which case you might consider yourself unlucky having GatesWare!), you might have templates for brochures included.

To find out you go to File - New and click through the different tabs that show up on the window that opens. Mine has Office 97 templates which includes a brochure template. (It's important to go through the File - New way rather than clicking on the little "blank sheet of paper" icon that opens a new file otherwise it misses out the chance to look at the templates.)

If you have a copy of MsPublisher then there are heaps more choices with the templates and it doesn't take much playing around to get the hang of it - either in Word or Pub.

Use some clip art or insert photos or graphics of your own, play around with the fonts etc etc. Both templates let you do both sides of a three-fold brochure so then you print the two pages out and figure out how to get them right side up on the photocopier with double-sided copying (the cheap way to get colour is to do a black & white brochure printed on colour paper) or you save the file on disk or CD and take it to an instant print place to print in colour.

Et voilá, your own professional looking but cheap brochure.

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: Mr Red
Date: 31 Jul 06 - 06:02 PM

Don't mention the competitors by name - golden rule of publicity.

Subject: RE: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 31 Jul 06 - 05:55 PM

It's not hard to do it yourself on the computer. You can get blank brochures at your local office supply store. They go through your printer (print on both sides) and then fold very neatly along scored lines.

The most important thing to remember is not to advertise your skills, products or services. Tell your potential customers how you can solve a problem they have instead.

Bev and Jerry

Subject: BS: Advice on Creating a Brochure....
From: Bobert
Date: 31 Jul 06 - 05:48 PM

The P-Vine has decided that she'd like to do "shade garden" design and cunsultin' and work with various garden centers and needs a brochure...

Yeah, sure, we could just pick up the phone and call a graphics design company and end up spending a ton of $$$ and we might end up doing that but...

...as per usual, I figurated that some of my friends here in Mudville might have a few suggestions on gettin' the most bang fir the buck...

(Better rephrase that, Bobert, 'er you'll have Spawzer in here jumpin' all over that "bang fir the buck" stuff...)

Okay, make that best value for the dollar...

Bobert