A Sneak Peek into the Evolution of Online Brochures

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As the industrial revolution started to reach heights, the task of promoting goods and services became challenging with many businesses vying to grab the maximum market share. Initially, business owners used to distribute pamphlets to spread the awareness of their brands. Gradually, marketers began to staple pamphlets together and began treating like brochures. However, the printed version of brochures has a short life. They are easily subjected to wear and tear. With the advancement of web technology, this issue has been addressed and now marketers can choose a stunning online brochure design among many and build brand image smartly.

The Early Days of Printing

Even with the availability of printing aids, it took a while before printed materials could be used for marketing purpose. People could afford to print during the 1880s and so forth.

During the 1900s, printing became easily accessible and this was when marketers began to design brochures for advertising and marketing. Different kinds of brochure designs evolved. Some brochures featured sheets folded into two halves. In some brochures, sheets were folded in thirds for developing multiple content panels. In some cases, sheets were cut, folded and stitched to produce booklets.

Initially, printed brochures were available in black and white font and styles. These brochures were used by travel agencies and other businesses to promote their brands.

As the time passed, the printing industry began witnessing the usage of colors. With the advancement of printing technology, the cost of colors was brought down and marketers took the advantage of cost cuts and began using colors widely during the development of brochures. The colored brochures were in demand till the late 20th century.

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The 1990s Saw the Usage of PDF

In the 1990s, the change was noticed in designing brochures, when Adobe developed PDF. During the initial phase, the internet was not so much popular. So, the online brochure design could not be worked out. However, people felt easy to share PDF documents with ease on other computer systems.

When you conduct a survey, you will find that some people still use PDF as they think it easy to share files. Some people used to express joy when they received updates of Adobe’s proprietary reader software in the form of free CDs.

PDF Had Flaws Initially

Initially, PDF had some flaws. If someone wished for creating a PDF, then the person required the expensive software of Adobe. The issue remained unaddressed till 2008. However, with the passage of time, various PDF creation tools have been created and you can deploy various online brochure design techniques to produce the final works.

Previously, email technology was not popular than what it is today. A PDF can be viewed on a browser. However, sometimes, PDF cannot open in a browser due to compatibility issues.

The concept of email rose to popularity during the 1990s.  Nowadays, a graphic designer can suggest you some online brochure design ideas through email. Email has become the smartest way of sending brochures to the targeted audience.

Brochures Produced in PDF Format Has Interaction Issues

People face difficulty in interacting with the text of PDF brochures. The brochures created with PDF have resemblance with the print counterparts. PDF brochures sometimes become incomprehensible. In some cases, the images included in the PDF brochures become fuzzy. However, Adobe solved some of the issues, but brochures designed in PDF format is not supported by many marketers.

Digital (R) Evolution Started During 2000s

From 1990 onwards, some marketers started using PDF brochures other than printed brochures. Nowadays, some people use Adobe Flash to develop attractive copies of print brochures.

During the 2000s, graphic designers popularized brochures in Flipbook style. The Flipbook style allowed the marketers to transform print materials into digital copies. The advantage of using Flipbook style is that a reader can zoom in the contents to read clearly.

After some time, it was found that Flipbooks were not the best brochure solutions because these brochure designs rely heavily on Flash. Brochures designed in Flipbook are difficult to search.

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Evolution of iPad Generation

iPad was invented in 2010. With the advent of iPad, Flipbook technology witnessed a drop in demand. Consumers began to use mobile devices. The expectations regarding the brochures changed.

Consumers gave importance to interactivity. Therefore, PDF brochures started losing popularity.

During 2014, the combination of interactivity for marketers and interactivity of readers was not at all an issue. The usage of CSS and HTML5 has helped marketers at developing fully interactive brochures, which allow them to track interaction.

The interactive brochures provide mobile readiness, web compatibility and fulfill the requirements of users like watching the video, sharing contents on social media platforms from mobile devices, etc.

Brochure designing has evolved a long time back. The online brochure design will continue to mark new developments because markets have started using SEO techniques to raise the visibility of contents. On the other hand, readers search for contents that can be read and shared easily across mobile devices.

18th Apr, 2016

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