Please note that for all graphic design or print jobs, staff members may contact the suppliers directly with their requirements.

 

Please review the sections below how how to arrange graphic design or print work:

• Graphic Design Tender Process
• Print Tender Process

 

General Guidelines for preparing your content:

Step by Step Guide

As with all printed matter, careful planning is required. The method for producing a brochure can be applied to all of the marketing materials. Please note that the timetable for the print run will vary for each type of marketing tools.

Brochures

Make a deadline for the final product. Allocate a minimum of four weeks to produce a brochure.

 

Content

• Clarify the purpose and audience for the brochure
• Decide on the size of the brochure
• Decide how you want the brochure folded; trifold is the most common method
• Begin by listing the key points covered in your brochure
• Write your first draft and share it with as many people as possible to make sure that the content is easy to understand
• Prolong the shelf life of the brochure by avoiding information that will date it, e.g., CAO Points
• Number of images/photos the brochure will include
• Name and contact information

 

Printer

• Allow a minimum of 8 working days for the print run
• Number of copies you need
• Paper stock: Weight and finish of the paper (gloss or matte)
• Organise a PO number for the print run … printers will not proceed with a print run without a PO number (a requisition number will not suffice)

 

Tips

• Consider printing at least 1,000 copies of your brochure. As the print count goes up, the cost per copy goes down.
• Proof read the content very carefully before you sign off.

 

 

What is a brochure?

A brochure is a small printed paper piece, usually made from a single sheet. Brochures are typically A4 trifold or A4 folded, but they can have different dimensions and numbers of folds. Brochures are often also referred to as pamphlets or leaflets.

 

What purposes can a brochure serve?

A brochure can explain your department’s purpose and services.
If you can't tell someone the basic facts about your department -- what your mission is, what courses/facilities you provide, who's in charge, how you can be contacted, etc. -- in two or three sentences, you should definitely consider creating a brochure.

 

 

Who might a brochure target?

A brochure can be directed to a specific group or groups, or it can be made for a broad general audience. Think about the groups that typically are interested in information about your department as well as groups you'd like to generate more interest from, and consider whether you'd like to have brochures that specifically target each of those groups. Some of the groups you might want to direct a brochure towards include:

• potential students… EU students and non EU students
• potential clients… work placement
• potential funders… Research & Development
• the general public
• the press

 

What can you do with brochures?

Brochures are an extremely flexible medium for getting information about your department out to the public or to targeted groups e.g.

• direct mail to targeted people
• distribute when visiting schools
• insert into presentation folders
• attach to proposals or reports
• distribute at Open Days, Exhibitions, Conferences, and Seminars

If you go to the trouble of making brochures for your department, be sure to have them available at any function where your department is represented.

 

How do you plan to make a brochure?

1. Gather ideas and examples. As with any type of printed material you plan to produce, it's a good idea to start off by collecting samples of brochures you like. Become familiar with styles, graphics that you might like to use or model for your own brochure.
2. Brainstorm Consider what information the brochure should contain. Because a brochure is relatively short, you may want to limit the information you try to include.
3. Write an outline. This will give you the chance to decide how you want the brochure to be organised and what points you want to make.
4. Arrange your topics in a logical sequence, fitting it to the general layout of the brochure. Think about what order you want the information to be presented in. It may help you to fold up a piece of paper in the way that your brochure will be folded and sketch it out.

 

General guidelines for writing

Above all, keep it simple! Write concisely and clearly. Here are some tips:

• Keep sentences short. Run-on or overly complicated sentences can be too confusing for your reader.
• Avoid jargon. Don't assume the public will use the same sort of language and terminology as you. For example, more people are likely to understand you when you say something is "required" than if you say it is "mandated."

On a typical brochure you'll have six panels, but whatever the number of panels, consider carefully what should go where. The front cover will need a title, image, and a logo.

Here is a typical brochure layout. Please keep in mind that you don't necessarily have to lay yours out the same way; for example, you can have more than three panels -- but you probably should include some of these elements.

 

 

Typical layout for a 6-panel Course brochure (A4DL or A4 Trifold)
Panel 1 (max 250 words) Frequently Asked Questions
Panel 2 Back Cover: Short Course Title Short Paragraph (max 150 words) Contact Information and Logos
Panel 3 Front Cover: Image; Title of Award; Course Code; and Logo
Panel 4 (max 250 words) About the Course; and Further Studies
Panel 5 (max 210 words) Grad Profile + Photo; and  Accreditation/Career Opportunities
Panel 6 Course Programme; and Module Listing
 

• Contact information: Back of the brochure; should contain all the ways your department can be contacted (name, address, phone, email, and web site URL).
• Front cover: This should contain Title, image, and logo, but not much more. Keep it from getting too crowded and chaotic, but try to make the reader interested in opening the brochure up and reading on.
• General Info: This is usually the inside of the brochure. This part of your brochure should include programme info, graduate profile, career opportunities, further studies, and the programme module listing.

 

Review your work and get feedback: Check for errors first, then get additional, objective opinions from as many people as you possibly can. Once you have finalised text and images, contact the MTU Marketing Unit.

Distribute your final product: Have distribution as a part of your communications plan before you even start.