Brochure week rolls on. Yesterday we talked about covers, today we’re talking about the contents between the covers.

Again, let’s start with really smart people talking about the principles behind what you should do.

Matt Thompson, Story & Co.
“The main design consideration concerning inside pages is brand consistency and story. Don’t assault viewers with info. Most resort marketing managers are pressured from various departments to include multiple messages and calls to actions (“Let them know we have children’s programs and luxury condos and a hardcore mid-winter bro-down event”). Instead, provide the barest amount of information necessary, and bolster it with strong, signature, experience-driven images. Give them necessary answers, but more importantly, give them questions, so that they’ll take the logical next step and contact you, or plan a visit so they can discover more for themselves. Simplicity is strength. If you’re confident you can be simple, then venture towards smart and clever. Engage them through perceptions, story (short!) and questions they’ve not thought of before.”

Michael Panich, Bolder Design Studio
“When designing the inside of the brochure, it is all about content flow. More important info in front and on top, visually lead the reader from left to right, finishing with at least one call to action on each panel. We try to avoid confusion and get as much content as quickly to the reader as possible. Emphasis is placed on images used, trying to keep an even balance of skiers and boarders, and a varying ability level.”

The Lessons
Okay, let’s try to sum this all up with a few key takeaways.

First, be careful not to assault the reader with info. It’s not a novel about resort operations, it’s an overview. Keep it simple and let images do the talking.

Second, there needs to be a story or flow from page to page. Logic should drive what goes first and what doesn’t.

Third, give them something to do. Create questions and direct them to act.

The Challengers
Now, aside from posting 50+ photos of every page of every brochure, I’ve limited it to just a picture of two of a few of these.

On point #1, simplicity, Diamond Peak probably takes the cake, but the clean designs of Shawnee Peak and Sugar Bowl keep things concise and easy to read.

On point #2, flow, it’s hard to say with just a page from each brochure. Each seemed to hold some sort of flow, but it’s hard to pick one from the crowd.

On point #3, a call to action, Sugar Bowl probably wins that battle. At the bottom of every paragraph is somewhere to go for more information. Right behind is Shawnee Peak who, and I really like this, includes phone numbers. URLs are great, but when I read a brochure, it I think it’s nice to be able to just give someone a quick call.

The Winner
For inner contents, I think it’s a draw between Diamond Peak (for their simplicity and images) and Sugar Bowl for a design and feel that matches their website, is concise, and never leaves the reader without something to do.

I must say that of all the brochures, the one I read the most on location was Shawnee Peak’s. This is partly because it has one fold and, thus, two pages inside. It’s great to share lots and lots of info, but in my case, it was more than I needed in most cases.

If a brochure felt like the unabridged history of the resort, I rarely opened it. If it was small and concise, at least in my case, I found myself more likely to skim through.

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.