You need a professionally designed tri-fold brochure if…

At some point, all businesses need professionally designed and printed materials -for sales call leave behinds, fulfilling requests for “more information” about your services, direct mail, or maybe even print ads in appropriate publications. But, which option is right for you? And, do you really need the “standard” tri-fold brochure?

To Tri-Fold or Not To Tri-Fold

Some people are of the mindset that the traditional tri-fold brochure is out of date, too trite, and not effective. Well, we will agree only if the design does not match your brand, hit the main points, and engage your audience. But, tri-folds can be very effective!

As we know, form follows function, and this holds true for communication design as much as it does architecture. Let’s consider the tri-fold from a functional perspective:

Display and Presentation:

Where will your piece be displayed? If you are going to ask other companies to display your piece on their countertop, will they really want to take up all that space with a jumbo postcard? A tri-fold, with a supplied display stand, will be a better use of their valuable countertop real estate.

Are you handing out your piece with other information? Consider how your piece will look when presented with all of your materials, and in what type of container (pocket folder, custom sleeve, etc.) you will be presenting it. The traditional tri-fold may or may not be appropriate for you depending on these variables.

Content and Messaging:

How much do you have to say? Is a tri-fold enough or too much room? If you have a quick message, a sales flier or insert might be more appropriate. On the other hand, never put so much content in any piece that you overwhelm your audience. The design will, of course, guide and engage the reader, but we need “white space” in order to do that. A range of options from an oversized tri-fold, sales sheets or inserts, or maybe even a product catalog might be more appropriate.

Production Costs:

The all-important budget – will this piece provide a positive ROI as a tri-fold? Again, consider your audience, presentation, and messaging; but also consider quantity. How many do you need, and is it worth the additional cost to score and fold? Or maybe you can explore more creative and unique options, such as custom die cuts and unique folds, for a piece that is targeted to a higher end market.

So, do you need a tri-fold?

Based on your audience, use, content requirements, and budget, you may or may not actually need a tri-fold brochure. Talk with your marketing developer and designer to evaluate your needs and find the most effective piece to invest in.

Performax Stone replaced a costly product catalog with a large product brochure that was actually more effective based on their audience’s needs.

THE Voice Customer Service found a traditionally sized tri-fold to be the perfect solution. Just the right size to mail out, file away, and display at their partners’ businesses.

Mindful Business Solutions now has a uniquely sized tri-fold that helps them stand out from the competition, while maintaining the benefits of a traditional tri-fold.

Tags: Branding, brochure design, direct mail

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 30th, 2009 at 12:25 pm and is filed under Design, Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.