How to Make a Business Flyer Template

Need a new flyer for your business? Now you can learn how to make your very own professional flyers using Adobe Photoshop.

In today’s tutorial, we’ll tackle a nice monochromatic color scheme inspired by educational flyers. Learn how to use simple shape tools, premium assets and more for an incredibly easy design.

Get inspired! Find more amazing flyers on Envato Market and Envato Elements.

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used in the production of this tutorial:

• Edu Book Logo
• Cleon Sans Font
• 12 Business and Creative Icons
• Woman Stock #1
• Woman Stock #2
• Woman Stock #3

1. How to Set Up Guidelines for Flyers

Step 1

Let’s start by setting up the flyer with the right document details and guidelines.

We’ll be using standard flyer sizes for this tutorial. So create a New Document in Adobe Photoshop at 8.267 x 11.693 inches.

Set the Resolution to 300 ppi and the Color Mode to CMYK.

Step 2

This document is a little larger than normal to account for the bleed. When working with flyers and many other print documents, this is the area around the border where the printer will cut the paper.

Many printing websites may already tell you the bleed for certain files—otherwise, it’ll be useful to ask your printer which ones they use. In this case, I’ll go with a standard bleed of a 0.125 inches (1/8 of an inch).

Let’s set up the first guide.

Go to View > New Guide, set the Orientation to Vertical and the Position to 0.125 inches.

Next, set up the second guide.

Go to View > New Guide, Set the Orientation to Horizontal and the Position to 0.125 inches.

Here is what your first two guides will look like.

Step 3

Now set up the last guides.

To get this number, you’ll have to subtract one-eighth of an inch from the height and width of the document. In this case, the numbers will be 8.142 inches and 11.568 inches.

Once you have these numbers, go to View > New Guide, and set the Orientation to Vertical and the Position to 8.142 inches.

Then set up the last guide. Go to View > New Guide, and set the Orientation to Horizontal and the position to 11.568 inches.

Here are the final guides.

2. How to Organize a Flyer File

Keep your flyer files organized for efficient results. You can do this easily by setting up a few New Groups which are labeled and color coded for each corresponding section of the flyer.

In this case, create five new Groups in the Layers panel.

Label them Background, Shapes, Text, Icons and Logo in that order. To color code them, just Right-click the Eye Icon and choose the color you desire.

Here are my final groups.

3. How to Create a Flyer Background

Now that our flyer is set up and organized, we can get to the design.

The main background image for this flyer features a single photograph. But if you’re working on a marketing campaign for multiple audiences or events, feel free to interchange the background with the photo you prefer.

Step 1

To create this background, first select the Rectangle Tool (U).

Then select the Background Group in the Layers panel.

Create a black rectangle that covers the entire document. Then Right-click the shape layer and select Convert to Smart Object.

Once this shape becomes a smart object, you can update it easily with any photo you like.

Step 2

Double-click the background smart object and Copy and Paste Woman Stock #1 onto a New Layer above the black shape layer.

Use the Free Transform Tool (Control-T) to resize the image to fit the background, making sure that the woman hugs the right side since the left will have our text and details.

When you’re through, make sure to hit Control-S to Save this edit within the smart object.

Step 3

Feel free to add more images within this smart object for more variety now. The additional stocks I’ll be using are Woman Stock #2 and Woman Stock #3.

Follow the same steps as before. Copy and Paste them onto New Layers, and then resize them with Free Transform (Control-T). Hide the visibility of these layers until you’d like to use them later.

Here’s the result.

Step 4

Now let’s colorize these images.

Create a New Adjustment Layer of Gradient Map above the smart object background.

Create a Linear Gradient that goes from dark gray #40403f to white #ffffff.

This will turn the background image into a grayscale color scheme.

Here’s the result.

Step 5

Add another New Adjustment Layer of Gradient Map.

This time, set the Linear Gradient to dark blue #052f44 to teal #8ad4e3.

Here’s the result.

4. How to Design a Corporate Flyer With Shapes

Time for some decoration!

To style this corporate flyer, we’ll be adding simple shapes to isolate the text, logo, and additional details and icons for more information.

Step 1

Add the next shape layers to the Shape Group, on the Layers panel.

Select the Rectangle Tool (U) and make a large blue square. Set it to the left side of the model like so.

Step 2

Adjust the shape of the square to fit the text and other details.

Select the Direct Selection Tool (A) and pull the top left anchor point upward at an angle and the lower left anchor point downward at an angle. Create a trapezoid-like shape. 

Step 3

Let’s color this shape.

Right-click the shape layer and go to Blending Options. Select Gradient Overlay and create a blue #345f7f to blue #43657e Linear Gradient with the following settings.

• Blend Mode: Normal
• Opacity:100
• Style: Linear
• Angle: 0 degrees
• Scale: 101

When you’re finished, set the shape layer’s Opacity to 85%.

Step 4

Let’s make a copy!

Select the “rectangle” layer and hold Control-J to create a duplicate.

Then select the Move Tool (V) and tap the Up Arrow key a few times to inch the copy upward. Set this layer’s Opacity to 50%.

Step 5

Now create a border around your flyer. This may also help you understand the bleed areas.

Select the Rectangle Tool (U) and create a large border around the flyer.

Set the Fill to No Color, the Stroke to white #ffffff, and the Size to 10 px.

Then set the Layer Blend Mode to Soft Light and the Opacity to 90%.

Step 6

The last details we’ll add to the group are placeholders for the website name and logo.

Select the Ellipse Tool (U) and click on the document for the Create Ellipse box to appear.

Create an ellipse at 869 x 869 pixels and hit OK.

Then set the Color Fill to a greenish-blue #346a7f (with No Stroke) and lower the Layer Opacity to 85%.

Step 7

Next, set up the website domain box.

Select the Rectangle Tool (U) and tap on the document. Create a Rectangle at 1132 x 274 pixels and hit OK.

Again, set the Color Fill to a greenish-blue #346a7f (with No Stroke).

With this layer still selected, hold Control-J to create a duplicate of the rectangle.

Select the Move Tool (V), and then use the Right Arrow key to push the copy over to the right. Lower the Layer Opacity to 50%.

5. How to Add Text and Icons to a Flyer

Great job so far!

Here is what our flyer currently looks like.

Step 1

Now let’s start adding the text!

Add the next text layers within the Text Group.

The text in this flyer is meant to be a placeholder, so feel free to customize the text for your brand or campaign.

Select the Type Tool (T) and write the words “LEARN.TEACH.GROW.” at the top of the flyer in the font Bahnschrift at a Size of 30 pt. All the text should be in white #ffffff.

Below this title, write “Design University” with the Cleon Sans Font in the Light style at a Size of 30 pt.

Step 2

Then use the Type Tool (T) to draw a box for the paragraph underneath the title.

Set the Font Type to Cleon, Regular, and the Font Size to 30 pt.

For this area, I used the classic lorem ipsum text found in many design mockups. But again, feel free to add your own marketing copy to this section.

Step 3

Underneath the body of this flyer, we’ll also have additional tidbits for more information about your company or website.

So next, write “Chat”, “Ideas”, and “Track” in Cleon, Bold at 30 pt.

Underneath those titles, take this opportunity to expand these major points with additional wording.

You might write something like:

• Chat: With certified experts.
• Ideas: Get inspired to change your life.
• Track: Your results closely.

Write these in Cleon, Regular, at 15 pt. This time, set the Paragraph Alignment to Centered.

Step 4

Before we move on to the icons, let’s add our final text.

All we need is a quick website address for your company site.

So use the Type Tool (T) to write the URL in Bahnschrift at 25 pt. For more emphasis on the name, just Bold it.

Step 5

You can use business icons below your body of text to add more character to your flyer.

Here I’ll be using a few icons from this 12 Business and Creative Icons set.

Open your icon images in Adobe Photoshop, and then Copy and Paste them onto a New Layer. Move them into place using the Move Tool (V) and the Up, Down, Left and Right Arrow keys.

If you’d like to turn them from black to white, hit Control-I to Invert the color.

Here’s how these icons will look once they’re in place.

6. How to Add a Logo to a Flyer

Last but not least, let’s add the logo!

Copy and Paste your logo onto a New Layer in the Logo Group. I’ll be using a PNG image of this Edu Book Logo.

Use the Free Transform Tool (Control-T) to resize it into place within the top circle.

For more variety, keep the option open for both a colored version and white version of your logo. To do this, add a New Adjustment Layer of Hue & Saturation, and set it as a Clipping Mask to your logo.

Set the Lightness to 100 to turn your logo to white. To hide this adjustment at any time, just hit the Eye icon.

Here’s the flyer design with the white logo option.

7. How to Change Business Flyer Backgrounds

Remember, as long as you have extra images waiting in the smart object for the original background layer, you can switch this model for others.

This may prove very beneficial for switching up the mood for different events or testing out new designs.

Here’s a look at all three versions. Which one is your favorite?

Check out the final result below.

Conclusion

Creating professional flyers for your business is super easy with the right assets. Just set up the initial document requirements, and then drag and drop your favorite details for the right look. Be sure to check out more resources like the Placeit Flyer Maker for incredible flyer designs without Photoshop.

I hope this tutorial has inspired you to take on more graphic design projects in the future. How’d you do? Let us know in the comments!

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