Brochure’s Brilliance – How to Give Your Brochure the Wow Factor
How your brochure cover looks and feels will go a long way to determining whether your potential audience picks it up and opens it. You can use numerous design finishes to add the wow factor to your brochure. Creative Harmony is a brochure design expert. We use our experience and knowledge to help your brochure stand out. Here are some of the most effective finishes you can use.
Spot UV Varnish and Lamination
Spot UV varnish is a fine transparent layer that is only applied to specific images or graphic areas to make them look glossy. Spot UV varnish is ideal for adding subtle touches. Lamination is similar and comes in matte or gloss and can be applied to the whole page to give it a certain feel and look. It is mainly used on brochure covers and can be combined with a spot UV varnish to create contrast.
Die Cutting
Die cutting involves cutting shapes into one page so you can see part of the content or image on the page below. You can make small cuts to tease parts of the image or larger ones to reveal the whole insert below.
Binding
There are numerous options for binding your brochure. Some are more complex and expensive than others. It is vital that you choose the binding that is perfect for your type of brochure, finish, and purpose. Common binding options include:
- Saddle or staple stitch – perfect for smaller brochures, it involves using wire staples and is usually the first option for brochure binding.
- Perfect bound – perfect for fuller brochures between 40 to 700 pages. The pages are bound together along the spine with an adhesive.
- Wiro bound – ideal for reference guides and manuals, a coloured metal wire loop binds the brochure down its spine. The binding is available in several colours to give your brochure a unique feel.
- Screw fixing – ideal for smaller brochures, screw fixing, gives brochures a focal element. Screws are inserted in holes that are drilled into the pages.
Other binding options include case binding, primarily used in hard-backed books and various sewn and string bindings.
Talk to Creative Harmony to explore the ideal binding option for your brochure.
Brochure’s Brilliance – Embossing/Debossing
Embossing involves raising a shape above the surface of the page. Debossing is the opposite and creates an indent on the page. Both create a focal point and texture or sensory element to the page. It is great for logos and headlines.
Foil Blocking
Creating focal areas on your page is a great way to attract attention and draw the eye to specific elements. One way to do this is with foil blocking. A thin sheet of metallic foil is used on a specific area instead of ink. It is ideal for logos and critical text, such as headings or subheadings.
Special or Metallic Inks
Special or metallics inks are actually varnishes that contain metallic particles. Once the metallic ink dries, the particles come to the surface and reflect the light to create a metallic sheen. Special inks are perfect for a less intense version of the foil blocking finish.
Brochure Design Finishes
While we have focused on print finishes in this article, that is far from the end of the story. To get the broadest possible reader engagement, consider creating a digital version of your brochure as well as your print version. Digital brochures increase your reach and are cost-effective to send as email newsletters or to upload to your website. Creative Harmony is experienced at designing brochures that work across print and digital formats and can advise you on the best digital format for your needs.
Are you seeking a new design agency for your next brochure design project? Contact Creative Harmony, and a team member will talk you through how we can help bring your ideas to life.
Can Creative Harmony support your next project?
Creative Harmony is a full-service design agency. We support clients with everything from branding guidelines and business card design to marketing brochures, logos, and WordPress websites. For a quote on your next project, call us or complete our contact form, and we will be in touch.
