MARKETING ADVISOR
Your logo here
A great marketing campaign is never out of fashion
ISSUE TWENTY FOUR
• The best-dressed corporate brochure • Type that’s more than an accessory • Outerwear for paper
GRAPHIC ADVISOR
Your logo here
A great marketing campaign is never out of fashion
ISSUE TWENTY FOUR
• The best-dressed corporate brochure • Type that’s more than an accessory • Outerwear for paper
It's easy to see how today's corporate brochure has evolved from expensive and showy to useful and integrated.
The Corporate Brochure Modern Make-Over
Start with a strategy.
Be conversational.
the conversation by directing the reader to
To update your corporate brochure, start
Inside the brochure, headlines and
social media, like Twitter, Facebook or your
with a strategy. What is the purpose? Who
subheadings should give even the casual
corporate blog.
is your target audience? If you’re introducing
reader enough substance to understand
a prospect to your company, a corporate
your broad message and pique interest in
brochure saves time that you might
the content that follows. Most marketers
corporate brochures because of the cost
otherwise spend reciting your corporate
write corporate brochures to inform and
involved, but a well-designed, professionally
history and mission. It is an ideal forum to
instruct—much like a technical manual or
printed brochure can be worth a great
give readers a taste of the full spectrum of
report. But wouldn’t it be more enjoyable
deal more than its cost. The real expense
your capabilities. Perhaps most importantly,
to read the latest bestseller? Lead with your
comes from printing the first copy. You
a corporate brochure lends credibility to your
very best information, and let your story
can order thousands of additional copies
organization. Anyone can print business
unfold in a clear, natural, conversational
for comparatively little money. Get them
cards and letterhead with a minimal
way. You can’t tell your readers everything
in the hands of your employees, vendors,
investment, but a corporate brochure sends
about your company in one brochure.
distributors, customers and
the message that you are a “real” company
Selectively use factual information to make
prospects and see
with a past, present and future.
your piece both interesting and believable.
where the power of
Companies tend to limit distribution of
Critics say corporate brochures are glossy, brag-and-boast budget suckers that virtually no one reads. Under the old rules of corporate brochure design, that was often true. Today, however, the corporate brochure has evolved from a stand-alone, one-way promotional piece into an integrated, interactive conversation starter.
photos ©iStockphoto.com
an effective corporate Engage the reader right away.
Include a call to action.
If you don’t engage the reader right off the
You have drawn your customers in. You’ve
bat, your brochure—and your investment
informed them about your company
in design and printing—is going straight
and your products. Now what? There’s
into the trash bin. The cover is your first
only one correct ending. Include a call to
opportunity to capture the reader’s interest.
action. While selling is not the primary
Think beyond a picture of your product line
purpose of a corporate brochure, why
and a corporate logo. Grab attention with
miss the opportunity? Give the reader an
an exciting photo or bold graphic, a splash
exclusive invitation, a free special report
of unexpected color and a customized font.
or a perforated card to request more
Choose a unique size or shape of paper, a
information about your specific products
substantial paper stock and a special finish.
and services. Prominently display your
brochure takes you.
A well-dressed brochure doesn’t have to be a budget sucker.
address, phone number, general e-mail address and Web site on the back cover to make contacting you easy. Continue
4
What creators of these documents often neglect is a respect for type, and the understanding that good typography equals good communication. Gutenberg had it easy: he had only one font to choose from. Today, we have thousands upon thousands of typefaces. It’s an embarrassment of riches, and we’ve all seen embarrassing design.
the classic fonts for specific purposes. Venetian book printer, Aldus Manutius invented italic type not because he
Type Is Like Clothing
wanted to stress everything, but
Type often obeys the law of engineering,
because it was the best way to fit all of
“form follows function.” That is, a typeface
a book’s text in a “pocket edition.”
Closer to home, Highway Gothic, the official font of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration—it’s the typeface used on highway signage—spawned the creation of Interstate, which typographers modified to use at smaller sizes, and perhaps in colors other than white on green.
needs to be aesthetically pleasing. The basis of good typographic design is balancing the
The British newspaper The Times
“logistic” requirements of the document with
commissioned the creation of Times
what is pleasing and attractive.
Roman after font designer Stanley
It’s like clothing. What we wear should
,
typographers designed almost all of
designed it to do. At the same time, that form
The Right Type Treatment will Have You Dressed for Success ,
If we look at the history of typography,
should be appropriate to what the typesetter
You Know the Type In this age of
The History of Type
be appropriate to the weather as well as the
and other “system” fonts, it’s easy to take
Morison had criticized the paper for its poor typography.
context (formal versus casual), but also be
type for granted. We’ve all seen documents that use more fonts per square inch than legibility, let
attractive—or at the very least inconspicuous. And just as with clothing, some fonts look
alone aesthetics, can handle, resulting in a garish “font-o-rama.”
Bell Gothic
dated and scream “1970s!”—the typographic
AT&T designed a popular sans serif
equivalent of a plaid leisure suit.
face, Bell Gothic, in 1938 for its
Typefaces, like anything else, go in and
telephone directories. Its goal? Legibility
out of fashion. While it’s tempting to think
and economy of page space, two vital
that no one really pays close attention to
elements of a good phone book.
fonts, there is often an unconscious visceral reaction to type, not unlike the unconscious reactions that we have to color combinations,
Frutiger
or, indeed, clothing. Understanding how font
Charles de Gaulle International Airport
choice affects the perception and reception
developed Frutiger, another popular
of a document is one of the crucial elements
sans serif for airport signage. The goal
to good design, and you should not treat it
was for travelers to quickly and easily
lightly. Every font tells a story—is it the story
read it from a distance.
Some typefaces outlive the technology for which typographers created them. People who have never even seen a typewriter often use Courier, designed for IBM typewriters. It still evokes a “home made” feel, even though few homes actually have typewriters.
Caslon Some typefaces catch on and become The Beatles of typefaces. Caslon, a classic face if ever there was one, first appeared in 1734 and was an immediate hit. The founding fathers of the United States even used it for the Declaration of Independence. (Imagine how ineffective that document would have been if it had been set in Comic Sans.) It’s said that playwright George Bernard Shaw insisted that all his plays be set in Caslon.
photos ©iStockphoto.com
you and your client want to tell? Or do you want people to say, “Your mother dresses you funny”?
6
When you look through paper samples, one of the first things you probably notice is whether the sample is coated or uncoated. Coated papers feel smooth to the touch because they have a coating of clay and other substances. This coating causes the paper to reflect light more and absorb ink less than uncoated papers.
Coated Papers
Many different types of coated papers exist.
an e x tra layer of pi z a z z
The next step is a dull, suede or velvet
Gloss coated papers can be somewhat
To make them, the paper mill starts with
coat. Like matte coatings, dull coatings
less white than dull coated papers because
an uncoated piece of paper and applies
are good for text readability because
the heat required to polish the paper also
different types of coatings to give the paper
they are not as reflective as a gloss coat.
can add a slightly brownish cast. Coated
different qualities. We call the uncoated
Glossy coatings actually have the same
papers often include shades of white
stock the base sheet. We refer to the
amount of clay as a dull coat, but the mill
named with terms, such as balanced, warm
thinnest type of coating as a film or wash
smooths and polishes the sheets using a
and cold to indicate the hue. Cream and
coat, which acts as a sealer to prevent
process called calendaring. They run the
other off-white tones are available, but
ink absorption. The next step is a matte
paper between rollers, which compress
because we so often use coated stock for
coating. A matte coat has more clay than a
and smooth the paper. Glossy coatings are
showing off vibrant four-color printing, the
wash coat and is good for projects with a
great for color photographs, but the same
paper itself is rarely brightly colored.
lot of text. However, if your project involves
shiny qualities that make photos look great
As you can see, there are many
large areas of heavy, dark ink coverage,
can make text harder to read because of
different kinds of coated paper stocks,
matte coat papers can sometimes appear
the glare.
and each is suited to different tasks. It can
somewhat mottled.
be overwhelming to tackle these choices alone. Contact us early in the planning stage of your next printing project, and we’ll help you choose the best paper and
photos ŠiStockphoto.com
coating for your needs.
8
MARKETING ADVISOR
MAILING INFO HERE
Printer Name Phasellus porttitor elit In hac habitasse platea Donec tempor nonummy
QR CODE FPO Need a QR code? Call Great Reach Communications at 978-332-5555
About Us
About This Issue
One or two small paragraphs about
Programs used: InDesign CS Illustrator CS Photoshop CS
you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company.
Paper used: What paper did you use to print this issue? Ink used: What kind of ink did you use to print this issue? Coating used: What kind of coating did you use to print this issue?
Computers used: iMac G5 Press used: What kind of press did you use to print this issue? Bindery used: What kind of bindery did you use to print this issue?
GRAPHIC ADVISOR
MAILING INFO HERE
Printer Name Phasellus porttitor elit In hac habitasse platea Donec tempor nonummy
QR CODE FPO Need a QR code? Call Great Reach Communications at 978-332-5555
About Us
About This Issue
One or two small paragraphs about
Programs used: InDesign CS Illustrator CS Photoshop CS
you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company.
Paper used: What paper did you use to print this issue? Ink used: What kind of ink did you use to print this issue? Coating used: What kind of coating did you use to print this issue?
Computers used: iMac G5 Press used: What kind of press did you use to print this issue? Bindery used: What kind of bindery did you use to print this issue?
There are three steps to data mining:
1
Finding the right data is easier than you think.
3
Know what data Ask questions is available. about that data.
In order to produce a successful 1:1 printing campaign, all you have to have is a great database, right? Not quite. Producing a successful 1:1 print campaign starts with having a great database, but even once you have the data, you have to figure out what to do with it. Often, that means data mining.
A new look
2
Data mining. The very phrase strikes fear into the hearts of marketers. The ability to connect the dots to reveal buying habits and other customer behaviors is something many people see as complex, expensive and within the purvey of only the largest companies. In reality, data mining is well within the grasp of any sized marketer.
Look for useful relationships.
The first step is simply to understand the field
Make the Most of What You Have
headings in your database. What data are
Every business has a database program so
you capturing? Most databases have basic
make the most of yours. Even basic software,
information, like name, address and purchase
like Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Access
history. Are you also capturing information
provides some data mining capabilities. Or
such as age, gender and home ownership?
you might want to purchase add-on data
If so, this tells you the types of queries you
mining modules or third-party software. If
can run.
you have customer information in multiple
Running queries sounds complicated, but
databases, you might also want to combine
it simply means asking questions of the data.
them into a single, comprehensive database
If you are a retailer, you might ask, “Which
for use in marketing. Even if you don’t, you
customers purchased hardwood flooring last
can often extract useful information from
month?” If you know that these customers
even one or two databases.
are also likely to purchase area rugs and floor
Don’t overlook outsourcing. There are
conditioning products, this gives you a
plenty of companies that specialize in this
great start.
process. Many will use the moniker “business intelligence” or ETL (extract, transform, load)
Look at Everything
companies. Costs can be very reasonable, as
The great thing about data mining is that
little as $100 or more per sort.
sorting is free. Run every sort you can think
So get curious. Take a few hours to run a
of. Is there a relationship between hardwood
variety of sorts just to see what you can find.
flooring and gender? How about income?
That curiosity could make a big difference to
Look at everything. You might find
the bottom line.
that data you once thought irrelevant, such as the date of purchase, has more
photos ©iStockphoto.com
relevance than you think.
12