How to Create Flyers

Before designing your flyer, you must know specifically what will go in it, otherwise you'll be re-editing everytime you realize it lacks enough information. There are four major parts to any flyer:

Title: No matter what your flyer is about, you need to give it a title. You want your flyer to shout out what it is about in a glance, and the best way to do this is to give it a clear, concise title.
Description and/or Background: You want to describe the subject of your flyer in a very short but clear manner, so that any reader can learn about the subject without having to spend too much effort reading. I recommend only one paragraph for this part.
Facts: Facts are a quick and aggressive way of passing key information to the reader while avoiding long paragraphs. WARNING: No comments or personal opinions in this section. Every fact must have numbers and/or statistics so that the reader can put all this information into perspective.
Contact Information: This is crucial. No matter what subject you are talking about (advertising your local lemonade stand, raising awareness for the 2009 H1N1 flu, or spreading the word about an event of fundraiser), you must include some form of contact information so that the reader can act on this newly acquired information. Avoid sharing your own personal information unless it is truly necessary (i.e. if your flyers are offering your services as a babysitter, you must include your phone number or email and it must be clearly stated so that your potential customers know how to contact you). If you are simply spreading the word about something, you should put other resources like websites or event dates in the flyer so that the reader can learn more.

TIP: If you are getting your information from online, it is a good idea to select a few pictures and graphics you find along the way that are relevant to your topic.

Remember to keep all of your written content as clear and concise as possible.Once you have the key parts, you can start designing your flyer.

There are some butget-related factors you must take into account before actually designing the flyer and working on getting it pretty. Simply ask yourself:

Will it be Black or White (cheap) or Full Color (expensive)?
Will I have mostly text (cheap) or many pictures (expensive)?
Will the flyer have printed material on one side (cheaper, limited information) or on both sides (expensive, but allows more flexibility in design)?
Will I print them myself (easier if under 100, then it gets expensive) or will I go to a printing shop (recommended for flyer orders of 100+)?

You must take these factors into account when designing your flyer. Make sure you don't go over your budget, specially if you are planning on printing several copies of the flyer." />

The paper you choose for your flyers plays a key role on its effectiveness. You want it to be strong, but also to be in harmony with your subject and content.

Color: I recommend clear, neutral colors. White paper works wonders on most designs, because almost any other color can easily out stand on a white background. Sometimes, however, dark colors like brown or a dark gray or even black can work best, specially if the theme "black" or "dark" is big in your content (i.e. concert or black cats club).

Shape: Regular 8.5'x10' sized paper works fine, specially if you are going to print many copies of the flyer yourself, since it makes it's easier to handle. If you want to make it more flashy (always good), then go for odd shapes like circles or triangles. Most stores sell color papers of standard geometric shapes in stacks, and they are even cheaper online.

Material: If you are printing on one side, then regular printing paper will do. If you are printing on both sides, however, then go for a thicker paper, usually labeled "heavy duty." Make sure it is printing paper, or your printer might be damaged. Also, make sure the paper is in accordance to your subject. If you are talking about recycling, then go with recycled paper rather than new paper, so that you keep a theme going.

Now that you know what you are working with, you can start designing your flyer. Since this part is very "artistic," I'll ony give you a few tips so that you can have as much freedom in your design as you can while covering all the bases.

Tip #1: Make your Title as Big and Flashy as Possible: The font size of your title should be at least three times as big as the normal text. You can be a little more flexible with which font you use here, since it's only for a few words. I recommend Stencil or Goudy Stout.
Tip #2: Avoid regular fonts, but make sure anyone can read the font you choose. Izza, Bauhaus, and Junegull work well for any text. Bold or italicize specific catchphrases to emphasize certain points.
Tip #3: Have at least one picture on each printed side.
Tip #4: Make sure the color of the fonts you use are easy to read on the color background of the paper. Red on Blue always hurts my eyes, and I wouldn't bother reading a flyer that has that format.
Tip #5: Fill the Entire Page! If you have little information, make the font sizes larger or include more graphics. Make sure every inch of the paper inside the margins has something in it.

Make good use of those tips and your flyer should be in good shape.

There are more than a couple printing possibilities (some of which were discussed earlier). I personally print all of my flyers right off my computer, and I usually print 60-100 at a time.

If you need hundreds of copies of your flyer, then I would recommend you go to a printing shop, since it will cost less and you may even get discounts for large orders. You can usually make orders online and submit a digital copy of your flyer, and some printing shops even deliver the flyers to you!

If your flyer is in black and white, then I would recommend you print one copy and xerox the rest. It's much cheaper, and the quality of the flyer is not compromised much.

Congratulations! You have successfully created your own flyers and you are now ready to release them to the public and enjoy the fruits of your success!

Stay on alert for my next lens on how to effectively hand out flyers! For now, good luck with whatever your flyer is about!