Writing business brochures: what is it? "Tone" and why is it important
The “tone” of a written piece, such as your brochure, can best be defined as the “feel” or “emotional effect” that this piece has.
Many things make up the “tone.” The words you use in your brochure. The length of your sentences. The colors you wear. The fountain. The score. The type of graphics or photographs. Graphic design The type of paper you use.
To give your brochure its proper “tone”, all these elements must come together, giving it a particular feel.
“That’s good,” I bet you’re saying right now. “Wake me up when you’re done with your art lecture.”
Whoa, sorry! Back up your Mac, or park your PC, right now and listen.
This is not a classy, classy, tall, artistic, furry, fuzzy concept. It is real. And it has real consequences (read: “bottom line”).
I will begin by describing an actual brochure that I saw, one that I have used as a very bad example, during brochure workshops that I gave in the Detroit area.
This brochure dealt with a very sensitive and heartbreaking subject: domestic violence. It was done by a metropolitan agency to a.) Make the public aware that domestic violence hurts children and is, by extension, child abuse b.) Warn perpetrators of the crime that it is, well, a crime. (This booklet was so poorly written to begin with that it was difficult to decipher who it was for. In fact, it puzzled my workshop participants.)
Now, writing this brochure without being sure of the target market was not the least of his problems. This is where we get to tone up.
It was a rough 1 color (yes, 1 color —- black type on white paper. It looked like something pulled out and photocopied). Brochure with large print and sentences that seemed to yell at him. The headline read: “There is no excuse, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE is a crime!” The word “you” was used, but in a harsh and overbearing tone: “What you should know about …” he followed this headline loudly.
It caught your eye, okay. But his tone was so sharp and harsh that it did not invite me to enter, to learn, to seek help. It just pushed me away.
As you can see, “tone” is very important.
Now, I’ll explain another example, also from a government agency that deals with children, that does a much, much better job.
This brochure was also monochrome. Only it was done by a graphic artist who knew how to use many shades of gray, screens, and other techniques to turn what was originally black into a soft, warm, and inviting image.
In the center of the brochure were black and white photographs of 4 smiling children, each of a different race.
Above the children was the headline: “The Health Insurance You Need.”
In the center of the children was a circle with the words “MIChild,” the acronym for low-cost child insurance, playing with the abbreviation for the Michigan state zip code. Instantly known to your target market.
Then at the bottom of the brochure, still on the cover, were the words “Affordable,” followed by the toll-free number.
The general tone of this brochure is “We want to help you. We respect you. We understand.” (And that’s just for checking the cover! “)
See the difference? Although both brochures were from government agencies, although both brochures were one color, the difference between them is huge. Like, I’m sure, it was the results.
In these short paragraphs, I have given you just a small glimpse of what tone is and why it matters. There are many more examples of “tone” types; how each “tone” is achieved with the words chosen, the length and structure of the sentence, the type of paper, etc. I hope, however, that in these short paragraphs you can begin to understand the tone and its importance. And, most importantly, you can understand how to apply it to your own brochure.
(c) CSC Group, LLC
