Never Judge a Book – or a brochure – By Its Cover?

Well, that’s what we are told, but first impressions are everything – we all know that. You wouldn’t buy a fancy new sports car and fit plastic hubcaps. And you wouldn’t spend fortunes refurbishing your house only to scrimp on the final fixtures and fittings. You see ultimately what’s under the surface isn’t what gets you noticed, and your finished brochure is no different.

We see clients committing huge budgets to internal layouts, high brow design, photography, materials and the like, but then fail to spend the relatively little extra that will ensure their cover makes the brochure stand out.

So what are the key things to consider before signing off your cover with your studio:

• Firstly, and this costs nothing, keep it clean, keep it simple, with key information only. Your logo and company name are two musts, but equally always carry your corporate strapline – make sure people know what you’re about without having to look too far. If you’re perfect binding and thus have a spine, make sure this same info appears here.
• Don’t forsake the back cover – here you must ensure your full company name along with your web, email and postal addresses are clearly stated. You’re wanting to make it easy for someone to be able to contact you – make sure they have everything they could possibly need at their fingertips if they’re to want to get in touch without ever having to open a page.

• Make the cover tactile – add on a special laminate. Matt gives any cover a silky smooth finish while the new ‘soft touch’ lamination gives a fabulous and at present unique velvet/suede feel
• Alternatively, select a speciality material. The ‘Curious’ range is as it sounds, a selection of bright or textured stocks that will absolutely get you noticed.

• Special post press print finishes like embossing, foil blocking and spot UV varnishing add a ‘wow’ factor and add a perception of class and style that can only reflect well (take a look at a previous post for a bit more on these options)
• Encourage some form of user involvement, perhaps a method of opening/closing – a clasp, flap or, if budget will allow, think about adding mini magnetic discs. Getting a prospect to want to fiddle with your brochure keeps your name in front of their eyes for that much longer.

This is not to suggest you neglect what goes on the inside, far from it, but really putting some thought and a little budget to creating a stand out cover will give you the best chance of having your clients actually bother opening up and making worthwhile the huge time, effort and cost you’ve put in to the inners.

So your brochure, and therefore your company, will be judged by its cover in a big way – don’t let it down! Help and advice are always on hand from my team and I at PrintHouse – feel free to come pick our brains anytime.