Design Tips for Travel Brochures

Brochures for travel agencies and other destination-related businesses can be a quirky bunch. You can’t use the same brochure copy and images year after year. Attractions change, new attractions are added, restaurants close and prices change nearly every year.

With a bit of research though, you can create beautiful brochures that just need to be updated year after year. You also need to learn how to put an idea together, rather than a product.

You can encourage your customers to get ready for travel with various themes and design details. Here are a few design tips when creating travel brochures.

Use colors that emanate the feeling you want customers to feel
Using the right colors associated with your travel destination is key to a good brochure design. Reds, oranges and yellows create a feeling of warmth and ideas of beach scenes, along with blues and greens of the ocean. Blues and whites are cool colors that are generally used for colder destinations, and give a feeling of tranquility and peace associated with mountains and snow-covered cabins of winter.

Use colors in photos that show off the natural beauty of the destination and use those same families of colors in your text or other graphic elements.

Use traditional symbols of travel
If you look at a pair of hibiscus-covered shorts, you know it’s summertime and it’s time to get to the beach. Use these kinds of symbols of summer on your brochures to create a colorful theme. Orchids and leis can also be used to reflect a Hawaiian or tropical locale. Snowflakes and snow-capped mountains are symbols of Aspen and other skiing destinations.

Harness the power of the sun
Many different types of travel destinations look warm and inviting in the sun. The sun is also used in drawings to create a strong feeling of warmth. You don’t have to do just draw a yellow circle on your brochure – the sun has been such a popular travel icon that there are all kinds of options for drawing it or representing it in your travel brochure. You can use a swirl pattern, the sun rising or setting on the horizon, or use small, fine lines of differing lengths to create sunshine.

Show activities native to the travel destination
Showing people having fun doing activities that can only be done at the travel destination is quite convincing because people can imagine themselves in the picture. Use popular activities like water skiing, paragliding, ocean kayaking – anything that gets people excited about your vacation spot. To get ideas of what to show, browse reviews on sites like Travelocity.com and TripAdvisor.com and see what people rave about most.

Tantalize people’s senses with yummy food scenes
Showing people what kinds of delectable foods and treats they can be noshing on at the destination will push their drool buttons and will make them excited to visit the destination. Lemonade, cocktail drinks with little umbrellas and outdoor barbeques all create a nostalgic feel, which you can use to create an emotional appeal in your brochures.