First steps when you want a brochure

When you decide that your company needs a nice glossy brochure (usually after seeing a competitors) the first thought that crosses your mind is 'who will do this for me?'.

However, although very important, this is not the first question that needs answering.

Step one

The first and most important thing to understand is how are you going to use the brochure i.e. who will receive it; what do you expect to achieve from it - corporate positioning, direct sales, promote new services etc. Only when you answer these questions can you start to work on the content.

Copy

To get started work out your page headings as this will give you a 'contents' for the brochure and help you to decide how many pages will be needed. You will then have to decide whether you will be writing the content yourself or if you are going to use the services of a professional copywriter.

Pictures

You will need to decide on the pictures you have and whether more need to be taken or will you 'hire' them from a photo-library or buy the from a royalty free library. Do not expect pictures used on your web site or pulled from the internet to be any good for a printed piece. Websites use pictures at a resolution of 72dpi but printed works require a resolution of 300dpi. Also to be borne in mind is that any pictures acquired from the web are probably covered by copyright and you would need to acquire permission to use them.

Distribution

Please put some thought into how you are going to distribute the brochure. There is nothing more frustrating to me than a client who tells me that he/she has not had much response from their brochure and, when asked, says that all the brochures are sitting in their cupboard. Based on your answer to the first question you should be able to work out how many copies you will need to be printed and how you will get them to your intended audience.

So now you are ready to choose a design company.

What should you be looking for? This will depend on how much you know about the process. Will you need a designer who can arrange photography, arrange an appropriate copywriter and organise print (like www.creativeline.co.uk for example) or will you be handling these processes yourself.

If you require a full service you will need a design company with an established base of contacts. You should ask to see similar projects they have produced for other clients and ask them exactly what they handled on those projects.

If you are going to handle all but the design yourself you can choose between a design company or a freelance designer. I would not recommend using a friends son whose at or just left college - experience is essential to avoid costly mistakes.

Making the choice

The web is a great way to find design companies as you can view their portfolios online - a great time saver. But nothing beats recommendation. Ask other companies you know who they use and what they think of the service they get. Check out their brochure and see if you are impressed.

When you have shortlisted your designers you will need to provide a brief so they can can provide you with accurate costings for the job.

Do not expect free designs. Designs take a long time and considerable effort and should be paid for. I do not believe in 'free pitches'.

Having briefed the designers and obtained quotations you can now make an informed decision on who to go with.