The pressure is on! It’s time to create something original. You need a brochure to leave with prospects, take to a tradeshow, or send as direct mail. What is your default go-to print piece? What’s the first thing you think of?
A (yawn) tri-fold brochure?
A shiny postcard mailer?
A flat 2-sided sell-sheet?
If you’re average, you’ve probably gravitated towards one of these typical pieces. It’s easy to do. Maybe you’re thinking about cost or the comfort of working with something familiar. Often, with so much on our schedules, we don’t take the time to consider other options, or we don’t have access to a creative team.
Your business needs to stand out in the marketplace and be remembered when people need your solution. We live in a free country! Break free from the ordinary inside-the-box-thinking.
It’s time to think outside-the-tri-fold!
There are so many ways you can creatively show off your brand in print. One way to take the “yawn” out of a typical tri-fold is to create a Z-Fold (see below on the left).
Bonus, by adding one more panel to a tri-fold, you have a quad-fold. With a quad-fold, you open up a world of creative brochure options: roll-fold, double gate-fold, double parallel-fold, and accordion fold styles are at your fingertips.
Quad-folds
What’s the beauty of adding a single 3” panel to the traditional tri-fold brochure? You expand your options of print canvases and allow an entirely new creative approach.
The quad-fold is the simplest way to amp up your standard brochure. The paper size of a typical tri-fold is 8.5” x 11”. When you add a panel to that tri-fold brochure, you’ll have an 8.5”x14” legal size sheet. In addition to the four new folding styles, you’ll have two additional 31-inch sides of real-estate to tell your readers about the unique value you deliver.
Designing around a unique fold also creates a fresher experience for your audience. You’ll find you’re more excited about it too.
With these new options, design ideas can push out of old boundaries. A roll-fold can sequentially reveal a service offering in each section as you unfold it. A double parallel fold can be great for an event: when completely opened, it reveals a dynamic poster-like image.
The Double-Gate Fold Tells a Better Story
Here’s an example where we have created a quad-fold brochure with a double-gate fold, for one of our clients, The Tracy Wick Property Team.
Tracy’s challenge was to quickly educate prospects about a service she had innovated, Property Protocol. It’s a streamlined, turnkey program for families and fiduciaries who need to prepare and sell inherited homes quickly for maximum value.
We helped Tracy order her content to create a clear and concise message. Then we mocked up several ways we could help people quickly see the problem and how Tracy efficiently solves it through Property Protocol.
1 – The double-gate fold brochure closes to the size of a traditional tri-fold. The size is great for popping into a #10 business envelope.
2 – The first opened gate identifies the problems that Tracy’s customers are facing.
3 – The second opened gate reveals the proprietary solutions offered through Property Protocol.
Without feeling crowded or cluttered, this quad-fold allowed us to explain a host of services that the company provides through the repeated central image, guiding icons, and short descriptions.
The format and design creatively share a purposeful mission, provides a clear process, and calls people to action.
A Springboard for Creative Print Ideas
Beyond tri- and quad-folds, there are limitless ways to express your brand with creative folds! When you need a springboard for ideas, hop on the web, visit your local printer, or call on a creative team.
We enjoy getting our Fold-of-the-Week video in our inbox from FoldFactory.com.
Create a distinctive round print piece, pop-ups, or explore a thousand other creative-folds at FoldFactory.com
Their quick videos demonstrate the imaginative and creative world of folds and can be a springboard for ideas you can use to showcase your brand creatively.
Make a Greater Impact with Print
With many focusing on transitioning marketing dollars to the digital space, print is still a great way to advertise. Print has the power of making a direct impact with a close and personal tactile experience.
When you’re open to making a motivating statement with your marketing brochure, a small investment can make a big difference.
Beyond the fold, you have a plethora of techniques to make your next marketing piece pop. Consider a custom treatment like foil stamping, laser cutting, embossing, layering, on a custom paper finish. Give yourself room to dream. Let that piece of paper make your brand memorable.
If you’re stuck in the tri-fold twilight zone, explore the fold-frenzy world of print design. Push the boundaries further to propel your brand into a completely new marketplace universe.
