How to design a trifold brochure. Tips, tricks, and free brochure templates

Brochures are among the most versatile and effective tools in marketing and communication strategies. Whether handed out at events, mailed to potential clients, or displayed at business locations, brochures offer a tangible and compact way to convey information about a product, service, or organization. 

Offering a well-organized and visually appealing format for sharing information, brochures provide a unique balance between delivering detailed content and maintaining an easily digestible structure. 

A trifold brochure is a powerful marketing tool, offering a well-organized and visually appealing format for sharing information. Whether you’re promoting a business, event, or product, learning how to design a trifold brochure with the right layout is crucial. 
Brochures come in different shapes and sizes, and perhaps the most popular type is the trifold brochure. In what follows, I will offer some tips & tricks on designing a great trifold brochure and some examples of Flipsnack brochure templates you can customize any way you like.

Table of contents

1. What is a trifold brochure?
2. Why choose a trifold brochure layout?
3. Planning your trifold brochure structure
4. Essential trifold brochure design tips
   1. Choose a design theme that represents your brand
   2. Try a black-and-white minimalist design for a more serious approach
   3. But also, don’t be afraid of colors
   4. Choose the right typography to complement your images
   5. But don’t overdo the content
   6. Use the same image on at least two panels
   7. Choose the right images 
   8. Use visual elements to emphasize your trifold brochure structure
5. How to design a trifold brochure in Flipsnack
6. FAQ
7. Conclusion 

What is a trifold brochure?

A trifold brochure is a type of printed document that’s folded twice, creating three sections (or “panels”) on each side. More engaging than a flyer or a postcard, a tri-fold brochure allows six areas to distribute your information, offering an effective brochure structure.

Why choose a trifold brochure layout?

The tri-fold brochure layout is popular because it balances space and compactness well. It lets you include plenty of information without overwhelming the reader, making it perfect for corporate, event, or product brochures.

Typically, the front panel serves as the cover, the inside panels provide detailed information, and the back panel includes contact information or a call-to-action.

There are two ways to fold trifold brochures. The most common one is the Letterfold, in which two pages fold over the middle section. 

The next one is the Z-fold, where the pages are folded back and forth.

You might think that the folding process is something you can worry about later when it’s time to print the brochures. However, deciding on the fold is actually the first step in the design process, as the entire layout depends on it. By planning your fold early, you can avoid misaligned design elements and text, ensuring your brochure flows smoothly from panel to panel.

There are a few important guidelines to follow when designing a trifold brochure, but we’ll dive into those shortly. Before you start, it’s crucial to consider the standard brochure sizes for print and choose the one that best fits your needs.

Here’s a tip from our designers: Start by selecting the type of fold you want your brochure to have, and then create a design scheme that complements that fold perfectly.

The best way to grab attention is to use a stunning brochure design that integrates everything: creative typography, a cohesive color scheme, your logo, and compelling photography. And don’t forget, how the text is arranged within your design is just as important. 

Planning your trifold brochure structure

Before jumping into design, planning the brochure structure is essential for ensuring the final product is effective. Here are the key factors to consider:

• Define your audience: Understanding who your brochure is for will guide your content and design choices. For example, a brochure for corporate clients might use a more formal trifold brochure format, while a festival brochure can have a playful and colorful layout.

• Know the purpose: Are you promoting a product, service, or event? Identifying the goal of your brochure will help you determine the layout and content.

• Outline your content: Break your content into sections that fit naturally across the six panels. The cover should grab attention, the inside panels should provide valuable details, and the back panel should encourage readers to take action or contact you.

Moving on, let’s take a look at how to design a trifold brochure.

Essential trifold brochure design tips

Loyal to the brand

Branding is critical in any brochure because it defines how your business is perceived and helps establish a consistent, recognizable identity. A brochure serves as an extension of your brand, conveying not only your message but also the values, personality, and professionalism of your business. When done effectively, branding in a brochure creates a lasting impression and builds trust with your audience.

1. Choose a design theme that represents your brand

I cannot stress this enough: How your brand communicates through design says a lot about your company. A McKinsey study found that companies that integrated and put effort into their design did way better than the ones that didn’t. 

You must build a brand kit from the early days of your business. It will save you a lot of time and headaches. The design theme is usually represented through the brand kit that you already have. 

It comprises logos, color schemes, fonts, shapes, etc. It ensures consistency across the company’s platforms, including product packaging, social media platforms, advertising campaigns, and all the other communicational aspects of a brand. 

So, designing a trifold brochure for a medical clinic will definitely be different from designing a brochure for a coffee shop, for example. Let’s see some concrete examples.

Take a look at this medical and care trifold brochure template below. The white and blue colors create a clean and professional look, precisely what you would expect from the medical field. 

The name is placed upfront and center, above all the other design elements, followed by the statement “All for your health and care.” It also includes the services and a brief statement about the clinic.

Pick a suitable color scheme

Choose colors that align with your brand and purpose. For example, a brochure for a law firm might benefit from neutral, professional tones, while a brochure for a summer festival could feature bright, energetic colors. Make sure the colors complement each other and create enough contrast for text readability.

2. Try a black-and-white minimalist design for a more serious approach

What about a more minimalist design? Not all brochures need images with bright colors and loads of text. You can try a timeless black-and-white design if you want to achieve a minimalist style for your trifold brochure.

Let me show you this modern black-and-white trifold template. The images’ black-and-white look offers a contemporary look, making the text stand out more. 

The template also incorporates sans serif fonts (without strokes) that give a clean and professional look. If you’re not quite sure how to use fonts, do a little research on some of the best typography fonts for catalogs and brochures. Use the advice given to see what significant difference fonts can make. 

Like in most trifold brochures, the back cover contains contact details: address, phone number, website, and social media platforms.

Tip: Integrate some icons with the contact details to make them stand out. And don’t forget to always double-check before sending your trifold brochure to print.

3. But also, don’t be afraid of colors

However, bright and vibrant colors are the way to go if you design a trifold brochure for a music festival, concert, or art gallery. 

For example, you can use the music festival trifold template below for an impressive look. See the contrast colors pink and yellow? They make the entire design stand out, and they allow space for the most important information: 

• Who? 
• What? 
• Where? 
• When? 

These colors are perfectly chosen because they represent exactly what the event is all about: summer, young people, music, and a lot of positive energy. 

What’s great about designing colorful trifold brochures is that you don’t need a lot of text. You just have to write short and catchy headlines that easily grab readers’ attention, with the help of vibrant color design.

Typography matters

Text and typography are essential elements in a brochure because they convey the core message and help guide the reader through the information. While images draw attention and create an emotional connection, the text provides the necessary details, explanations, and calls to action that ultimately drive engagement. Your chosen words must be clear, concise, and purposeful, ensuring your message is informative and persuasive.

4. Choose the right typography to complement your images

Our designers used images and a short title for each dessert category in this dessert trifold template. And it is pretty obvious that the fonts complement the images’ aesthetic perfectly.

For typography, limit yourself to two or three fonts, using a combination of serif fonts for headings and sans-serif fonts for body text. This will ensure your trifold layout remains clean and easy to read.

Here is the difference between the two:

Of course, you can always experiment and choose the font that best complements your images and overall theme.

5. But don’t overdo the content

Trifold brochures must get straight to the point. Don’t get lost in details that are irrelevant to the reader. Use enticing headlines to tell people the essential information shortly and concisely. Too much text can overwhelm the reader. 

Let’s say your trifold brochure is informative because you just opened a new spa, for example. Because you are new on the market, you must include information about your spa services to raise awareness.

Take a look at the spa trifold brochure template below. You’ll notice that our designers added a section about its story and made room to present the spa services. 

However, it doesn’t seem like too much text, right? How did they do that? Simple. They mapped out the text correctly. The headline “Our plant-based SPA services” was in a bigger and thinner font. The subheadings are marked and divided into three categories: spa facials, massage therapy, and body waxing. They also used bullet points to make the following texts easy to read.

Our designer’s tip: Focus on readability and use paragraphs between sections. Also, if you can use graphics or icons to represent some parts of the text, go for it!

The importance of images

Images play a crucial role in any brochure, as they are often the first to capture a reader’s attention. High-quality visuals enhance the overall design and communicate your message more effectively than words alone. 

6. Use the same image on at least two panels

Let’s say you own a travel agency and want to advertise some great holiday vacations. This travel brochure template will do the job for you! 

The beautiful image catches the eye instantly, right? If you have a photo that does the talking for you, then use it smartly. Notice that the photo is placed on all three panels of the trifold brochure. This is usually called a double-page spread. So when people open it entirely, they get a stunning view of the Alps mountains. 

The text is added in bold italic fonts. On the same spread, there’s a quote and the logo. You don’t want to stuff a lot of details and information on such a beautiful image. So, use the remaining three panels to give people descriptions and tourist points. Let them imagine what an immersive experience they could have!

Also, see the second image—the old village buildings placed on two panels. This also breaks the text when the trifold brochure design is opened. Click on this template and make it your own. The whole design process is easy with drag, drop, and replace! 

Our designer’s tip: Use bold titles or quotes on the front cover of your trifold brochure. Make sure that you only use high-quality photos, especially when you do a spread or place an image on two panels.

7. Choose the right images 

Images are a powerful tool in any tri fold brochure format. High-quality images can instantly elevate the design, making your brochure more engaging. Ensure the images you use are relevant to your content and aligned correctly within the layout to avoid crowding the panels. 

Let’s take a look at the clothing trifold template below. It’s obvious a professional photographer took these photos. 

Clothing brands must hire a professional to take photos of the new clothes they’re selling. These images will convince potential buyers to make the purchase. 

The images used in this template inspired the whole design theme. The burgundy color is picked from the dress and used throughout the entire brochure. There aren’t any other colors that might steal the reader’s attention from the images. 

The main purpose and selling point here is to put the images in the spotlight. 

So, if you don’t consider yourself a skilled photographer, hire one. You’ll find having professional photos handy. You can use them in your trifold brochure design and share them on your digital platforms. 

8. Use visual elements to emphasize your trifold brochure structure

Graphics, icons, and other visual elements can help break up text and guide readers through the brochure.

Not only are they visually more pleasing to look at but they make any brochure easier to read. 

Take a look at this tourist trifold brochure. As you can see, the activities are represented by icons: Origami—a swan icon; Pottery—vases icon; Tea Nights—a pot and a cup of tea. Instead of having long and detailed headlines, they went for icons to help readers visualize the topic and to offer them some context.

There are a lot of websites that offer free icons that you can integrate into your trifold brochure design. So take advantage of that and make your trifold brochure design more visually appealing.

Also, do you notice the grid style used here? The design is inspired by Japan’s flag colors: red and white. Sometimes, simple design is more than enough. Balance is the key, right? 

You can easily customize this template. Open our Design Studio, and under the Shapes section, you will find many shapes you can use as icons to balance your trifold brochure design. On top of that, if you need this layout for advertising something else, simply change the colors and add your logo and text. It’s just that fast and easy. 

Now, let’s look at how easy it is to create a brochure in Flipsnack.

How to design a trifold brochure in Flipsnack

With Flipsnack, designing a professional trifold brochure is simple and efficient. Follow these steps to create your own:

1. Choose a Flipsnack brochure template: Browse various trifold brochure templates designed for different industries. Whether you’re creating a corporate brochure or an event flyer, there’s a template to fit your needs.
2. Customize the trifold layout: Use the drag-and-drop tools to insert your text, images, and logos into the brochure. Make sure the information flows logically across the panels.
3. Review and finalize the design: Double-check that your brochure’s layout and structure are clear and the content is aligned. Use the preview function to see how it will look once folded.
4. Share your brochure: Once you are satisfied, share your brochure digitally, either by email, as a QR code, on social media, or via direct chat. 
5. Measure the impact of your trifold brochure: Once shared, you can measure the success of your brochure through detailed statistics that track views, reading time, and click-through rates. This helps you assess audience engagement and optimize your brochure for better results.

FAQ

1. Can I use Flipsnack to create a trifold brochure without design experience?

Absolutely! Flipsnack is designed to be user-friendly, even for those with no prior design experience. With its intuitive drag-and-drop editor and a wide range of pre-designed trifold brochure templates, you can create a professional-looking brochure in minutes. You don’t need to worry about complex tools or technicalities.

2. What’s the best layout for a trifold brochure?

The best trifold layout depends on your content and audience. A Z-pattern layout is popular, directing the reader’s attention in a natural flow from panel to panel.

3. Can I customize the trifold brochure format in Flipsnack?

Absolutely! Flipsnack’s customizable templates allow you to adjust every element of the trifold brochure format, including colors, fonts, and images, to match your brand.

Conclusion 

Designing a compelling trifold brochure is easy when you have the right tools. With Flipsnack, you can create a professional, customized tri fold brochure layout that is tailored to your needs. Whether you’re designing for print or digital distribution, Flipsnack’s templates and intuitive editor ensure that your trifold brochure format is both functional and visually appealing. Follow the steps outlined in this guide to bring your next brochure project to life.