We design promotional leaflets for all kinds of businesses and purposes – from launching new products to hitting customers with exclusive discounts. However, one use of leaflets which always provides our graphic designers with a unique challenge is the creation of menus and price lists. Menus have to be logically layed-out and easy to read but in most cases they also have to be effective in building the brand and encouraging sales. A fine balance therefore has to be struck between information and design. If you let the design elements get out of control then your menu can be difficult to read and displeasing to the eye. If information overrules then it can be dry and not engaging.

Here are our leaflet graphic design tips for creating an effective promotional menus or pricelist.

Selecting the right leaflet type

We offer a large selection of leaflet types – from a single fold (A4 folded to A5 size – 4 pages), up to four folds (10 pages). These come in all different sizes from 110mm square up to A4 size. It is worth considering which leaflet design option will match the information and your budget the best. Having the correct amount of information on each panel is essential to make sure the leaflet design doesn’t look crammed, or too spacious. Many customers choose to send us the information first, so we can advise on the best size and shape for the job.

Get the essence of the brand

With so much information to include on your leaflet, there is often limited space for design. Therefore it is important to capture the essence of the brand in the space available. This will make sure that a customer instantly recognises who the menu or price list belongs to. Using designs which incorporate the logo design, or the corporate colours, or photographs of the premises instantly tells the customer who you are without impeding too much on the information. The graphic design also wants to ‘hold together’ all the pages of information under the same brand – so even if the services or products differ from page to page, there is a common thread holding the entire leaflet together.

The right amount of information

Think carefully about your audience and the amount of information they need to make an educated decision. If, for example, you are an Indian Restaurant then a short description of each dish might be essential to help people decide, or perhaps a ‘hotness’ scale to make sure that your customer gets a product they are happy with. Likewise, for a beauty salon stating the important differences between treatments is likely to guide a reader’s decision. Numerous studies have shown that too much choice is actually off-putting to potential customers who will decide not to buy rather than make a purchase they are uncertain about.

Using headings and sub-headings.

It is essential to divide your information up logically using headings. This allows readers to instantly find the area which interests them, and also breaks up the wall of information – making the leaflet less daunting to engage with. Always consider your audience when choosing how to divide your information. Do you clients typically shop by brandname, product type, price, age/gender, specification.

Use pictures, logos and brandnames

Drawing people to picking up and reading a menu or pricelist can be difficult when there is only a page of text. Using well chosen small pictures, recognisable logos and brandnames within the information is a great way to draw people in. If I drive a BMW and see the BMW logo on a page (no matter how small) then I am unconsciously drawn to it as I will feel it has relevance. Consider what names, logos and pictures would be best at pulling your target audiences attention and use them to divide up the information.

Leaflet Design – Add Design specialise in leaflet design, flyer design, brochure design, logo design and business stationery design. Visit our web site to view our range of competitively priced, graphic design packages which include bespoke design work, high quality printing and UK delivery. We also deliver to European and international addresses for a small additional fee.