Create a brochure in Microsoft Word

Recent versions of Microsoft Word include numerous attractive templates for creating different kinds of publications.

In this workshop we will explain how one of these templates can be used to produce a brochure promoting a small business. We will show how to select and change text, add frames to photos, make sure they’re not hidden behind other parts of the document, alter colour schemes, add live web links and save the finished publication as a PDF that can be emailed to other people.

Step 1
We will use Word 2007 for most of the screenshots but we’ll note where the 2010 edition does things differently, and we will be working with an estate-agent brochure template. The techniques demonstrated can be applied to other designs but each template will behave differently, depending on how it was created. Word 2007 users should launch the application as usual, click the Office button at the top left and select New from the menu. When the dialogue box opens, look down the list of Templates on the left-hand side, and select Brochures and booklets. Then, in the main window, select Brochures. Scroll through the templates until you find the one called ‘Real estate agent brochure (tri-fold, A4)’ - it’s got a woman in a gingham suit standing in front of a house. Click to select it and click the Download button in the bottom-right corner.

Step 2

Word 2010 is slightly different. Launch the program, click the File tab and then choose New from the dropdown menu. Word displays a list of available templates in the main window. Click Brochures and booklets and then, at the next screen, click the Brochures folder once. Scroll down the examples until you reach the one called ‘Real estate agent brochure (tri-fold, A4)’. Click to select it and then click the Download button in the right-hand preview window.
 

Step 3
Word will download the brochure and display it as a new document. The page layout has changed from the usual portrait view to landscape to accommodate the design, which is that of a tri-fold brochure, printed on both sides with the front cover displayed here on the right (where it says ‘Opening Doors For Homeowners Like You’). Scroll down to the second page and you’ll see what will be printed on the inside of the brochure. Save the document for safe-keeping.