Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

We’ve all received brochures from various businesses and most of the time they all have one thing in common — they’re boring.

Whether they’re packed with so much information you feel like you’re about to read a full length novel, or so plain you feel like you’re sitting in the dentist’s office, brochures tend to get a bad rap. They may be chock full of important stuff, but unless you can get someone to pick it up and read it, it doesn’t matter how great the content inside is.

Here are 25 ways to step up your brochure design game and ensure your information will be shared....

Light and shadow can add qualities like depth, dimension, perspective, realism, and visual interest to your designs. This can simultaneously draw viewers into your design and make it seem to pop off the page or screen.

But…it’s easy to get carried away. Overdoing effects is a no-fail way to make an otherwise good design look amateurish and tacky.

To sum up, the secret to using light and shadow in a smart way involves keeping two things in mind: purpose and subtlety. First, make sure any effect you’re using has a specific, practical purpose and makes sense for your project; then, take a “less is more” approach to applying it to your design. If you’re using an effect that came with your design program, the default settings are always more dramatic than realistic (particularly for shadows); don’t rely on them, you’ll likely want to make them softer, lighter, and more subtle....