Have you ever had this experience? A beautifully designed restaurant menu, heavy and full of texture in your hand, and you are full of expectations for this meal before you order; Or an exhibition folding leaflet with bright colors and refreshing layout, which makes you want to know more about this brand-behind these magic powers that make people "reluctant to throw away" and "remember at a glance", it is the knowledge of promotional material design that is quietly exerting its strength. It is far more than "good-looking", but a well-designed "silent dialogue" between brands and users. Today, let's dismantle its doorways and see how to make your promotional materials "speak".

1. Not just "tangible advertisements": the deep value of material design

Simply understood, the design of promotional materials is to allow the brand's concept and information to be attached to the real item carrier through carefully planned visual language. It may be a thick menu in your hand, a poster that attracts people to stop by the roadside, a tall and straight roll-up in a meeting, or even a delicate coaster printed with LOGO. It is completely different from cold digital advertising-the design of promotional materials has a sense of warmth at your fingertips and immersive scene power.

The sense of temperature flows at your fingertips: the texture and weight of the paper, the choice of printing process (whether it is hot stamping or simple laminating), and even the details of binding all silently tell the brand's grade and attitude. A leaflet that is light and thin as a cicada's wing may convey cheap and casual; A manual made of special paper, warm touch and exquisite craftsmanship naturally reveals quality and intention. The same design, placed in a crowded exhibition, a fast-passing subway passage, or a leisurely cafe table, must adjust its communication logic accordingly. The materials of the exhibition need to catch people's eyes instantly, and the information core is prominent; Subway advertisements emphasize minimalist symbolism, which makes people understand at a glance; The desktop menu pays more attention to immersive experience and guides users to read and choose comfortably. The essence of promotional material design is the face of the brand, and it is also the crucial "silent salesman" in the sales process.

Second, the "family map" of promotional material design: four core members

The voice of a brand needs multiple carriers, and the family members of promotional materials design are rich and diverse ：

1. Printed matter: the brand's "basic business card"

Including: leaflets/folding leaflets, posters, business cards, product manuals, menus, desk cards, invitations, self-adhesive labels, etc.

Design focus: the information level is clear, the layout is beautiful and easy to read, the color and brand are highly unified, and the material technology reflects the tonality. They are the key to the most frequent contact of users, building the first impression of the brand.

2. Exhibition category: "eye-catching responsibility" in space

Our common and common terms for marketing include: X display stand, roll-up, light box advertisement, background board, booth/showcase decoration, hanging flag, road flag, etc.

These materials need strong visual impact, high long-distance recognition, harmonious integration with the environment, and stable and safe structure. They occupy physical space and are visual landmarks for brands in specific scenarios (e.g., exhibitions, stores, event sites).

3. Digital category: online and offline "connectors"

Some online promotional materials include electronic posters/Banners, social media long pictures/main visuals, PPT templates, electronic invitations/H5, dynamic Logo displays, short video titles and endings, etc.

When designing, we should consider that it adapts to the screen display, conforms to the characteristics of the platform, loads quickly, and has interactive guidance. They seamlessly connect offline experience with online communication, and are an indispensable part of modern marketing.

4. Customized gifts: the "memory carrier" of emotion

In the periphery of the brand (such as canvas bags, notebooks, stationery), customized small gifts (such as U flash drives, key chains, eco-friendly cups), holiday gift boxes, VIP exclusive gifts, etc. These require both practicality and aesthetic feeling, skillfully integrating brand elements, conveying brand temperature and creating a sense of surprise. They go beyond pure publicity and aim to build emotional connections and integrate brands into users' daily lives.

3. Let materials "speak": the four underlying logics of design

If you want your collateral design to be a truly effective communicator, you must follow this core logic ：

1. Accurate positioning and matching the core crowd: "To whom to show" always comes first. High-end business people? Young people who pursue trends? Budget-conscious housewife? Different groups of people have completely different aesthetic preferences, information receiving habits and concerns. Design style, copywriting tonality, and material selection must all be anchored by this.

2. Visual hammer language nails, instantly implanted in the mind: create a core visual symbol that is highly recognizable and memorable, and match it with a concise and powerful core message that directly hits the pain point. Only by combining the two can we quickly catch the eye and nail it into the mind of users in the environment of information explosion.

3. Material craftsmanship, silence is better than sound quality declaration: Material and craftsmanship are the most costly but intuitive part of the design of promotional materials. They intuitively convey the brand's sense of value and sincerity. Instead of piling up complex designs on cheap materials, it is better to select materials that match the brand grade and match them with just the right technology (such as bronzing, UV, embossing, special cutting) to make the sense of quality self-evident.

4. Scene adaptation to maximize communication efficiency: In-depth analysis of material usage scenarios: is it for people to browse quickly? Or do you need to read in meditation? Is it from a distance? Or near play? How is the ambient light? What is the material style of competitors? The design must adjust font size, color contrast, information density, display form, etc. according to these factors to ensure the best communication effect in specific scenarios.

Case: How can an ordering menu turn the situation of a rotisserie?

"Afli" is a high-end Japanese barbecue restaurant, focusing on business banquets and quality dinners. However, the buffet menu originally used has become the "short board" of the brand experience-a thin 128-gram ordinary coated paper, which is soft and has no sense of wide; The design layout is crowded and casual, and the pictures are dull, which is incompatible with the exquisite Japanese-style decoration and high-quality ingredient positioning in the store. The moment the customer picks up the menu, the sense of expectation is discounted, and the business fluctuates.

After the editor's team intervened, the design of promotional materials became the key to breaking the situation ：

1. Precise positioning: closely adhere to the core of "high-end business" and "quality experience".

2. Visual upgrade: The menu design adopts large white space, high-grade gray background color, and exquisite and attractive close-ups of barbecue. The copywriting emphasizes "palace-level Wagyu experience", and the font is elegant serif. The overall style is calm and atmospheric, which perfectly echoes the in-store environment.

3. Material revolution: decisively abandon cheap coated paper and upgrade it to 300g Lenny grain special paper. This kind of paper is not only thick and crisp, but also not easy to break, and its unique delicate texture brings an extraordinary tactile experience, which is full of weight in your hand.

4. Craftsmanship finishing touch: the names of key dishes adopt hot matte gold technology, which is low-key and luxurious; The cover is embossed with the store LOGO, and the details show the quality.

The effect is immediate: when the brand-new ordering menu is presented in the hands of customers, the heavy texture and exquisite visual presentation instantly convey "Afli" 's pursuit of quality. Customers have mentioned in their comments that "even the menu is so high-end and textured, and the ingredients really didn't disappoint!" The word-of-mouth effect has driven the store review score to rise steadily, and the customer flow has also increased accordingly, and the business has gradually moved towards stability and prosperity. This small menu has truly become the "silent spokesperson" of brand value and the "invisible pusher" of promoting consumption.

Carefully designed promotional materials are the first business card handed by the brand to the world, and they are also the first handshake for consumers to touch the soul of the brand. It combines visual art with tactile perception, and builds a silent but powerful dialogue bridge between brands and users. When the texture of a menu can match the preciousness of ingredients, when the color of a poster can ignite the curiosity of passers-by, and when a customized gift can be integrated into daily life- Promotional materials design The value of information transmission transcends information transmission itself and becomes the core force in shaping brand image, delivering value proposition, and ultimately driving business growth. In the era of information fragmentation, it is the most powerful expression of silent salesmen to make every brand information that can be "touched" hit the floor.