If you’ve ever tried your hand at designing a leaflet (either for yourself or for a client), then you’ll know just how difficult it can be.
Not only do you have to think about the overall design (i.e. the look and feel) of your leaflet – an extremely time-consuming and labour intensive process in itself – but you also need to think about the overall aim, concept, structure and content to include too.
Plus, you also have to keep the print process in mind throughout each of these stages, as you need to ensure that everything is correctly setup and checked ready for print (e.g. converted to CMYK, spell checked, etc.).
As if that workload wasn’t already enough, it’s also pretty typical for clients to assume that the sole job of a designer is to make things “look pretty”, which makes the whole process of leaflet design even more difficult, as they often don’t realise the amount of planning and conceptualisation that goes into the finished product.
Clearly then, leaflet design is a pretty time-consuming and complex process, but today, I want to introduce you to an infographic/guide, which makes the whole process a whole lot easier.
Introducing: The Periodic Table of Leaflet Design [INFOGRAPHIC]
I initially stumbled across this infographic on the FastPrint blog a couple of weeks back (note: you can also order leaflets from FastPrint if you need them) and I thought the concept was fantastic.
The whole aim of the graphic is to walk you through the insanely complex process of leaflet design in the most simple and visually enticing way possible.
Here’s a link to the full size graphic.
As you can see, the design of the graphic is based on the periodic table of elements, with the only difference being that each “element” is one part of the complex leaflet design process.
You’ll also notice that the “elements” are broken down into various categories, including “Concept”, “Structure”, “Design”, “Pre-Print” and “Print”.
Basically, each of the elements listed on the table are elements that should be taken into account during the leaflet design process; however, some elements are of higher importance than others (as indicated by the small number in the upper right-hand corner of each element).
For example, you’ll see that the “Us” element (i.e. USP) under the “Content” category has the number “+3” in the upper right-hand corner, indicating that this is an extremely important element to pay attention to when designing your leaflet.
On the other hand, the “Di” element (i.e. including a Discount) under “Content” features the number “+1”, indicating that it is of less importance than many other elements (or simply that it would only be suitable for certain leaflets/brands).
It’s a pretty straightforward and simple graphic – which is quite an achievement considering the complexity involved in effective leaflet design – but you can view more detail about each “element” by viewing the full size version.
You can also read the written guide to leaflet design, which goes alongside the infographic here.
It’s a long read (closing on a 8,000 words), but it does go into great detail for each “element” of the infographic; it also gives plenty of examples to show you exactly what you should/shouldn’t do.
