As members of the public we are constantly bombarded with media messages, therefore in order to capture our attention a good flyer needs to be attention-grabbing, succinct and memorable, all of which is easier said than done! As a result designing and creating flyers can be a daunting activity, however by breaking the task down into a series of smaller steps it can be far simpler than previously thought.

First and foremost you need to be clear about the flyer’s purpose as this will directly impact its design and layout. The majority of flyers are designed to specifically promote an event, an offer or the business in general. Resist the temptation to cram all your information in, instead focus on highlighting one or two special offers or events, ensuring that relevant contact information such as website, address and telephone number are clearly displayed for the customer to find out more.

Your target audience should be at the forefront of your mind throughout the design process, use fonts and colour schemes that are appropriate to your audience. For example, if you are promoting a nightclub consider using more contemporary fonts and colours, all of which can impact upon our subconscious perceptions. It may also be necessary to ensure that any layout is consistent and representative of the brand e.g. it may be suitable to follow an associated colour scheme. However, limit your fonts to no more than two different styles. Using bold or italics of the same font can be far more effective than using ten different fonts. Images can prove particularly valuable for flyer where there is very limited space. Consider using one large image to make a stronger impression than several small ones.

When it comes to printing, it is no coincidence that the most popular flyer format uses printing on both sides of the sheet. This enables businesses to focus upon the company’s unique selling points on the front, as well as ensuring that additional details such as maps, or opening hours are detailed on the back. This provides passers-by with adequate information without overwhelming them. However, it may be best to play-around with different layout designs in order to come up with your own suitable design.

Flyers also come in lots of shapes and sizes, although if you are concerned with keeping your costs down it may be more suitable to select a more popular flyer size. These include amongst others A5 (210mm x 148.5mm- half a sheet of A4 paper), DL (210mm x 99mm- a third of an A4 sheet) and slightly smaller flyers often use A7 (105mm x 74mm). If you really want to stand out from the crowd, consider using a different format, as it is often possible to have your flyer on shaped card. This means you could have heart-shaped, circular or triangular flyers if desired.

Finally, ensure that you use quality card for your flyer printing, a professional design can be lost if printed on flimsy paper .350gsm card is regarded as the standard type for flyers.

And as we always say, proof read it several times and get a second pair of eye to check it too.