What is a leaflet?
Leaflets are a type of open letter designed to be handed out to people, either by hand, by post, inserted in local newspapers for distribution, left in GP surgeries, health centers, shops, restaurants, cafes, libraries ... anywhere where they will catch someone's eye.
Leaflets are suitable for audiences who do not read much however, well-written material will always enable people to make more informed judgments quickly and so do not cram it with text as people will not read it - instead aim for clarity, strong argument and quality.
Leaflets deliver useful and reusable information and so the size and shape of it is a major factor in its success.
N.B. A leaflet that will not fit easily into a pocket or a bag will be thrown away.
Why produce a leaflet?
A leaflet gives you a chance to present your ideas clearly and with graphical impact. People can take leaflets with them and so they have more time to absorb your message/argument and to keep a visual reminder of it.
Once distributed, the leaflet may end up being read by many more people that the person it was handed to, widening its impact still further.
Basic leaflet design
A step by step guide to designing a leaflet
When designing a leaflet you express yourself with words and also with pictures and graphics. How you present these pictures and graphics will also contribute to the way readers perceive the importance of your leaflet so make it look professionals.
There are four clear tasks in the design of a leaflet:
1. Decide what you want to say
You must be clear about the point you want to make – many leaflets delivered to a home are put straight in the bin and so in the time it takes to put it aside your leaflet needs to hold the recipients attention e.g. a catchy title or an excellent headline.
2. Text editing
Select the texts that are particularly effective and put these together to make up the text for your leaflet. Use short paragraphs with headings. Use bullet points and get straight to the point so your leaflet is easy to read. Pull out single lines and highlight them in different font sizes or colours to make a strong point.
3. Graphics
Use graphics or pictures to get your message across – the saying goes that pictures say a thousand words! Use pictures from official sources, ones that you have created or taken with a camera, and pictures or graphics downloaded from the internet. Whatever pictures or graphics you use, ensure that you have written permission - do not breach copyright.
4. Layout design
You need to think this out very carefully. Use a piece of plain paper to sketch out your design:
- Where blocks of text, headings and pictures will go
- How big the various parts will be
- What colours for the text and background
- Ovoid clutter. Do not feel that you have to fill the whole leaflet with text or images and remember that blank spaces makes the leaflet easier on the eye
Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Publisher) have a number of templates available.