Laura K. Aiken asks about artists’ brochures: Do artists have brochures? What’s in them? What makes a good artist brochure?

Yes, artists have brochures. Some are better than others. Most are a waste of paper because they’re poorly designed, flimsy, look homemade (in a bad way), have poorly photographed art, or are considered by their creators to be a magic pill that will solve all of their marketing woes.

The only reason I can think of to have a brochure is if you need to give the same information to a large group of people in a compact format. Maybe you’re sending a direct mail piece to your niche market (garden centers, the wine industry, women’s groups). Or, you teach classes and workshops and want to leave your schedule at targeted locations. Or you participate in a lot of art festivals and people are always asking you for something more substantial than a business card [...]