When you design an annual piece for several years, it can be hard to find new concepts. So when Sweetwater Events Complex marketing manager Chad Banks drew a blank for the events brochure after eight years, he turned to DG. “I try to change the look and feel each year, but I’m running out of fresh ideas. There’s a lot of info to incorporate into the piece,” he explains.

Designer Ati Peterson thought the use of color was too wild, so she toned it down a bit. She says, “I tried to use less-bright versions of the colors in the logo—a navy blue, a cream yellow and a still-bright, but not quite-as-bright pink.”

Peterson thought a brochure booklet would work better than a multifold flyer-type format, because text wouldn’t get lost in the folds. “Most importantly, it doesn’t get torn up as easily when people try to fold and turn it many times,” the designer shares. “I felt like I had to fold and bend the old version all kinds of ways to find what I was looking for. Like one of those big folding maps you never quite get back into its original shape.”

Next, Peterson turned her attention to fonts. For headlines, she chose a playful face called Turkey Sandwich, which she likens to a cartoon font with style. “I used Clarendon for times and subtitles; it caught my eye because of its nicely shaped numbers,” she notes. “I know the font looks a bit ’70ish—a mix of tradition and fun—but I think it works well with the other two fonts, as long as it doesn’t get too bold.” And Frutiger 57 Condensed was chosen for simple text because of its timelessness and legibility.

Simplicity was also paramount when it came to the photos. Peterson removed the myriad round pictures in the original design, opting instead for several square photos scattered throughout the piece.

Because Sweetwater hosts a variety of events, the designer decided to make the brochure booklet look like a ticket, with dotted lines mimicking perforations. And Peterson admits she had fun with the cover, making the title look like fireworks. Isn’t fun what a place like Sweetwater is all about?

1. Original brochure
Sweetwater Events Complex’s original brochure was very busy. Marketing manager Chad Banks wanted a cleaner look that could accommodate all of the information while still conveying “the excitement and energy” that awaits.

2. Framing images
Designer Ati Peterson thought there were too many photos in the original, and the round frames didn’t really work with the layout. She chose fewer pictures, and reframed them in square shapes with round corners.

3. Fonts
Fun font Turkey Sandwich is selected for headlines, while Clarendon Roman is used for subtitles, times and events. The classic Frutiger 57 Condensed completes the look.

4. Colors
Peterson incorporated less-bright versions of the original design’s colors: navy blue, creamy yellow, hot pink and green.

5. Web address
The designer put Sweetwater’s website address at the top of the brochure to give potential visitors a quick and easy way to learn more about events without overloading the booklet with too much text.

6. New images
Peterson chose new images from www.jupiterimages.com for this redesign. The designer recommends using close-ups and tightly cropped photos of the featured acts in sections focused on them.

7. New format
The old brochure had a complex, multifold format. Where the page folds, text can become illegible. The new booklet format ensures that doesn’t happen and is also more durable.

8. White space
With so much text, the old brochure was hard to read. With the new organization, Peterson was able to clean up the look ... leaving more white space while still fitting all of the pertinent info in.