Event brochures need to be a balance between the impactful and informative
Typical events (and series of events) that benefit from brochure printing are:
- Concerts
- Lectures
- Theatre tours
- Literary festivals
- Jazz festivals
- Openings of new shops/restaurants/bars
- Seasonal events at garden centres
- Exhibitions at galleries or museums
- Conferences
- Trade shows
- Workshops
Whilst these events differ greatly in style and audience, there are some common features that any brochure printing project will almost always need to include.
Front cover
No matter what kind of brochure you’re designing, an eye-catching front cover is crucial in order to encourage your readers to pick it up in the first place. Strong colours and striking images right on the front cover. It’s not necessary to add too much text, if any – just a few choice snippets to get the reader engaged and excited.
Contents
Not all brochures need a contents page or contents section. But if your brochure is longer than a few pages and has more than three sections, you should consider including one. Not only is a list of contents useful for the reader, but also its layout can help to break up that first page and be pleasing to the eye.
Block text
Most brochures contain block text elements, perhaps explaining background information about the event, its history and the philosophy that lies behind it. Make sure that the amount of text you use is appropriate for the audience and the way in which they will be using the brochure. Consider whether your readers will be reading these sections in their entirety there and then, reading the brochure at home after the event or simply flicking through to find the sections relevant to them.
Maps and floorplans
Since all events take place somewhere, it’s common practice to include some sort of visuals to help with visitor navigation. Whilst you can go all out with a fabulous design here, don’t forget that the most important feature is whether your map or floorplan is usable. So keep things clean, clear, well proportioned and well labelled. Use keys and colour coding will help to de-clutter busy visuals.
Directions and location
More practical information you’ll need to include pertains to travel. Depending on whether your audience is local or not, this might be anything from an simple address or a very localised map to car, train, tube, bus or even aeroplane information.
Lists
Whether it’s the names of exhibitors, artists or sponsors, an event brochure of more than a few pages is likely to require a list of some sort. Here, you need to ensure that you are not overwhelming your reader with sheer quantity, so if your lists are very long, do incorporate stylistic elements such as colour coding, text colour and careful placement of images.
Schedule of events
A schedule or timetable is central to an event brochure and so if your brochure printing process allows, you might choose to dedicate one or more centre spreads for this purpose. As with maps and floorplans, the most important considerations here are usability and accuracy.
Biographical information
Event brochures very often need to incorporate biographical information, perhaps for keynote speakers, for performing artists or for exhibiting company profiles. Since this information is not crucial to the practical functioning of the event in the way that a map or a timetable is, you have a little more creative license here.
Contact details
Ensure that contact details for the event are prominent and easy to find. On the back of the brochure is typically where people will first look for this information, so unless you have a good reason not to, it makes sense to adhere to this expectation. As well as including the usual contact information, don’t forget to add a QR code if appropriate, so that readers can find out more information immediately online
Printing specs
Finally, it you are designing the brochure yourself make sure to check the technical specifications with your brochure printing company to ensure that you’ve complied with any margin, bleed or colour requirements before you submit your file.
Or if this is all too much, get in contact with TBF design team and we will design and print your brochure, producing something that will serve as a keepsake of the event for years to come. and leave you with time to organise your fabulous event. Email: info@thebusinessfairy.ie
