A well-designed and quality menu is key to a good marketing plan.
Whether you are creating a restaurant menu, service menu, etc., your menu is your most important selling tool.
Among many things, your menu needs to successfully direct your readers’ attention to the specific items displayed to increase the likelihood that they order from your menu.
One of the most effective ways to generate this result and increase your sales while also enhancing your audiences' experiences is to make your menu from a half-fold brochure.
Why a Well-Designed Half-Fold Menu is Important
Your menu will be one of the first things your audience will interact with. For example, a restaurant menu is often read before a server even comes to the table. Which means your menu needs to make a great first impression.
When your menu design is well-thought-out, it can increase your sales by drawing your audiences’ attention to your most profitable menu items.
With the right design your menu can also leave a lasting impression on your customers thus building better brand awareness and increasing the chances of repeat business.
So, why a half-fold or bi-fold brochure and not one of the other types of brochures? While other types of brochures are successful at delivering messages in different ways, a half-fold menu will maximize your results by providing a simpler layout for your menu items to stand out while still delivering a professional and interactive message.
Create the Perfect Menu from a Half-fold Brochure
Choose the Right Size and Paper
For certain types of menus, you need to carefully consider the half-fold brochure size and paper selection.
For example, for takeout menus, something smaller like an 8.5x11 half-fold brochure which folds into 5.5x8.5 would be your ideal choice in brochure size. This is because takeout menus are meant to be included with takeout orders, handed out, or left for customers to grab and go.
With that being said, the goal is for your customers to hold onto your half-fold menu and use it for all future orders while keeping your brand top of mind. And if your menu is too large—say too big to fit in a drawer or hang on the refrigerator—chances are it will be thrown out or tucked away somewhere where it may be forgotten.
Takeout menus are also designed to be handed out freely. While you still want a quality menu that lasts for a long time, you need to consider your budget and choose a paper that is durable yet accommodating to the number of free menus you will be giving out. Consider a 100# or 80# Text paper to ensure a substantial takeout menu while still spending less money compared to other half-fold brochure options.
For half-fold menus that will be reused by guests—for example, dining menus or sit-down restaurant menus—the size can be much larger. This includes 8.5x14 half-fold menus which fold into 7x8.5, 11x17 menus which fold into 8.5x11, and 11x25.5 menus which fold into 12.75x11.
Because this type of menu will be reused it’s important to choose a paper that Is heavier in weight, like an 80# or 100# Cover paper or even a 14pt C25 paper. It’s also a good idea to include a coating on your half-fold menu, like UV Coating for extra protection. This will increase the price of your menus, however, will save you money in the long run by avoiding having to reorder your menus over and over again.
Once you have chosen the perfect size and paper for your half-fold brochure, you’re ready to design your menu. Take advantage of these half-fold brochure design templates below to ensure your menus are printed perfectly.
Download one of our PDF templates for your selected half-fold menu size below:
Include Images
Studies have shown that adding an image of an item on your menu results in customers being 70% more likely to order the item pictured.
Of course, depending on how many items or services you offer, an image for every offer isn’t suitable. So, make sure to include high-quality images that are at least 300 dpi in resolution, of your most profitable items.
Similar to someone placing a plate of your favorite meal in front of you, an image of a delicious looking meal pictured on a half-fold menu sparks interest and persuades you to want to take a bite.
Take Advantage of Negative Space
You want each item and description listed in your half-fold brochure menu to stand out.
When copy and images are placed too close together, your half-fold brochure can come across as overwhelming or confusing.
In fact, with the right amount of negative or white space, comprehension of your half-fold brochure is increased by almost 30%. So, make sure to include enough negative space around each section or design element to help your audience process the information with ease.
Incorporate Color and Design Elements
The main event of your menu is the items or services listed. So, it’s important to not overcrowd your menu with too many colors and design elements (remember the importance of white space!)
However, using boxes, illustrations, lines, and colors can help highlight your menu items and even draw attention to your high-profit and most popular items or even your high-profit and not-so-popular items as well.
Choose your Font Carefully
Your menu font is just as important as the décor in your restaurant or shop because like the atmosphere you create, your half-fold menu will help convey who your brand is, and the font or typeface you choose can say a lot.
You need to include clear fonts and formatting that align with your brand and audiences’ needs.
If you own a café, urban or modern restaurant, consider using a more modern sans serif font or one that is geometric with rounded edges. While if your restaurant is considered fine dining, you may look towards a more timeless and sophisticated font.
Do More than List Items
Detailed descriptions, especially when explaining food or drinks helps you sell nearly 30% more.
For example, when listing a cheeseburger, don’t just include an image of a burger along with the price next to “Cheese Burger.” Instead, describe the burger: what kind of beef and cheese do you use? Is it accompanied by ketchup, lettuce, and onions? What makes your burger so delicious?
When you describe any item it gives the reader more, thus making them feel as though you’re giving them more for their money.
Copy is important in your half-fold brochure menu. Including using headers to categorize sections including appetizers and entrees.
Descriptions and headers are important for service menus as well. For example, if you own a hair salon consider sectioning off your coloring services from your hairstyling services within your half-fold menu.
Although copy is extremely important, it’s also important not to drag your descriptions out, especially if you choose a smaller sized half-fold menu. You want to avoid your menu coming off as cluttered while still giving your audience enough information to attract them to your offers.
Design Your Menu for Everyone
Above all else, you need to make sure your menu can be used and is readable by everyone.
The size of your menu, the font, and images all come into play when making a menu for everybody. You need to find the perfect middle, if your menu is too large or too small it may result in some guests having trouble reading or holding your half-fold menu. This goes for the font and image size as well. You want to make sure everything can be read and viewed with ease.
It’s a good idea to include a QR code where customers can easily access a digital menu to ensure you accommodate every guests’ needs.
Don’t Forget Your Brand
Your brand is who your company is, and you need to make sure that your brand is consistent across all mediums and platforms, including your menu.
Incorporate your logo, your brand’s color scheme, and font. The design of your half-fold brochure menu should also align with the vibe or style of your brand. For example, a fine dining menu will have a completely different design compared to a bar menu.
Choose the Right Printer
At Conquest Graphics, not only do we have the design tips and menu design templates to ensure your half-fold menus are an extremely effective marketing tool, but we also have the experience, technology, prices, and quality to meet your goals and budget.
Click below to get started on your half-fold brochure menu today!
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