Brochures And Newsletters University Of Florida

Summary

WC131
Brochures and Newsletters1
Ricky Telg and Ashley McLeod-Morin2
This publication on brochure and newsletter design is
the fifth of a five-part series on document design. This
series also covers the document design process, principles
of document design, elements of document design, and
graphic file formats

Introduction
Any document should be developed with the design
principles and elements discussed in previous publications
in this series. This publication, created for anyone with an
interest in designing effective documents, addresses the Figure 1. Target audience

particulars of effective brochures and newsletters. Credits: Gever Tulley CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 http://flic.kr/p/rcbnq
Speak directly to the reader. “You” is the most important
Brochures word in persuasion. The brochure should sound very
Brochures are small, usually folded, documents used to personal, focusing on the benefits the reader gets from
inform, educate, or persuade the reader. They are com- reading the information presented in the brochure. Put the
monly used to promote organizations, products, or events. emphasis on what the reader will gain. In other words, what
Brochures attract attention through eye-catching design. is in it for your reader?
Brochures must contain clear, concise, focused writing
because they are so short. When writing and designing a Use bullets to list information. Because brochures are so
brochure, incorporating the recommendations discussed brief, bulleted lists are commonly used to highlight impor-
below can contribute greatly to your document’s overall tant information

Keep the text short. Use short sentences of 20 words or less

Use short paragraphs of no more than three sentences

Brochure Basics
Use strong headings (titles) and subheadings that lead the Use document design elements effectively. Particularly for
reader through the text. For example, the title may be “How brochures, use these design element suggestions

to Grow Award-Winning Roses.” The subheadings may be
specific steps in the process. Subheadings also break up • Text: Most brochures are written in a 10-point or
information into manageable chunks. 11-point font size. Single-space the text, but double-space
1. This document is WC131, one of a series of the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication
date June 2012. Revised March 2021. Visit the EDIS website athttps://edis.ifas.ufl.edufor the currently supported version of this publication

2. Ricky Telg, professor, Department of Agricultural Education and Communication; and Ashley McLeod-Morin, public relations specialist, Public Issues
Education Center; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services
only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status,
national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county’s UF/IFAS Extension office

U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County
Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension

between paragraphs. Paragraphs usually are not indented. also can be kept blank in case you want to put an address
Use bold and italic typefaces only when you want to and stamp on it so it can be mailed

emphasize a word or phrase

• Graphics: Break up long stretches of text with lines. This Newsletters
helps to make the text easily readable. Use shaded boxes A newsletter is a collection of stories and announcements
to emphasize points within the overall text. that is sent on a regular basis to a particular group of
• White space: Use white space to provide enough space people. Most professional organizations send newsletters
where the paper folds. You do not want text in the creases to their members. A newsletter can be an easy way to keep
where the brochure is folded. members informed about your organization’s activities. The
newsletter also can be sent to specific people outside your
Brochure Design organization to inform them of what you are doing

Brochures come in many styles and forms. You can design
If you have never designed a newsletter before, you should
brochures with two folds, three folds, four folds, and more

look at the newsletters you receive for ideas on how others
Probably the most common style used by small businesses
design their newsletters. Look for the kinds of designs that
and organizations is the three-fold brochure, also known
you think might work for you and your readers. As you
as a trifold. The trifold has six panels and can be printed on
look at other newsletters, consider how they address the
regular 8.5-by-11-inch paper

following issues:
• Panel 1: The panel that you see first – the cover – should
• How big the headlines are
“hook” the reader’s attention immediately. The reader
should know what the brochure is about just by seeing • How easy it is to read or to skim an article
the first panel. The cover panel, also called the “hook” or • How crowded the pages appear
“eye-catcher,” usually includes the organization’s name,
• How colorful the newsletter is
the theme of the brochure, and possibly a slogan. Rarely
will in-depth information be presented on the first • How photographs and graphics are used
panel. If the brochure will be placed in a “brochure rack,”
commonly found at tourist stops, it is important to put Afterward, draw some rough sketches, either hand-drawn
large, attention-grabbing text at the top of the brochure, or mocked-up on the computer by laying out “dummy” text
because the bottom portion of your brochure may get and boxes where photos will go. Create a prototype design
covered by a brochure in the slot directly below yours. that you and your organization are happy with. Make any
alterations before developing the newsletter for real and
• Panel 2: When you open the brochure’s cover panel, consider your production budget. Determining how much
the next panel you see is the most likely to be read. This your budget is will give you some idea about how many
second panel should be where you present a stand-alone pages the newsletter can be, how many copies you can
message that summarizes the content and message of print, and if you can use color. When writing and designing
the entire brochure. If you are promoting an upcoming the newsletter, keep the following tips in mind

event, this panel could be the highlights of the event and
the event’s date, time, and location. This panel is usually
self-contained, meaning the content does not carry over
It’s All in the Delivery: Best Practices for
to another panel. Newsletter Writers/Designers
Write for the quick read. Newsletter stories usually are
• Panels 3−5: These panels present the main message of
short. It is a “letter with news.” Most articles are between
the brochure. The panels are viewed as one three-column
100 and 600 words. A four-page newsletter generally will
unit. The three panels often contain subheadings to break
contain around 2,000 words

up the text

• Panel 6: This is the back cover, which is the panel least Write about the right stuff. For example, people like
likely to be read. Avoid putting important text on it. Use recognition, so use as many names as you can in your
this panel to include contact information (your organiza- newsletter. People like to read about themselves and people
tion’s name, address, phone number, e-mail address, they know

website, or Facebook page, if applicable). The back panel
Brochures and Newsletters 2
Put the best stories first. Put your best stories on the front Newsletters fall into one of three categories: bullet sheet,
page. For interesting stories on inside pages, use bigger newsletter, and magaletter. The bullet sheetnewsletter is
headlines, shaded boxes, and other visual elements to draw usually one sheet of paper, printed front-and-back, and
your readers’ attention to these important stories. includes short articles of no more than a paragraph or two
in length. Meant to be read quickly, the bullet sheet covers
Use document design elements effectively. Particularly for vital information. This style works for some electronic
newsletters, use these design element suggestions. newsletters. The newsletter is the most common category. It
is what we picture when we think of the word “newsletter.”
• Text: A good font size for a newsletter is 10-point for It is usually four to eight pages long and includes short
normal text. For headlines, use 18-point and higher. articles. The magaletter is in-between a full magazine and
Usually, headlines will be between 20 and 36 points. a newsletter. Usually a magaletter is eight to sixteen pages
Choose one typeface for headlines and another for body in length, and the articles tend to be a little longer than a
text. Paragraphs usually are indented about three spaces. traditional newsletter

Use fonts in bold and italics judiciously. As for justifica-
tion, the columns of many newsletters use left justified Because most newsletters will fall in the “newsletter
(flush left, ragged right). This eliminates hyphenation. category,” designing a four- to eight-page newsletter will be
If you choose to use justified spacing, you may want to the focus of the rest of this section. The number of columns
hyphenate words at the end of lines; otherwise, you create of text usually categorizes newsletters, the most common
odd spacing between words and letters. being one, two, three, or four columns. One-column
• Color: Use color as much as possible. You may only be newsletters are easy to produce. However, because they look
able to print the newsletter in one color. That is fine. like a composition paper for an English class, they appear
Print one version in one-color ink. You then can make a less imaginative in their layout and design. If you use a one-
full-color PDF for electronic distribution. column format, you must build in sufficient white space on
the margins; otherwise, your pages will look crowded

• Graphics: Break up long stretches of text with thin lines

Use shaded boxes for short stories. For a two-column newsletter, individual columns are about
• White space: Do not crowd the pages with text, graphics, four inches wide. Articles can be positioned side by side on
and visuals. Use white space to provide some breathing some pages. The three-column format probably is the most
room, such as by having margins around the edges of the common and is similar in design to the two-column format

pages. Most 8.5-by-11-inch newsletters use two columns or three
columns. Many tabloid-size newsletters (11-by-17 inches)
• Visuals: Use photographs and other visuals throughout
are designed with three columns or four columns. Use the
your newsletter. People like to see photographs that
number of columns that feels right for your publication

pertain to the newsletter stories. Position photographs
so that they guide your readers around the page without
Whichever column format you select, you will need to
getting in the way. Try to make articles flow naturally
consider how the content will be presented on the pages

around, below, or above each photograph. As a rule,
Use the recommendations that follow as you put content in
do not put a photograph in the first column of a story,
your newsletter

directly under the headline. Place the photograph in the
second or third column. A photograph also can be put
COVER PAGE
at the bottom of the story. If you use two photographs,
The first page is called the front pageor cover page. The
possibly place them at opposite corners of a page. For
goal of the cover page is to grab readers’ attention with
photographs, always use captions. Photographs must be
attractive visuals – usually photographs – catchy headlines,
clear and well composed. Action shots are best

and creative articles. The two most relevant stories for your
readers should be placed on the cover page. The cover page
Newsletter design: What’s your style? usually contains the newsletter’s nameplate, that has the
As with brochures, newsletters come in many styles and title of the newsletter, and a table of contents or a “teaser
forms. If they are sent to professionals, newsletters can have box” that shows what articles are covered and what pages
a more formal style and tone. Newsletters may have a more they are on

informal style and tone if they are being sent to organiza-
tion members

Brochures and Newsletters 3
INSIDE PAGE HEADLINES
The content of the inside pages is left to the discretion Headlines briefly communicate the major theme of the
of the newsletter editor. Feature stories and news stories story. The goal of a headline is to get the reader to read the
can be found throughout the inside pages. You may want story. Headlines should have a subject and a verb, and they
to include some of these ideas as regular stories for your are extremely short

newsletter:
MASTHEAD
• President’s (or executive director’s) letter—a regular The masthead is the place where the names of all who
letter from the organization’s president or executive contributed to the newsletter are positioned (reporters, edi-
director that describes something of importance for your tors, graphic designers, and photographers) so that they get
organization credit for their work. The masthead may provide subscrip-
• Announcements—bits of information the reader may find tion information or the newsletter’s contact information
interesting but are too short for a full article (address, phone number, website, e-mail). The masthead is
usually found on page two or three

• Spotlight sections—a feature story focusing on a member
of the organization
• Questions and answers—questions asked by readers and
Additional Information
answered by a member of the organization Diggs-Brown, B., & Glou, J. (2004). The PR styleguide: For-
mats for public relations practice. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth

• Calendar of events—usually a list of upcoming events:
activities, dates, and times Kimball, M. A., & Hawkins, A. R. (2008) Document design:
A guide for technical communicators. Boston, MA: Bedford/
BACK COVER St. Martin’s

For a four-page newsletter, this would be page four. If the
newsletter will be mailed, one-half may be kept blank, so Marsh, C., Guth, D. W., & Short, B. P. (2005) Strategic
mailing address information can be included. The other writing: Multimedia writing for public relations, advertising,
half of page four may include an eye-catching photograph sales and marketing. Boston, MA: Pearson Education

or an interesting, brief article

Newsom, D., & Haynes, J. (2005). Public relations writing:
Standard Parts of the Newsletter Form and style,7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth

In addition to the design elements discussed earlier,
Oliu, W. E., Brusaw, C. T., & Alred, G. J. (2007). Writing that
any newsletter you design should have the components
works: Communicating effectively on the job, 9th ed. Boston,
discussed below

MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s

NAMEPLATE Telg, R. & Irani, T. A. (2012). Agricultural communications
Also called the banneror flag, the nameplate is the informa- in action: A hands-on approach. Clifton Park, NY : Delmar

tion at the top of the cover page indicating the newsletter’s
title, the organization’s name, the newsletter’s volume and
issue number, and the publication date. The publication
date could be a month and year (e.g., May 2012) or season
of publication (e.g., Spring 2012). The title should be in
large letters, across the top of the page. Keep the title as
brief as possible. Avoid using “newsletter” in the title

TABLE OF CONTENTS
The table of contents or “teaser box” includes the major
sections or articles, with their corresponding page numbers

This section invites the reader in, points the way

Brochures and Newsletters 4

Brochures come in many styles and forms. You can design brochures with two folds, three folds, four folds, and more. Probably the most common style used by small businesses and …

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are brochures and newsletters?

This publication, created for anyone with an interest in designing effective documents, addresses the particulars of effective brochures and newsletters. Brochures are small, usually folded, documents used to inform, educate, or persuade the reader. They are commonly used to promote organizations, products, or events.

Which panel of a brochure should be read first?

Panel 2: When you open the brochure’s cover panel, the next panel you see is the most likely to be read. This second panel should be where you present a stand-alone message that summarizes the content and message of the entire brochure.

What is the most important word in a brochure?

"You" is the most important word in persuasion. The brochure should sound very personal, focusing on the benefits the reader gets from reading the information presented in the brochure. Put the emphasis on what the reader will gain. In other words, what is in it for your reader?

What should be included in the cover panel of a brochure?

Panel 1: The panel that you see first – the cover – should “hook” the reader’s attention immediately. The reader should know what the brochure is about just by seeing the first panel. The cover panel, also called the “hook” or “eye-catcher,” usually includes the organization’s name, the theme of the brochure, and possibly a slogan.