How to Design a College Flyer

College is a time for meeting new people, learning about yourself and going to events such as concerts, seminars and student meetings. How does one advertise these various events in a way that is sure to get people's attention? A surefire way to grab attention is the distribution of flyers around campus. Flyers should be designed in a way that will get other students' attention, advertise times and other information clearly, and make a statement.

Things You'll Need

• Brightly colored paper
• Layout program such as Adobe Illustrator or Microsoft Publisher

Instructions

Getting Started

1. 

   Decide on a paper color. This is an important step in the design process of your flyer. Brightly colored paper such as neon and pastels are a good way to stop people in the halls or on the sidewalk.

2. 

   Choose a graphic picture. Avoid photographs with a lot of gray tones; they will produce a muddy printout. Choose a clip art image or create an image yourself either digitally or by hand.

3. Make sure you have all of the information you need, such as the time and place of the event, age requirements (if applicable), band names for a musical event, special guests (if applicable) and admission charge.

Design

1. 

   Lay out your flyer. It's best to design on a standard 8½ x 11 size paper; this will make it easy to copy and distribute with no cutting or trimming required. There should be at least a ¼-inch margin around all four corners to avoid cutting off any valuable information.

2. 

   Place your image in the upper left-hand corner of your flyer, making sure to leave ample space above for a title. If you're drawing your image by hand, you can scan the drawing into your computer and then place it onto the blank palette in your layout program.

3. 

   Use a clear title. This is another important way to get people to notice a flyer. Choose a bold, easy-to-read type font such as Helvetica, Arial Black or Franklin Gothic. The title should be at least 60 pt to be noticeable from a distance, and it should be centered.

4. 

   Enter your information below the title in the same font but smaller and, if possible, less bold. Begin with the actual event and location (which should be at least 45 pt), followed by the time and date and any other pertinent information, such as ticket admission (at least 35 pt).

5. 

   Add other information to the bottom of your flyer. This could include special guests, age requirements and other events taking place at the event. Separate this information with bullet points. These should also use the same font but around 24 pt.

Tips & Warnings

• Creative fonts are a good way to grab attention. However, make sure you don't use a script or calligraphic font, which can be hard to read from a distance. When printing flyers, go to an office copy center and make photocopies instead of using an inkjet printer. You'll get more flyers for less money this way.

• Be careful not to use lewd or obscene images on your flyers; this is a good way to get your flyers removed. Don't get too dark with paper color; avoid navy, burgundy or other deep colors.

Resources

• Flyer Design Tutorials