Do you have a brochure?

[Calligirl]

I'm working on my marketing angle and was thinking of doing a brochure. In throwing ideas around with my husband, I realized that every brochure that we pick up for whatever reason, on vacation, in a store, craft fair, etc. we always end up throwing them away, especially if they're tri-fold. I tend to keep magnets for use on the fridge (we have magnets from companies I don't even know) and we keep mugs/cups but never brochures.

What are your thoughts on this marketing tool? Is it worth the time and effort to you?

I'm thinking my time would be better served working on my website (get that nasty stay-at-home-mom look off there).

[PrintDriver]

Depends on your client base and what you call a "brochure".

A trifold or a magnet can be ok for mass mailing but if you are really driving a focused sale, a nicely bound mini-portfolio may go farther toward presenting your past work. Costs more but can be customized toward the end client. Go to a print or design expo and see what the vendors hand out there.

[carter the artist]

I was thinking of doing a printed brochure. The portfolio you download off my website was the one I was looking at as a brochure. It had a whole "coaster" motif, saying that until you really needed it that it could be a coaster (which i figured was better than trash fodder.)

[Crimson]

If you do one- just make sure to put a picture of Godzilla or Mr. T on it. They sell anything. Works for me all the time. I got work out the wazoo except Godzilla doesn't use a lawyer- He just comes and wrecks your whole city if he doesn't approve of you using his image- then your kind of screwed. He didn't bother me much when I lived in Indiana. Now that I am in Orlando he's a bit more anal about it

[Broacher]

If you're after agency or studio clients, don't design a promo campaign from the media choice up. Art and creative directors won't notice anything that doesn't stand out strategically and conceptually. The same can be said about the more (usually much better) design-savvy business clients. Great thought trumps great (but boring) execution. Even better: great thought AND great execution.

[budafist]

I've never thought about or wanted to do a brochure for myself. I throw them away too - unless there is important info on there. Example, I keep menus or things with price lists that I want to refer to. But something with a summary or a story I would throw away.

[PrintDriver]

What Broacher said.