One of the most important collaterals a university can have is an international Student Brochure. Consider an international brochure to be a small reference of sorts for all your courses, USPs and/or services. It is important that it is informative and interesting. Any brochure being designed for international students has a few essential things that always need to be addressed.

Use relevant images and design – One of the biggest issues of many colleges and universities around the world is that the images used are almost always reference images, especially any human images. A university hoping to attract students from different diasporas need to showcase the diversity they are home to. Similarly if you are talking about a management course and use images showing a classroom with physics theorems the board it definitely won’t sit well with prospective students.

Another thing that has to be kept in mind when using images is to provide each one of them a unique caption according to the context of the brochure. These captions make the images relevant and provide students a context to the image and help them engage with the university better. Design is another aspect that an international university brochure needs to exploit in order to be more engaging for the students. Not just in terms of colors, but also using the typography and shape elements to bring to fore important points like statistics and testimonials helps make the international brochure more interesting and informative.

Message up front – In trying to make international brochures interesting institutes and colleges often try and create a sense of allure about the message. This can sometimes work against you and deter anyone from reading it in the first place. Having the core message you want to deliver displayed up front in a simple and straightforward manner not only informs the student it also brings the brochure into focus for someone who is looking for that particular course.

Keep the content simple – Be it any university or college brochure, international or local, having jargon laced language can often be confusing for a student and come across as a little too stiff. One of the most important things to note is that the content of the brochure should go with the tone of the overall tone of the university. It should be using the concise descriptions instead of going on for too long about too little which, more often than not, results into the readers losing focus. The content should be educational, engaging and effective.

Invest time in headlines and subheads – Most headlines in international brochures often sound hurried or just too long. Having a crisp, clear hook for a headline works much better and draws the student in. Try and include a certain benefit or plus point into the headline to make it seem positive and powerful. Having a good headline is half the battle won for the content writer, but a bad headline can just as soon sink the proverbial ship.

Deliver proof – A student reading an international brochure is looking to be convinced about your university. For this reason alone they require proof, something substantial that shows how your university can help them. Including a specific section for statistics or simply adding them where required as footnotes or boxes can often add weight to the words. Add testimonials of students or accreditations if available to lend credibility to your claims. These are known to influence reader opinion to a great extent.

Give them an offer they can’t refuse – The success of an international brochure is hinged to the uniqueness of their proposition. Make sure the brochure amply showcases what is unique about the college or course. This helps ensure that the students get value out of the brochure and at the same time provide a strong promotional recourse.

A brochure can show a brand more effectively than anything else. Using all the above mentioned elements can help you create an international student brochure that is not only aesthetically sound but also creative and informative.

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