I am in the process of having our season brochure designed for the upcoming year and it seems like the way the brochure is folded is taking great precedence over the actual content of the piece. Because of postal regulations about the way items may be mailed the printing houses are suggesting we change the way we fold the brochure. It will be the same size and shape as we had planned, but will require fewer seals to hold it closed when we mail it. Fewer seals means a savings in the printing and mailing.
Except that the way the brochure opens is very important. More to the point, what people see when they first open the brochure is very important. A few years back, the first thing you saw when you opened the brochure were the compelling eyes of an Indian dancer. People opened the brochure and had a real “wow” experience. Last year we used a different designer and she took another approach to the arrangement of the information. Instead of an image, the first thing you saw was text. It wasn’t as ideal a situation in my mind, but the design positioned information in a better place for those who attached the brochure to refrigerators and bulletin boards as reminders. (We get a lot of ticket orders throughout the year from people who keep our brochure.)
The text people first saw last year when they opened the brochure dealt with our flex subscriptions and volunteering. Both areas saw an increase in participation last year proving that I really need to pay attention to what is on that first panel. I will be getting a full size sample to proof from the designer tomorrow. You can be assured one of the first things I will do is figure out how it folds and open and close it many times to determine what our patrons’ experience is going to be like.
I mention all these factors, of course, by way of pointing out the practical application of the various considerations you might employ when designing brochures.
I agree completely, and would like to add one more tip about the fold. Don’t rely solely on your own intuition. First, not everyone opens a brochure the same way; and second, you have the advantage of knowing what the brochure is about. Give copies of the mock-up to others in the organization as well as to others who know nothing about the upcoming season. Don’t prompt or lead them, just give it to them and watch what they do with it. After a few minutes, ask them what message they think the brochure is communicating.
Yes exactly but it is hard to control for all options. Some people will open with the cover image facing up, others open with the address label facing up. Someone is going to end up with the brochure upside down or a similarly awkward presentation.