Brochure analysis follows the device, effect, purpose pattern, but must also show how information and persuasion work together.
Four Steps for Writing About Brochures
Step 1: Identify the Hybrid Purpose
Name both theinformative purpose (what facts it provides) and the persuasive purpose (what action it encourages).
Example
"The brochure'sinformative purpose is to detail walking routes and facilities in the Lake District, while its persuasive purpose is to position the region as an escape from urban life, targeting middle-class families."
"Thefull-bleed dawn photograph on Panel 1 creates an immediate emotional hook before the reader encounters any text, establishing the Lake District as a place of serenity."
Step 3: Analyse Language Choices
Show howemotive language sits alongside factual detail. The persuasion is more credible because the information is there to support it.
Example
"The headline 'Where the world slows down' uses personification to promise a change of pace, while the adjacent panel lists specific walking routes with distances, grounding the emotional promise in practical reality."
Step 4: Evaluate the Information-Persuasion Balance
The strongest analysis shows how facts build credibility that makes the persuasive language more effective.
Example
"The brochure's combination of sensory language ('breathtaking views') and practical detail (parking, accessibility, opening hours) creates a text that feels both aspirational and trustworthy."
Exam technique
Give equal weight to layout/design and language analysis.
Always show how the informative and persuasive elements reinforce each other.
Interactive question
A brochure uses the headline 'Your adventure starts here' above a map showing hiking trails with distances. Write one analytical sentence connecting the language and the visual.
Markscheme
Names a language device in the headline (imperative, second person, possessive pronoun) [1]
Connects it to the visual element (map) showing how information and persuasion reinforce each other [1]
Active recall
What is the "hybrid purpose" of a brochure?
Why should you analyse layout and design, not just language?
How do factual details make persuasive language more effective?
