Sometimes you can reduce the leaflet design prices by creating your own text.
When customers give us text for a leaflet design, it is invariably too much. There is a tendancy for any information literature to load it full of text, believing that the audience is after as much information as they can get. This is not the case. What the audience is really after is to be given the keypoints in as easily digestable form as possible.
So how can you cut down the text and reduce the leaflet design prices? Well, firstly, you need to think hard about your audience. Just because you, as the owner of the business, are interested in the details of a certain product or service, it doesn't mean that your audience are interested in the same type or depth of information. Have you ever been to a party where one of the guests simply won't shut up about the details of their boring job? - don't do this in your leaflet design.
Less pages will give you the best leaflet design prices and make your leaflet more effective. Be very selective about which information you include and keep it brief, remembering always about what your audience might be interested in. Bullet points are a fantastic way of sumarising the important information for easy digestion and can quickly point out the key benefits. Highlighting the benefits in your leaflet design, of course, is what it is all about so always review the information with this in mind. Try to connect all the information to a key benefit. i.e. 'Established since 1980' becomes 'With over 25 years experience'. 'Made from aluminium' becomes 'Constructed from strong and light aluminium'. Don't rely on the reader making conclusions (people read advertising literture fast and light), be blantent and unsubtle.
Lastly, think about the structure of the information in the pamphlet design. Don't simply have one long narrative. Split your information into different headings so readers can easily find the information they are looking for. Title these sections with headings likely to catch people's interest. It is important to put life into your text, so try to inject some enthusiasm into the tone - even if the subject is not that thrilling.
Follow these instructions and you can give the text directly to the designer and get the best leaflet design prices.
Saturday 13 December 2008
Leaflet Cost - getting the best price.
When you are promoting your business through a leaflet design, the cost is very important and you want to do everything in your power to get this as low as possible - without sacrificing either design or print quality. At Add Design we specialise in affordable leaflet design, and we are always happy to advise on the best ways to reduce the leaflet cost. Whoever is designing and printing your leaflets, here are some tips for getting the best leaflet cost.
Graphic Design.
All of Add Design's prices are fixed, but if you graphic design works on an hourly rate make sure you know what it is. Also insist on knowing how long the design is likely to take and whether you will be charged for ammendments and print-prepping. Designers may pretend that 'graphic design' is a magic art, but most designers should know how long the average design takes and the average leaflet cost.
Stock images.
If you require stock images, then make sure you know how much these will cost before your designer purchases them. If the price per image is high, then you may be able to search some of the cheaper stock libraries yourself for the right image and purchase it for much cheaper before handing it on the designer.
Print Quality.
There are varying qualities of print, and these come at a different price. If you are doing a straight-forward mail drop then you probably don't need the greatest print quality so can settle for a cheaper print run and reduce the leaflet cost. Tell your designer how important print quality is, and ask for print samples so you can compare quality.
Number of copies.
There is a good rule of thumb here. The more copies you do, the cheaper the cost per item. Sometimes there can be almost no difference between the leaflet cost of 2000 print run and 5000 print run. Always order more than you need - better to pay a little but extra for some more copies than have to do a reprint (which is much more expensive). When you request a print quote always ask them to quote more than one quantity, so you can compare the costs.
Printing time.
Printers need to schedule their time and will often give discounts if you are flexible on turnaround. They will also add a premium if you are in a hurry. If you plan your promotion in advance and have some time in hand ask your printer/designer if there is any saving on the leaflet cost for a longer turnaround.
Graphic Design.
All of Add Design's prices are fixed, but if you graphic design works on an hourly rate make sure you know what it is. Also insist on knowing how long the design is likely to take and whether you will be charged for ammendments and print-prepping. Designers may pretend that 'graphic design' is a magic art, but most designers should know how long the average design takes and the average leaflet cost.
Stock images.
If you require stock images, then make sure you know how much these will cost before your designer purchases them. If the price per image is high, then you may be able to search some of the cheaper stock libraries yourself for the right image and purchase it for much cheaper before handing it on the designer.
Print Quality.
There are varying qualities of print, and these come at a different price. If you are doing a straight-forward mail drop then you probably don't need the greatest print quality so can settle for a cheaper print run and reduce the leaflet cost. Tell your designer how important print quality is, and ask for print samples so you can compare quality.
Number of copies.
There is a good rule of thumb here. The more copies you do, the cheaper the cost per item. Sometimes there can be almost no difference between the leaflet cost of 2000 print run and 5000 print run. Always order more than you need - better to pay a little but extra for some more copies than have to do a reprint (which is much more expensive). When you request a print quote always ask them to quote more than one quantity, so you can compare the costs.
Printing time.
Printers need to schedule their time and will often give discounts if you are flexible on turnaround. They will also add a premium if you are in a hurry. If you plan your promotion in advance and have some time in hand ask your printer/designer if there is any saving on the leaflet cost for a longer turnaround.
Leaflet Design UK - flyer or postcard design.
One question that always reoccurs with leaflet design is which format to use for a cost-effective promotion - a standard A5 flyer or an A6 postcard designs. This primarily depends on what you are going for - impact or longevity. In leaflet design uk, postcard designs are smaller so they generally have less impact and presence, but in my experience they seem to be more likely to hang about than be immediately disposed of. Because of the positive connotations of postcards (holiday postcards / fine art postcards / letters from friends) they are seen as a less advertisy medium. So, if the postcard designs are appropriate, they may get stuck on a fridge, or tucked into a diary, or even passed to someone else. A flyer, on the other hand, is used exclusively for advertising, and advertising only, so although it may create that initial impact, it is more likely to be binned, faster. So this is the important question in leaflet design uk, flyer or postcard designs? It may sound like an arbitary choice, but mix the right format with the right design - and your promotion is likely to be that much stronger.
Having leaflets designed - catalogues are the biggest design challenge.
Within the area of leaflet design, there is a huge difference between having leaflets designed and catalogues and they require a very different focus and set of skills. With brochure design the information is very important, but just as important is the design and making sure that it is eye-catching and displays the company in the best way possible. With catalogue design, the information becomes much more important and often the design has to work really hard to present this in the most effective and straight-forward way possible. The design, therefore, has to walk this fine line between being attractive and eye-catching, but also not overpowering the information and the products, or making the information difficult to read or illogically laid out. People have a very short patience for a catalogue which doesn't allow them to find the information they need as quickly and simply as possible. This is very different from having leaflets designed. The answer with catalogue design, then, is to think of yourself as not creating so much of a design, but a framework in which the products and information will sit. By doing this, you put the correct emphasis on the products, but also appreciate how important the design is in 'gluing' all of this information together. Unlike a having leaflets designed which will tend to be inflexible and force you to change the size/shape of the information, your framework should be able to bend and flex to hold the information and keep the presentation strong and consistant.
Leaflet Design London - How to design postcards.
Working with leaflet design london, postcards are one of my favourite advertising media, but also one of the hardest to work with in leaflet design. With flyers, you really do have the space to include what you like. However, when you design postcards, you really have to be economical and really concentrate on pushing forward one single and unified message. You also really need to think about how postcards are used. Your advert is likely to be that much more effective if it creates an attractive design and encourages the recipient to keep it. Here at leaflet design london, we concentrate on making the front of the postcard something which is simple and striking. An interesting and intriguing image, or something which is likely to invoke a positive reaction in the viewer. You can then save the back to push forward your promotional message. If the front of a postcard invokes interest, then the viewer will instintively flip it over in search of an explanation. Many graphic designers at leaflet design london also consider leaving blank space on the back when they design postcards. This increases the chances that the postcard will be used and passed on, keeping your advert alive well beyond its first hit.
Leaflet Design Company - an example of market profiling.
More than anything else, good leaflet design is determined by the target marketing you are trying to reach. There is no point designing an outstanding looking flyer or leaflet, if it does not attract the right kind of client. But how do you know what will attract your target market? Well, I am going to put down a few tricks used by a leaflet design company within the context of a common type of flyer design - nightclub flyer designs.
Be specific about the target. When profiling there is a tendancy to generalise. Obviously, a nightclub is trying to target a young audience (primarily 18-30), but for a well targetted design you need to break this down much further. There is a big difference in the tastes and social standing of a 29 year old London professional, and an 18 year old student for example. Try to think of a single, typical customer rather than a large group and examine their personal tastes.
Use other brands to help. A quick and easy way of profiling a customer type used by a leaflet design company is to look at the brands which they like. If you isolate a popular brand within your sub-group then you can effectively lift the imagery and tone which these brands use for your own purposes.
Look at their interests. Within the context of what you are advertising, look at your target markets' interests. In the nightclub flyer designs example, the obvious thing to look at is taste in music. If your target market is into dance music, then look at the imagery and approach used by dance music magazines, CDs and websites. Likewise, if they are into urban music then look at hiphop magazines etc. The idea is to find the key elements which attract the interest of your group and, as a leaflet design company, bring them into your design.
Pick a key selling point. Every good flyer by a leaflet design company should pick one key selling point as the centre of the design. You need to consider what aspect of the thing you are advertising will appeal most to your target market. Back to the nightclub flyer design, if you are targetting a student audience then you may want to emphasise the value for money (2 for 1 on drinks, cheap entry cost . . ). If you are targetting a young professional you may want to emphasise the exclusivity of the event. Just think of that one thing, which alongside the targetted design elements you are using, is most likely to pursuade your target to act.
Be specific about the target. When profiling there is a tendancy to generalise. Obviously, a nightclub is trying to target a young audience (primarily 18-30), but for a well targetted design you need to break this down much further. There is a big difference in the tastes and social standing of a 29 year old London professional, and an 18 year old student for example. Try to think of a single, typical customer rather than a large group and examine their personal tastes.
Use other brands to help. A quick and easy way of profiling a customer type used by a leaflet design company is to look at the brands which they like. If you isolate a popular brand within your sub-group then you can effectively lift the imagery and tone which these brands use for your own purposes.
Look at their interests. Within the context of what you are advertising, look at your target markets' interests. In the nightclub flyer designs example, the obvious thing to look at is taste in music. If your target market is into dance music, then look at the imagery and approach used by dance music magazines, CDs and websites. Likewise, if they are into urban music then look at hiphop magazines etc. The idea is to find the key elements which attract the interest of your group and, as a leaflet design company, bring them into your design.
Pick a key selling point. Every good flyer by a leaflet design company should pick one key selling point as the centre of the design. You need to consider what aspect of the thing you are advertising will appeal most to your target market. Back to the nightclub flyer design, if you are targetting a student audience then you may want to emphasise the value for money (2 for 1 on drinks, cheap entry cost . . ). If you are targetting a young professional you may want to emphasise the exclusivity of the event. Just think of that one thing, which alongside the targetted design elements you are using, is most likely to pursuade your target to act.
Leaflet design print - presentation and printing.
When budding graphic designers are studying for their future career, one element which they are hardly ever taught is how to prepare work for print. When we employ a new leaflet design designer, we always find that while they are always familiar with the software and can layout a simple and striking design, when it comes to converting this to a format the printer can use there are always mistakes.When it comes to prepping work for print, a leaflet design print is always difficult because the numerous pages increase the chances of mistakes. So these are things to look out for.
Number of sheets per page. Always ask the printer how they want print work presented. Traditionally, printers have always wanted the designer to do the hard work and layout the pages for them either in spreads, or in printers pairs. However, printers with new software most often want each individual page laid out on its own, in order. They simply feed this into their software and it compiles the leaflet design print document for them. CMYK conversion. Make sure all colours are pictures are converted correctly to CMYK.
Crop Marks and Bleed. When work has no bleed, printers get nervous. Make sure that each page has at least 3mm bleed. On the design side, also make sure that all the text and pictures you want are safely inside the crop marks.
Embedded fonts. This one is a killer, as mistakes are often really hard to spot on printer's proofs. Make sure that your fonts are properly embedded, or converted to vector paths. Otherwise the font you expected to see will be replaced for a slightly different 'standard' font. If this happens to a logo font, then you are in trouble and often the whole leaflet design print will have to be reprinted.
Colour Choice. Unless you are working in Pantones, colours will always vary in print. Make sure you play it safe and there are adequate differences in your colours so text stands out against the background.
Provide clear instructions. Printing is a very competitive business, and many printers will not take long prepping your material. Make sure any instructions are made really clear and never assume that a printer will do what you expect - it is better to be considered patronising, than to have 100,000 copies of your leaflet design print printed with a stupid mistake.
Number of sheets per page. Always ask the printer how they want print work presented. Traditionally, printers have always wanted the designer to do the hard work and layout the pages for them either in spreads, or in printers pairs. However, printers with new software most often want each individual page laid out on its own, in order. They simply feed this into their software and it compiles the leaflet design print document for them. CMYK conversion. Make sure all colours are pictures are converted correctly to CMYK.
Crop Marks and Bleed. When work has no bleed, printers get nervous. Make sure that each page has at least 3mm bleed. On the design side, also make sure that all the text and pictures you want are safely inside the crop marks.
Embedded fonts. This one is a killer, as mistakes are often really hard to spot on printer's proofs. Make sure that your fonts are properly embedded, or converted to vector paths. Otherwise the font you expected to see will be replaced for a slightly different 'standard' font. If this happens to a logo font, then you are in trouble and often the whole leaflet design print will have to be reprinted.
Colour Choice. Unless you are working in Pantones, colours will always vary in print. Make sure you play it safe and there are adequate differences in your colours so text stands out against the background.
Provide clear instructions. Printing is a very competitive business, and many printers will not take long prepping your material. Make sure any instructions are made really clear and never assume that a printer will do what you expect - it is better to be considered patronising, than to have 100,000 copies of your leaflet design print printed with a stupid mistake.
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