Marketing Collateral Design (Brochures, Flyers, Catalogues)

Collateral is any support material that carries your message in a form someone can hold, download or forward. Projects typically begin with an audit of what sales and marketing actually use, because many companies discover duplicate versions and out-of-date pieces.

Define three things before design begins: the reader (a buyer, a distributor, a procurement team), the situation (a trade show, an email attachment, a mailed pack) and the next step (call, scan, order). A piece that tries for several actions usually achieves none.

Collateral should follow your identity. If those rules are not set yet, brand guidelines design makes every later piece faster.

Fold layouts are the most common source of surprises. Always make a physical mockup, because the inside panel that faces the reader first when opened may not be the panel you assumed.

Readers scan before they read. Visual hierarchy, meaning the order in which the eye moves across a page, decides whether your main point lands. Principles on contrast, grouping and emphasis are discussed in the Nielsen Norman Group’s visual design articles (opens in a new tab).

• Lead with the reader’s problem, not your company history.
• Limit type styles to a headline, subhead, body and caption.
• Use real photography or diagrams where they explain something, not as filler.
• Place proof near claims: testimonials with permission, accreditations you actually hold, specifications.
• End with one action, repeated in text and as a link or QR code.

Specifications vary by printer and press, so request the printer’s template and requirements before you finalize artwork. The terms below recur in nearly every print job.

• Trim, bleed and safe area. The trim is the final edge. Background color or images extend past it as bleed, typically a few millimeters or about an eighth of an inch, so small cutting shifts do not leave white slivers. Keep important text inside a safe margin.
• Color mode. Screens use RGB. Commercial presses usually print with CMYK inks, so supply CMYK artwork unless the printer says otherwise, and expect some vivid screen colors to look duller on paper. Brand colors that must match exactly may need spot inks.
• Image resolution. Raster images in print are commonly supplied at around 300 pixels per inch at final size; ask your printer.
• Fonts. Embed fonts in the PDF or convert them to outlines so nothing substitutes.
• Paper and finish. Weight, coating and finishes such as lamination or spot varnish change both cost and feel; request a paper sample.
• Proofs. Approve a physical or press-calibrated proof for large runs.

To keep waste low, order the quantity you will sensibly use, consider digital printing for short runs, choose responsibly sourced or recycled paper where it suits the brand, and avoid finishes that add little. Printing and paper facts are worth confirming with your printer.

A catalog with hundreds of items is a data project as much as a design project. Typing every price and specification into a layout invites errors and makes each update a manual job.

• Single source of truth. Keep product names, codes, descriptions, images and prices in a spreadsheet or product information system.
• Template-driven layout. Design item blocks once and populate them from the data, so changes flow into pages automatically.
• Page structure. Printed books are made in sheets that fold into sections, so total page counts are often multiples of four or eight; confirm with your printer.
• Navigation. Contents, indexes, item numbers and category tabs matter more than decoration.
• Update cycle. Decide how often prices and ranges change, and whether a print edition plus a live online version makes sense.

For digital catalogs that must reflow on phones and tablets, a reflowable format may suit better than a fixed page. The W3C’s EPUB 3 overview (opens in a new tab) describes a standard for that kind of publication. For longer reading material see e-book and whitepaper design.

Most collateral is also emailed, downloaded or linked online, so design the digital version deliberately instead of attaching the print file.

• Export a reduced-size PDF for email and a high-quality one for print, and name them clearly.
• Tag the PDF for reading order and add document titles and language so assistive technology can read it.
• Add text alternatives to informative images; the W3C images tutorial (opens in a new tab) explains when an image needs a description and when it does not.
• Check contrast between text and backgrounds against the WCAG contrast guidance (opens in a new tab), especially with text over photos.
• Use PNG where a web graphic needs crisp edges and transparency; see the W3C PNG specification (opens in a new tab).

Collateral is advertising, so claims on it must be truthful and supported. Confirm details with legal counsel for your sector.

• USA: the FTC’s advertising and marketing guidance (opens in a new tab) covers truthful claims, testimonials and disclosures.
• UK: the UK Advertising Codes (opens in a new tab) apply to marketing communications, including leaflets and brochures.
• Australia and Singapore: consumer law and advertising codes apply; check the regulators in your sector.

Images and fonts need rights too. A photo found online is not free to use, and the U.S. Copyright Office (opens in a new tab) explains the basics of copyright. If you use openly licensed images, read the exact terms in the Creative Commons licenses (opens in a new tab) for attribution and commercial-use limits.

Design cost and print cost are separate lines. Plan both.

• Number of pages, panels and finished sizes.
• Copywriting, photography and illustration needs.
• Number of language or regional versions.
• Catalog size and whether data automation is needed.
• Print run, paper, finishes and delivery.
• Revisions, and how many people review each round.

Build a template system once, then reuse it: it lowers the cost of every later piece. Fixed price works for single documents, a dedicated team for ongoing material such as seasonal catalogs, and hourly work for small updates. Related print jobs, such as business cards and signage, can share the same templates.

1. Print knowledge. Ask them to explain bleed, color modes and proofing in plain language.
2. Samples of finished, printed pieces, not only screen mockups.
3. A copywriting plan, or a clear statement that you supply the text.
4. Template and data skills if you need a catalog.
5. Accessible digital output as a standard deliverable.
6. File handover: editable source, print PDF, web PDF and linked assets.
7. Rights clarity for photos, fonts and illustrations.

The AIGA (opens in a new tab) is the professional association for design and a reasonable place to read about professional practice.

We assign a dedicated project manager to each collateral project, share progress daily on Slack or Teams, and review the work with you at the end of each two-week round. An NDA is signed before detailed discussions, and all intellectual property in the finished designs and source files transfers to you. Our approach sets out the steps.

The first consultation is free and a detailed estimate arrives within 24 hours, offered as fixed-price, dedicated-team or hourly work. We overlap four to six hours with US Eastern time and a full working day with the UK, Australia and Singapore, and can lead production or support your marketing team.

• Visual Design articles (opens in a new tab)Nielsen Norman Group
• EPUB 3 Overview (opens in a new tab)W3C
• Images Tutorial (opens in a new tab)W3C WAI
• Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum) (opens in a new tab)W3C WAI
• Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification (opens in a new tab)W3C
• FTC Advertising and Marketing guidance (opens in a new tab)US FTC
• The UK Advertising Codes (opens in a new tab)UK ASA
• U.S. Copyright Office (opens in a new tab)U.S. Copyright Office
• About CC Licenses (opens in a new tab)Creative Commons
• AIGA, the professional association for design (opens in a new tab)AIGA