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Are you lacking in design skills and looking for a simple guide that will show you how to create a brochure for your business? Then you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve put together a very simple process for creating a personalised brochure. To make it easy for you, we’ve included a selection of our favourite free brochure templates. All templates are easy to customise with your brand colours and design elements.

Are you ready? Let’s get started!

10-step process to create a personalised online brochure
Step #1: Define the purpose of your brochure

Step #2: Consider your audience

Step #3: Write the content

Step #4: Choose a template

Step #5: Enter your content

Step #6: Select images

Step #7: Apply your brand image

Step #8: Adjust layout for hierarchy, balance and flow

Step #9: Review content

Step #10: Print the brochure

7 brochure templates to get you started

Step #1: Define the purpose of your brochure
Before you create a commercial or non-commercial brochure, you first need to know why you’re creating one.

Are you a school headmaster? Create a brochure to inform families about your mission, your values and your academic style.
Are you planning a street fair? Create a brochure with a list of suppliers. Perhaps also a map and information about the date and time.
Do you own a nursery? Offer step-by-step instructions on how to care for plants that customers can take with them when they shop – bonus points for using flow charts and infographics.
Does your small business donate profits to charity? Explain your efforts in a brochure outlining the associations you help.
As an informative medium, a brochure should contain essential and relevant information to interest the viewer and pique their curiosity to find out more. Using a brochure as a marketing tool can also help to improve your brand awareness and credibility.

Once you know the purpose of your brochure, it’s time to think about your audience and put it all together.

Step #2: Consider your audience
When you’re thinking about your brochure and its purpose, you also need to consider your audience. Who are the people you want to inform with your brochure?
booklet printing

For example, if you manage student services at a university, your audience will most likely be students. The design and content of the brochure should be aimed at your students, not their parents or other random people.

If your brochure is aimed at your nursery’s customers, the depth and detail of the content will depend on whether your audience is novice gardeners or professional landscapers. Beginners will need step-by-step instructions with relevant images, while professionals can expect more detailed information.

You can use the persona template below to highlight ideas that are suitable for your audience. This will help you in the next step to create the content.

Step #3: Write the content
The content of your brochure should be ready before you start creating the layout and design.

For best productivity, create an outline in Google Docs or Word that separates the content into sections as they will be presented in the brochure.

If you’re planning a tri-fold brochure like the templates in the Visme brochure creation software, you’ll need six units – or panels – of content:

Cover
Inside left panel behind cover
Central inside panel
Inside right section
Right outer panel
Back cover
Organise the content according to your objective and add notes on any relevant images, illustrations or graphics you wish to use.

You’ve finished preparing. Now it’s time to get down to business.

Step #4: Choose a brochure template
Log in to your Visme dashboard and click on the blue “Create” button to get started. Browse through the brochure and flyer templates and select the one that inspires you. There are all types of brochure depending on the purpose of your brochure.

If you want to get started straight away, click below and check out all the available templates.

Brochure templates
Create flyers online quickly by getting started with one of Visme’s predefined templates. Promote your business, products or services. Find a free brochure template that you can easily customise with your information.

Create your brochure See more templates

We’ve also included seven hand-picked brochures at the end of this guide for specific purposes to help you save time on designing your brochure.

Once you’ve chosen the template, make sure you add a grid to view the fold lines of your brochure. This will help you keep track of margins and spacing so that all content is aligned and legible once the brochure is folded.

Our brochure templates are available in the industry standard ‘letter’ size. In pixels, this equates to 1100 pixels wide, 850 pixels high. Use the grid view to add transparent fold lines.

These are the grid view settings for a trifold or Z-fold brochure.
Width: 366 px
Height: 850 px
Opacity: 30% or whatever suits you best
To open the grid view in your Visme editor, click on the menu at the top left of your screen and click on “display options”.

The image below shows you the measurements and what the grid should look like. These lines will not appear when you go to print a commercial or non-commercial brochure.

If you don’t want to use a template, you can also choose to start with a blank canvas. Just make sure the size is 1100 x 850 pixels.

Step #5: Enter your content
Now it’s time to add the content to your brochure template.

Go section by section using the text in the placeholder as a base. Use your outline to keep track of all the content you paste in, ticking off the paragraphs you’ve copied with a visual marker. It’s easy to duplicate sentences when you copy and paste content into a design.

Try to keep the length of the text in line with the text zones. They have been designed to be attractive and easy to read. If your text is too long, we recommend deleting any parts that are unnecessary.

Don’t forget important content such as :

The name of your organisation, event, location or company.
The date, time and place if it’s an event.
How to get in touch with you.
Once you have the text content, it’s time to choose the visuals.

Step #6: Select the images
To add visuals to your brochure, you have several options:

Browse our image library to find suitable stock images.
Select illustrations or icons from our graphics library.
Upload your own images such as brand photographs or illustrations.
Download stock images from other licensed sites.
When adding images to your brochure or any design you’re working on, try using filters to match the colour and intensity of the rest of the project.

In your Visme editor, you also have the option of using shape frames or the crop tool to modify images to better suit the design. You’ll find everything you need in the toolbar on the left-hand side of the canvas.

Once the visuals are ready, it’s time to work on the colours, fonts and textures.

Step #7: Apply your brand image
Your brochure needs to match the rest of your branded content, such as your website, social networks, leaflets, flyers etc. The easiest way to get any brochure design project right in Visme is to use your brand kit. The ideal here is to save time in creating your commercial or non-commercial brochure.

The Brand Kit is a handy feature that allows you to download and store your brand’s colour palettes, fonts and logos for use in any Visme project.

Here are the elements you’ll need to adjust in the template to ensure your brochure design is brand compliant:

Logos
Colours
Fonts
To start with, make sure you upload your logo in high resolution and with a transparent background. Next, add your colour palette one by one using HEX codes. Finally, upload your fonts and select one for the headings and another for the body text.

In your brochure design, start by changing the fonts in the text zones. Select the text and switch to your brand font from the options above – make sure you don’t miss any.

Next, choose the colours for the text, elements and backgrounds and change them to your brand colours. Finally, add your logo in the desired position.

Now it’s time to put yourself in the designer’s shoes and check that all is well.

Step #8: Adjust the layout for hierarchy, balance and flow
Take a step back from the editor with a short break and come back with fresh eyes. You’ll look at the following elements:

Formatting
Margins
Spacing
White space
Hierarchy
Balance
Content flow and logic
Formatting is the way in which all the design elements and content are configured in a project. Everything needs to be balanced and flow in a way that makes it easy to navigate and grasp information.

Margins are the spaces between the edge of each panel and the text. Make sure that all the margins are the same throughout; this will give the design a good balance. This is important to consider if you want to create a successful brochure.

Spacing is the area between the text areas. If there are different sections, create a visual separation by subject using spacing and white space. Use hierarchy to differentiate headings, subheadings and body text.

Also consider how the content of the brochure is divided up. Since there are six panels where you can include content, they need to balance each other out.

In terms of content, the cover should have a title, a subtitle and a brief overview. The three inner panels should contain the main information. The outer left panel should include additional information, and the back cover should have your logo and contact details.

Are the information and visual content balanced? If so, now’s the time to proofread and add the finishing touches.

Step #9: Review the content of your brochure
No design or content project can skip this critical step. The best way to review content is with the help of a colleague, friend, family member or anyone willing to give you a hand.

You’ve been looking at your project for so long that it’s easy to miss grammatical errors and typos. Maybe even a duplicate sentence here and there.

Use the team collaboration features to ask your team for feedback. Share the project with a link, so they can leave comments and annotations on any section of the design.

Sign up today and start collaborating on your designs!

Give them editing access if you want them to create and design alongside you. This feature will help you work together on any project.

If you want to go all out and test the full effect, print a copy of your brochure and fold it before showing it to your team or the people ready to help you proofread and finalise.

Ask for honest feedback on the logic and clarity of the brochure. If they struggle to follow the information, re-evaluate the way you’ve set them up and test again.

Now that your content has been revised and proofread, it’s time to share it with the world!

Step #10: Print the brochure
Brochure printing is easy, Visme. brochure creation software, gives you plenty of options. If you plan to distribute the brochure to as many recipients as possible, you’ll need to send the design to a printing service.

Select between JPG and PNG image file types or PDF with or without background marks to upload your design. If you’re not sure which one the printer needs, ask them.

With Visme, you can share any project online, but brochures are not suitable for this purpose. They’re designed to be folded, so a digital version won’t have the same effect.

If you want to share information digitally, try starting with a different format or category of template, such as a leaflet, flyer or multi-page ebook.

However, all the templates available are suitable for brochure printing.

7 brochure templates to get you started
We promised we’d show you our favourite brochure templates available in the Visme brochure design software gallery, and here they are. You’ll find options for non-profit organisations, art exhibitions, universities and more.

As long as you follow the steps outlined above, customising the templates will be quick and easy.

Once you’re done, save the final design as a branded template to create more brochures in the future for other projects, offers and programmes in your business.

Let’s get started.

Template #1: Non-Profit Environmental
The environmental non-profit brochure has a colour block design with images in circular frames. Each panel presents data from different informative sections with a corresponding visual.

There is space for your logo on the front cover and ample space for your contact details on the reverse. A circular image covers both front and back when folded in the middle.

This makes an excellent brochure design for any non-profit organisation. Include all critical information in the placeholder sections and add enough spacing to make the text more legible.

Template #2: Fine Art Gallery
The design of this brochure is perfect for providing information in separate sections. The images in this template are in circular frames, but you can choose to add your images in another shape.

Use this template to present your new art exhibition. Add high-quality images of the artwork and add unique frames for a balanced design. This template is ideal for ensuring the success of a brochure print and gaining visibility.

Template #3: Children’s Hospital
Each outer panel of this template has a bold look with an uppercase typography layout. The images inside have colour overlays for a unique look and feel.

Choose this model if you’re looking for a design that’s a little off the beaten track. Share information about your health centre in style.

Model #4: St. Mary’s College
Bright sections and eye-catching images are the foundation of a brochure design. There are large sections of colour that overlap from panel to panel, adding visual richness to the design. The panels are visually separated for easy reading and good flow.

Customise this template with your own content, visuals and colours. Add eye-catching images of your location to replace fictional architectural photos.

Template #5: New York Travel Guide
This travel information brochure uses a full-page image of the New York skyline on the three outer panels. Information sections and visuals are separated into angular backgrounds. Icons display snippets of information for easy hovering.

Select this template to share inspiring details about your town, village or tourist area. Make sure you use a good quality image for the background and change the colours of your brand.

Template #6: Gym and fitness
A gym needs a striking brochure to share information about opening hours, programmes and workouts. Choose this modern-looking template with a black and white layout and a splash of colour to draw attention to important elements.

Use this template to inform everyone in your area about your gym’s services and offers. Print copies and leave them in cafés, coworking spaces and other places where people work and hang out.

Template #7: Business school
The brochure template is specially designed for a school to share information about their programmes. It has a colour block design to separate information into relevant sections for easy reading. Take advantage of the centred content for personalisation in line with your brand image.

Choose this template if you need an easy-to-read brochure to share information about your university centre. Add relevant stock photos from our photo library or upload your own.

Making a brochure: using the right designer
Now it’s your turn to create the perfect brochure for your business.

If you’d like to use one of the templates above, simply click on it and get to work. There’s no need to download or learn complex software like Adobe InDesign or Photoshop just to make a brochure! The Visme brochure design software makes brochure design easy, right through to brochure printing.

Don’t forget to add all your branding elements to the brochure design. If you’re creating brochures for different sections of your business, all the elements need to look the same in order to be associated.

Do you know what the best thing about creating a brochure in Visme is? The fact that you can share content and visuals between projects.

Let’s say your annual report includes an interesting pie chart to visualise a small set of data. You can save this graphic in a content block and then add it to your brochure design project.

Brochures aren’t the only type of visual project you can do with Visme. You and your team can also work on brochures, documents, presentations, infographics, social media graphics and more.

And that’s not all. Check out our template library to see what you can do.

If you don’t have a Visme account, it’s easy to sign up for our free online brochure builder. Start creating your own brochure today with free templates and design resources.