English 420Y - Business Writing Online

I think that we are off to a great start on our brochures. After doing the 5 Minute Brochure Design Trash Test, here are our results:

Appeal to Emotions: +

Our general information brochures appeals to people’s emotions through philanthropic efforts. People see the information and how to volunteer and help. The brochure seeks people to help save the lives of pets.

Be Professional: +

The design of our brochures is very professional. We use actual pictures instead of clip art, which helps make our brochures more professional. We also have a clean design and coordinating colors. The brochures attract attention without going overboard.

Be Personal: +

Our brochures reach out to the reader. The general information brochure gives ways for each person to volunteer, whether it is through giving up their own time or donating supplies.

Achieve Readability: +

The brochures are easy to read. For example, a small child could read our caring for your pet brochure. We also utilize bullets and differing formats to help make it easier to read. We also use pictures to help break up the text.

Speak the Language: +

We use a language that everyone can understand, especially in the general information brochure. We do not use overly scientific words. We could always refine our caring for your pet brochure to make sure areas such as vaccination protocol and heartworms/fleas do not sound too complicated.

Lead with Benefits: +

I think we did an okay job with this. It’s understood that the time you spend volunteering and properly caring for your pets will make you feel better. We could always try to add this in the brochures somewhere.

Have a Single Message: +

Our brochures definitely have a single message. In our general brochure, all the areas talk about the Clinton County Humane Society and how to help by volunteering or donating. The caring for your pet brochure relates every section to how to care for your pet. Both brochures have a single, underlying message.

Focus on a Product or Service: +

The general information brochure focuses on helping the humane society. The caring for your pet brochure focuses on having the reader gain the knowledge to properly care for a pet.

Make an Action Call: +
The general brochure asks readers to volunteer or donate to help the Clinton County Humane Society. The caring for your pet brochure is a little more subtle but each section asks the reader to make the necessary precautions to properly care for a pet.

Overall, our brochure meets the criteria. We could always improve our brochures by editing and refining our text to make it even stronger.