Does your brochure contain these mistakes?

By
Angie Herrera

Having been rear-ended recently, I had the "pleasure" of having to go get a couple estimates for the minor damage on my car. While at one auto body shop, I was standing next to some promotional materials. I didn't really pay attention at first, until I saw the font being used on one of the brochures. Thanks to so many people feeling the need to use this particular font seemingly _everywhere_, I just was annoyed just a smidgen and thought, "Really? Papyrus? Really?" As I sat and waited for my estimate guy to come back, I grabbed one. Perhaps for the sheer curiosity. But I'm glad I did because there are some design issues with this brochure that make it weak and a lost opportunity. Now, before I get into it, I want to make it clear that sincerely don't want to bash anyone (designer nor client). Instead, I hope that you take away something that will help you with your next tri-fold brochure. (Oh, and I apologize for the crappy photos. I just wasn't feeling like taking my time and taking good photos.) ## Make me want to read it Let's start with the content. To be honest, I haven't read more than a sentence or three in this brochure. It's certainly not for lack of trying or being _somewhat_ interested in aluminum collision repair. It's the simple fact that once I opened the front flap all I saw was [half a car and lots of poorly set text](http://420creative.com/images/blog/exhibit-e.jpg). Brochures aren't books. They're meant to be scanned first, read later (if the reader decides it's worth it). Keep the text flowing but don't make your readers read 5 paragraphs on one panel. Instead, try bullet points and engaging headlines to keep them interested. ## So who is providing this again? This particular auto body shop has a logo. And not a bad one. But it's **nowhere to be found** on this brochure. Instead, the name of the company is set in the same font as the headline. How's that for inconsistent branding? If you're trying to compete for eyeballs and memory, you had better put your logo on everything. A visual is easier to remember than a name. ## Nothing says precision like a jagged font And speaking of the font, my aversion to Papyrus aside, it's simply *inappropriate* for this brochure. Papyrus is a visually rugged, somewhat earthy font that a lot of people use to express old age. The better uses of Papyrus have been in the wellness and church sectors for that very reason. Last time I checked, aluminum isn't exactly "earthy". To make things a little worse, there's a poor visual connotation. If you [look closely at Papyrus](http://420creative.com/images/blog/exhibit-a.jpg), it has a rough texture to it. Various parts of the letterforms have been chipped away. Is that really a good visual for a company whose work involves removing chips and imperfections? Then there's the font for the body copy. I'm pretty confident that font is Times. Yes, Times. The default font on just about every computer *everywhere*. This is terrible because no thought was put into the overall feeling and message this brochure is meant to provide. It shows a lack of imagination which is not exactly a good thing for a designer. Further, having Times as the body copy (in conjunction with a missing logo) tells me that this company has no branding whatsoever. Choosing a font for any marketing collateral isn't as simple as browsing through your computer's font list and choosing what appeals to you. Typefaces carry a lot more importance than that. ## Nothing says amateur like basic Photoshop filters on poorly written headlines The headlines in this brochure just plain aren't punchy enough. They don't bring the reader in further. What's more, their placement is awkward. On the inside spread "The Technology" floats above the car in the middle panel. It doesn't make sense. It could very well be that it's not a headline so much as a bullet point. If that's the case, that's worse than the headline. They just don't tie in to anything. And since the headlines are sitting on a (random) thick black line, [the solution to keep them readable](http://420creative.com/images/blog/exhibit-d.jpg) was to add the outer glow filter in Photoshop. That's a poor solution that screams amateur. Why? Because it's not a solution at all. It's a [kludge](http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3A+kludge&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a). Sure it solves the readability problem, but not in an elegant or professional way. (And don't get me started on the default Photoshop drop shadow on the image on the back panel.) Any marketing piece should look great but it shouldn't be obvious what was done to get there. Photoshop is a great tool. But it's just a tool and it's not what makes a designer a designer. It's kind of like seeing the brush strokes on a wall after it's been painted. You know that's what it took but it still looks crappy. ## At least the printing looks great Design issues aside, the printing of this brochure is pretty nice. The background is a metallic ink - perhaps the one good connection to the subject matter. And the paper stock is good quality. The metallic ink and paper stock tells me this company probably spent some good money on getting these brochures printed. And that's a shame. Because the design could've been so much better to really take advantage of the printing. If you're going to spend a good amount of money on printing (especially if you're adding a 5th color such as a metallic ink), then the design should back it up.