How to create a branded brochure for Your Design Partner Inc.

Introduction A new promotional trifold brochure will have to be sent to a rotating customer base every six months, or for every new major promotion or company change. Once reviewed and approved by management, the brochure will be printed and sent, by mail, to our latest marketing lists. These will also be sent to anyone who has used our services in the past year and anyone who has requested further information about our services or prices. This brochure is meant, primarily, to bring new customers to YDP for our new promotions. These instructions will guide you through the steps necessary to create a successfully branded YDP brochure. In these instructions you will: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Create a new trifold brochure Adhere to printer specifications Create an Appropriate Layout Use basic graphic design skills to organize information Use branding techniques on chosen colors, fonts, measurements Send final approved design to professional printing service

The Reader of this document should have fundamental graphic design skills and must be familiar with InDesign and Photoshop. Computer Software Required: Adobe InDesign 5.0 or later Adobe Photoshop 5.0 or later Internet connection/ Browser (to access website for photos)

Note: These instructions were written using Adobe InDesign 6.0 and Adobe Photoshop 6.0. Some screenshots may not match exactly with earlier versions but all necessary tools are located in the same or similar places in the software; check your software to make sure it is Adobe 5.0 or later.

Required Steps

Example of promotional brochure. (Illustration 1)

I.

Creating a New Document In order to maintain brand continuity, and to prevent problems with the printing process, each trifold brochure must be made to exact matching specifications. Defining these specifications when creating the document can help to avoid mistakes further in the process.
1. 2. Open Adobe InDesign - >New Document Create specs exactly as written: a) b) i. ii. Page Size Number of Pages: 2 Width: 11in Height: 17in

Step 2.a-e (Illustration 2)

c)Columns - 3 d) e) 3. 4.

Gutter (All) - .076

Continuously save your design to prevent loss

Press ->OK (or enter)

Margins (all) - .073in

Note: 1 Inch is equal to 6 Picas. Once you enter the correct measurement in Inches (in.), the program will automatically convert the measurement to Picas. The correct number of Picas is indicated in image 2.

II.

(Illustration 3)

Layout You will use layers to frame the text and images. Use the rectangle tool to create boxes, which will subsequently be filled with color and or text.
1. Fold a piece of paper into the trifold shape, this will help you visualize what customers will see and the order in which they see it. 2. Number each panel; remember that when this is printed and folded pages 2,3, and 4 will be on the inside and 5 (inside flap), 6 (back) and 1 (cover) will be on the outside (Image 3).

2 3

5 6

4. Write the intended information on the respective page of the brochure that you have folded, this will help keep you organized throughout the process, making sure not to miss any information.

3. Determine the content that you want to include in the brochure, including specials, highlights, prices, pictures, graphics and any other pertinent information and make a list.

III.

Layers Layers are an integral part of graphic design of any type, but you should pay special attention to how you utilize layers when creating a complex document to prevent errors and to keep all of your work organized, making any possible error easier to fix plus it allows you to group and initialize other functions that may be important in the design process. 1. Layers are arranged in numerical order, layer 1 (your first layer) will be the bottom layer. You can think of layers as stacking materials to make a building; start with the foundation then add onto that.

2.

3. 4.

IMPORTANT: Use the Rectangle tool and place a regulation white rectangle over the entire canvas on both pages; this will serve as a background for all images and text and will prevent printing errors. Lock this layer so that it stays in place and doesnt accidently move

Create a new layer (layer 2) You will place your formatting object frames on this layer Create a new rectangle on panel 1 (cover page) a)

(Illustration 4)

5.

b)

c)

Place the logo, which will be given to you as a transparent .png file, near the middle of the panel, similar to the illustration 4.

Place the rectangle at the bottom and draw the edge exactly to the gutter line and amply over the edges (to prevent this from being cut-off)

The rectangle should be colored with Pantone 206: i. C: 0% ii. M: 97% iii. Y: 66% iv. K: 17% (Save this color)

(Illustration 5)

6.

7.

Create an array of boxes in a creative, modern fashion on the cover page, and panel 5; your design may look different (this is subjective) The inside panels (2, 3, 4) should look similar to Illustration 5

Note: Make sure rectangles on the border of the brochure extend off of the canvas to ensure that the color will not be cut-off while printing; also, if you are extending a rectangle to the gutter, make sure it snaps to the border so it is flush.

8.

Use the following colors for the rectangles throughout the brochure:

C M Y K

8 15 13 24

5 9 10 13

0 0 0 63

0 97 66 17

Registration Black

9. 10.

Next, lock this layer so the rectangles do not move a)

Now, create a new layer. This layer will contain your text b) c)

Use Century Gothic, and Minion Pro only

Insert appropriate text to its respective page

Place text as desired on top of the rectangles

IV.

Importing Visuals Visuals, mostly pictures are an integral part of the design process, they attract the readers eye and make the entire brochure look more organized and readable. Carefully placed visuals can bring the whole creative process together. You must experiment with different visuals and place them in different places, positions with different effects and colors until you find your desired effect. You want to make this look professional and readable so do not import too many visuals, maximize and utilize your negative space.

Note: For each brochure, YDPs manager will give you a theme which will guide your picture (photography choices).
1. Locate relevant pictures on Yourdesignpartner.com a)

Upon receiving the login name and password for the website admin you have unlimited access to all photos

i.

When you find a suitable image save it to a designated folder where you can easily retrieve it if needed

b) c)

Try only to use photos that belong to YDP

Use images from our material providers websites if needed; we are licensed to replicate them for advertisement purposes

Warning: Using unauthorized photos without permission from the photographer and the company from which it belongs is considered plagiarism; this is illegal. If you are unsure as to whether it is a legal photo or not, do NOT use it.

2. 3. 4.

Place a photo in InDesign by clicking ->File -> Place and then select the photo file Resize photos as needed and apply effects if desired Change the resolution of photos and apply other effects and technical changes as needed in Photoshop 5.0 or later. Save the file as a .jpg (from Photoshop) and then import it into your InDesign file

5. V.

See Illustration 1 for an example of a complete brochure with text and formatting

Editing Text and Format for Printing 1. 2. ALWAYS print the brochure and fold it carefully, inspect each edge for bleed lines and adjust objects, colors, etc. as necessary a) Reading a paragraph backward, word by word, is an effective method for proofreading Take many notes during any meeting and use any criticism constructively

Read every word of text out loud to check for grammatical and spelling errors.

3.

Meet with your manager face-to-face to review your design, themes, style, etc. a) b)

4.

5.

You will likely change the brochure design many times before you and your manager are satisfied with the results.

Consult with your choice of professional printing company (as directed by your manager) and talk directly with the printer personnel so that they can give you feedback as to the finite nature of the measurements, i.e. gutter size, margins, bleed, and other issues that may cause problems.

Often, designs subjective ownership (so-to-speak) lies with the manager

Conclusion

This is not a complete guide for the use of InDesign, these instructions should provide you with enough information to create a complete brochure for YDP. Each brochure is different, in that you will be marketing to different audiences and you will be focusing on different services, products, prices and promotions, and you must adjust accordingly. Do not get frustrated or discouraged if you are asked to remake the brochure if it doesnt match your clients vision. After making a few brochures it will become a fairly fast, efficient and easy process. Stay organized and communicate with your manager (client) and the printing company to ensure that you are creating a brochure that meets the specifications of both parties.