Know Your Audience. Always keep in mind the demographics and preferences of your target customer. Develop a profile of your average or most desirable client and imagine the content and images that would convince them to utilize your product or service over your competitors.

Use Color Carefully. Understand that different colors can evoke different emotions. For example, red generally conveys aggression and would be perfect for a martial arts studio or gym but not for a doctor’s office which might be better served using cool, calming colors like blue or green.

Think About Your Fonts. Just like with color, different fonts can convey different attitudes. Fonts can be stern, elegant, funny, aggressive, authoritative, and more. Your font should match your business’s personality and the type of image you are trying to portray. Also consider the size of your font, both in headlines and as your brochure’s text. You want it to be easy to read and legible for your target audience while still maintaining a style and layout that represents your business in the best way.

Use Professional Images. With the wide availability of professional images in today’s business world, there is no excuse for using grainy or unprofessional images. Professional, royalty-free photos, illustrations, and vector graphics can be purchased for as little as $10 per image on websites like iStock and Shutterstock. Some websites like Pixabay even offer free images with no restrictions on use. A small investment today will yield big results in the final product and the images you purchase can be used in all your marketing, advertising and social media activities.

Utilize Different Shapes and Sizes. While tri-fold and bi-fold brochures are by far the most common type, don’t be afraid to try something different. A brochure that is a larger or smaller size, multiple pages or die-cut can be visually dynamic and set your brochure apart from the pack. Also consider using unique paper stocks to differentiate the feel and look of your brochure.