The City of Florence Public Services Department desired to update their public services brochure that they give as a welcome to new residents. The brochure is included in welcome baskets provided for new Florence residents, and provides one of the first looks at all that the department does for the city.
The existing brochure was outdated, busy and the department staff didn’t feel like it fully represented all they do. They tasked us with creating a brochure that would be interesting to look at, stand out from the other materials and inform residents of the full capacity of the department. We were ready for the challenge.
STRATEGY
Create a brochure representative of all that the public services department offers to encourage contact and interaction, driving awareness, brand recognition and civil support.
• Use a visual approach to share information without overwhelming the reader.
• Design a creative solution for including all of the necessary information.
• Make the traditional 8.5” x 11” tri-fold brochure format look.
• Create a design that is interesting for readers, easy to follow and encourages action.
• Use images to convey the primary messaging and to reduce the amount of text.
Display of the completed tri-fold brochure printed in four-color design and 80 lbs glossed paper.
IMPLEMENTATION & RESOLUTION
We focused on their distinctive brand colors to tie in with the familiarity of the city’s brand identity. The department has some amazing stats that we wanted to make sure were included, so we utilized an infographic technique to produce “Florence by Numbers” panel that listed all of this information in a visually engaging way. This is the first panel you see when you open the brochure, ensuring new residents understand the enormity of the department, its responsibilities and service offerings.
We expanded our team with a freelance illustrator to create a scene that included all of the services the Public Services Department provides. This was no easy task, considering they provide over 15 different services for their residents making Florence a full-service city. We positioned the scene on the two right-hand interior panels, providing a visual surprise for the reader when they open the brochure. We also had to ensure that the city’s iconic water tower was included in the illustration too! The illustration represented active services with the pictures telling the story.
Illustration of every service provided by the Public Services Department
The department wanted to bring attention to their new app that allows residents to easily report issues and pay bills through their smart phone. We included the app in the illustration and dedicated half of the back panel to it to ensure residents knew it existed and how to get it.
We simplified the brochure’s design and added more visual elements to create a piece that the department could be proud of and that recipients can enjoy reviewing. The final product is a much more interactive, fun, eye appealing and informational product.
RESULTS
• The project was delivered ahead of schedule and right at budget.
• The department was thrilled with the final product, and the Public Services Director even hung a large-scale version of the illustration and Florence by Numbers panels in his office.
• The new brochure stands out in the welcome basket and provides new residents with accurate and necessary information for them to settle into their new city.
• The section ability of the brochure has allowed parts of the piece to be highlighted on their website and social media.
• The new brochure has been placed in every public services vehicle to be ready to hand out and share with the public.
• The mayor also complimented the project and praised the final product.
Data since the introduction of the new brochure includes incremental increases in downloads of their new app, increase in calls to Public Services offices and a rapid depreciation of the initial print run. We will have more results as the year continues, but the initial response is fantastic.
