A flyer can often be a cheap but cheerful way to get your brand before customers. Flyers can also be great at promoting special events or offers, providing customers with more information on a specific product or service you are providing.
But making your flyer stand out to hit all the right notes is not as easy as it seems and, over the years, I have seen examples that really could have used a little more care.
To assist with design ideas for your next flyer, I am suggesting the "top six" things to avoid. If some seem surprising and make you reconsider your design, you can thank me later. Here they are:
Too much information
The worst thing you can do with your flyer is fill it with information just for the sake of filling space. Give your flyer room to breathe and only include the most necessary points. If you are looking to promote a new product then you may want to include the name, a price and a few key points. Do not start to write a story on its great benefits.
Your customer may only be interested in knowing the cost and what it does; almost like if you are promoting your business or service. Your customers lead busy lives, so they do expect information quickly. This means only including key points that a reader can easily scan through and digest.
Long headline
If too much information is the worst thing you can have in a flyer, then a long headline is a close second (which is why I placed it as number two).
Your headline needs to be short and right to the point. Moreover, a headline should be something that can instantly grab the customer's attention and encourage them to want to read more.
Keep words to a minimum in your headline; at least two lines at the very most. And before you send your flyer to print, put a draft in front of some colleagues to see their response. Does the headline grab their attention?
Low quality images
If you are using images for your flyer make sure they are high quality. Low quality, pixelated images will make your flyer look unprofessional and can cheapen the way customers view your brand.
Avoid copying images straight from the website, as they will be lower quality and a different resolution (RGB rather than CMYK). If you have access to quality stock images for a product or even have your own digital camera (or smartphone), use them. A quality picture can really help set a flyer on fire.
Too much colour
We all know that a little colour is important in helping an advertisement stand out, but be sure to remember the word "little". Do not go overboard and become "colour happy" because you feel bright, vibrant colours can give more impact.
Too much colour can make a flyer confusing, especially if you use lots of colour in the text. Try to focus on colours that complement each other, and work well with your brand image and your logo. When using text in your logo, a consistent approach is always the best way.
Try to use the same colour for all text, although you can use a different colour to help make a heading, price or special offer stand out.
Small text
Text is important when it comes to your flyer, and using the right fonts is also something you need to consider. There is no point spending time designing a flyer and printing it, only for your customers to struggle with reading.
Your headline should be the largest text size, with all other information consistent in size. Sub-headings and prices, or key points, can be a little bigger than the main content body size, but it should never exceed the size of your headline text.
Try to avoid going below "point 10", especially when printing white text on to a black background.
Poor Spelling
This may seem like a surprising inclusion to the list, but poor spelling, grammar and wrong information are things we have all come across at some stage when looking at a flyer, haven't we? Be sure to proof read your flyer at every stage of the design process, and get your colleagues to double proof before final print.
Be sure to check the more sensitive information, such as dates, prices and contact details, for once they are printed the only way to change them is to print again. This is a further expense you can avoid.
Finally, when designing your next flyer, think of those that have managed to grab your attention in the past. What was it that grabbed your attention?
And be sure to remember those flyers that you placed in your bin, and immediately threw a match on. What did they have that made you do this?
One final tip: Always encourage feedback from your customers. Do not be afraid to ask them what worked, and be sure to use these findings to improve your next design. Until we meet again, fill your life with memories rather than regrets. Enjoy life and stay on top of your game.
NB: Columnist welcomes feedback at deedee21bastian@gmail.com
ABOUT COLUMNIST: Ms. Deidre Bastian is a professionally trained Graphic Designer/ Marketing Coordinator with qualifications of M.Sc., B.Sc., A.Sc. She has trained at institutions such as: Miami Lakes Technical Centre, Success Training College, College of the Bahamas, Nova Southeastern University, Learning Tree International, Langevine International and Synergy Bahamas.
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