To brochure or not to brochure: That is the  questionÂ
I was tasked to design a subscription database brochure for a hypothetical school library space that would stand as a resource for students and their families. Two-dimensional shapes and harmonizing colors easily identify flat designs. The brochure produced as a result of this project uses flat design concepts and the four basic design principles from The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams. They are as follows:Â
Contrast
Repetition
Alignment
Proximity
Here is the finished product.
Home of the Wolves +1 (847)-289-3760 x 6224 [email protected] @NatureRidgeElemLib @NatureRidgeLibrary @NatureRidgeLib www.natureridgeelemli
First, I decided to use a google slides template to start my brochure. Google slides was a convenient application because of the familiarity with google workspace and the design-friendly features such as line guides that kept my brochure balanced and formatted correctly.
I used contrasting colors and line theory to bring contrast into my work. According to Williams, "Contrast is often the most important visual attraction on a page- it's what makes a reader look at the page in the first place." To do this, I used the Google Chrome extension Color Dropper to obtain the Hex Code for the exact color (#dd4451) on the background for the template I used. Then, I traveled to color inverter.imagineonline.co and used the website functionality to obtain the opposite color (#22bbae) throughout my design. Here is a color swatch from the brochure.
Shapes were the following strategy that I used to render contrast throughout my brochure. I modeled the hypothetical library space after my current place of employment, an elementary school in School District U-46, and used several images from my school's website. That said, I used a wolf and moon image specific to the school on the cover and repeated the circle theme alongside rectangular and square shapes throughout the brochure.
The resources I chose were relative to my school district and what they offer to my current students. Again, I designed this brochure in the hopes that I would be able to use it as a prototype for my current place of employment. School District U-46 offers literacy and research database subscriptions and uses Follett Destiny Library Manager. I chose to highlight Encyclopedia Britannica, Tumble Books, Gale Resources, Newsela, Axis360, and Destiny because I felt they represented a large enough spectrum of the school's offerings.
This is where I really drove in on:
Repetiton
colors, shapes, line thickness, fonts, and sizes
Alignment
clean, sophisticated, and connected
Proximity
organized and structured
This brochure will help my students and their families to become more familiar with some of the subscription databases that School District U-46 currently uses. Furthermore, flat design and the CRAP design model by Robin Williams can be used to produce visually appealing as well as effective marketing/visual displays. For example, below is a visual pathway from the brochure that I used to help guide students and families to navigate the literacy applications on their student's Chromebooks. Note the consistent use of line thickness, contrasting colors, and alignment.
In sum, design does not have to be intimidating; however, strategy, user focus, and attention to detail will significantly improve the reach and effectiveness of the inforamtion your design is trying to convey.
