How the Pandemic has influenced Brochure Design

How the pandemic has influenced brochure design

Almost every aspect of life was touched in some way by the pandemic. Businesses were not immune to the many challenges that needed to be overcome. Understanding and adapting how companies shared information was integral to keeping them running as close to normal as possible. Many tried and tested ways of doing things have been temporarily unavailable, so processes like developing literature have had to evolve. 

Here we explore how the pandemic influenced brochure design. We’ll cover elements like changing the tone of the information (addressing the audience’s need for reassurance), how business owners needed to find new approaches to sharing knowledge, and shifts in literature content (new opening times, operational methods, etc.).

How Did Things Change?

It was soon evident that the pandemic would continue beyond two weeks. The implications for business would be serious. Marketing experts and business owners needed to reconsider how they shared essential business information with their customers. 

Greater numbers of people were staying at home, decreasing the need for printed materials. As a result, many businesses stopped creating brochures and moved to online content. Companies that traditionally shied away from digital material began to publish electronic documents. Animated PDF page-flip brochures were a popular digital alternative. These functioned in much the same way as a traditional brochure. The content could remain the same only the method of delivery changed. 

Advertising and Marketing – Reassuring Customers

The coronavirus pandemic turned the world upside down. As a result, people were understandably concerned about pretty much every aspect of their lives, including its effect on the businesses they frequented. 

Brochure design took on a new function as a result. It could be used to reassure customers that business would continue to function as close to normal as was possible and safe. As well as advertising products and services, companies used brochures to explain the impact of the pandemic on their operations. Brochures could also be used to describe any changes or new measures that were enacted to assist in the safe and timely fulfilment of services and orders.  

Another side of brochures during the pandemic is their potential to claw back lost revenue, or at least some of it. A substantial amount of businesses lost income almost from day one of the pandemic. Marketing and sales teams were put under pressure to create content and literature to reverse this trend. 

The success or failure of a brochure had more of an impact on a business than ever before. Increasing engagement was a must. Designed needed to explore new and creative methods of presenting visually appealing content that kept readers engaged. 

The Content of Brochures During The Pandemic – Major changes in brochure design

The arrival of Covid-19 changed many things as it became the elephant in the room of any design or marketing meeting. Businesses, amongst others, hoped for a quick resolution to the coronavirus pandemic. Regardless of their feelings it was not something that could just be ignored. Producing brochures that just highlighted the quality of a business’s products or services was no longer enough. 

The pandemic had to be mentioned in any brochure. The more direct the impact of the pandemic on a business, the more important it was that it was covered in the brochure. Events and hospitality, two badly hit sectors, found themselves needing to diversify to survive. This would be reflected in their brochures and the reason behind the change needed to be included for context. 

Similarly, including information about operational changes was a must. New outdoor or takeaway service offered by restaurants, safety measures being put in place, and what would happen in the event of staff shortages were all things that marketing materials needed to communicate. 

These are some of the ways the pandemic has influenced brochure design. Of course, none of us knows what the future holds. Two years in, we are hopeful that coronavirus will diminish, and businesses can get back to normal. For many, this will include designing brochures without constant nods to the pandemic. 

Conclusion

If you enjoyed this blog post you may also want to read How Much Does It Cost to Design a Brochure? or The Anatomy of a Good Brochure Design For IT Company. We can create a stunning design that is just for you. Creative Harmony is built on expertise and our team can take your ideas to develop a stunning brochure design layout. Our team can bring your bespoke brochure design layout to life.

You can see relevant examples of our work Recruitment Agency Brochure Design and Healthcare Company Brochure Design.

Brochure Design

Brochures are still one of the most important sales tools for promoting your company’s message and will help to set your customer on the right path to engaging your services or making a purchase. We provide a complete end to end service producing informative, inspiring and persuasive brochures that generate results. Brochures can be designed for both print and online versions. Click here to find out more.