How to design a flyer?
Flyers are a quick and easy way to communicate a message and here’s the best way to design them.
1.)Is it a flyer or a brochure?
First thing to do is figure out whether your sending a mini brochure or a flyer.
Tri-fold brochures are usually more detailed in content and a little more costly. There only really effective when they’ve been requested or searched out. You don’t really want to waste hand them out randomly because such detailed info will be chucked in the bin if not requested. They can be okay for mail drops but not ideal for simply handing out to every stranger on the street.
If its a brochure your designing then read this one instead.
Flyer’s are usually a doublesided A5 card or smaller. These can be used to hand out randomly to the public because they shouldn’t be too detailed. Some big points of sales with vital info is all that’s needed. The first thing they see or read should be enough to make them read more. Write it as if your making a quick statement about whatever it is your announcing.
Look at it this way:
Is your material waiting for the customer – A mini brochure
Is your material looking for the customer – A flyer
2.) The front!
Flyers are usually handed out pretty randomly whether its by a mail drop, by hand or just left somewhere to pick up. Either way a very important factor is the front design. It has to stand out! Your flyer maybe competing with several other flyers for attention.
If its left in a shop you have to visually persuade someone to pick it up amongst all the other flyers there. If its sent in a maildrop it has to stand out in the pile to be looked at. Just because its given by hand it doesn’t mean the recipient is actually going to read it.
The front Pt2 – Content Vs graphics
Do you flood your front with content to make it an informative flyer or make it a graphically enticing flyer (like a postcard).
Make it a stunning postcard! As mentioned its a quick message which has to compete against other flyers. Its a statement which should actively search out the customer. A good image is good enough to make them pick it up and turn over to read. A long paragraph of text is just boring and a waste of time!
3.) The back! Content
Write your content first. This will determine how big your flyer needs to be and what budget you’ll need depending on how big it turns out.
Every half page of text should equal to 1 page of a flyer.
Eg For an single side A5 flyer write A6 page of text
Why?
If you write an A5 sheet of text to go on a A5 size flyer then you may as well just print off an A4 document on word because your not going to fit anything else on there.
Again make it a quick set of statements, easy to read and to the point.
Leave enough room for more images and straplines as they’ll be digested by the recipient.
Put down vital info, hooks to reel them in as well as the call to action.
Do you need an example?
An industry which has thrived upon flyer design is nightclubs. Although they may have no relevance whatsoever to your business, there is something to be learnt form their flyer designs.
They make them visually appealing, with short vital info to make a sale. They rarely use more then two sentences for one paragraph.
They make the statements :
What the event called? – The brand
Who will be there? – Hook 1
Whats the special offer? – Hook 2
Where it will be held? – Make the sale later
How to buy? – Make the sale now
No detailed fancy copy, just the basics and that’s ideally how a flyer should be designed and used. If you want to use more text then rethink how and who to hand the flyers to or create a tri-fold brochure instead.
Examples of great flyer designs:
