Designing Effective Newsletters

Presented by Diane McKeever

Design Building Blocks

 A willingness to experiment  Confidence in your ability to develop the talent and know-how to do the job right  Recognizing that effective graphic design is a “process, not an “event.”

Impact

 five key questions your newsletter must answer to leave a lasting impression on your readers • • • • •

Who's

it from?

How's Is

it relevant? it interesting?

Why Why

read it now? keep it?

Banish Boring Photos



Black and White Photographs

• • •

Up the contrast Isolate key elements Keep it off-center



Color Photographs

•

Lighten Up

• •

Think color Crop for emphasis

Banish Boring Photos (cont’d)



Photographs of People

• •

Change your angle Think motion and line

Proportion

 The size of all graphic elements should be determined by their relative importance and environment

Surprise versus Boredom

 Avoid boring your readers BUT  Keep the design consistent throughout • • • • Same margins Identical typeface, size, line spacing, etc Uniform paragraph indents Repeat same graphic elements

A Willingness to Experiment

 Complicated solutions are the result of a willingness to try various solutions • • • Save your project often Save various versions of the project Remember the undo feature

Unity

 Provide a single dominant visual to capture the reader’s attention • • Emphasis on dominant You provide focus

Never Lose Sight of the Total Picture

 Think of a graphic design as the visual equivalent of a jigsaw puzzle • • Assemble the pictures from individual parts The “total picture” includes consideration of the environment in which your ad or publication will be distributed.

Restraint

 Just because you you should do it can do it, doesn’t mean  Emphasis can only occur when contrasted against a stable framework

Tools of Organization

Borders

 Used to isolate a document from its environment • • Not necessary to extend the full height or width Art is sometimes used as borders

Margins

 Margins determine the relationship of columns to borders • • • There should always be “breathing room” between the borders and type or artwork The more space the “lighter” the publication Thinner margins result in “darker” publications

Margins (cont’d)

Rules

 Rules are lines used to separate one part of a publication from another • • • Vertical rules are often used to separate columns Horizontal rules often separate topics Thick rules “darken” a publication

Boxes

 Use boxes to separate parts of a publication • Used to enhance sidebars • • Isolate information such as table of contents Create coupons

Special Shapes

 Used to call attention to features of the publication • Should not be used in “formal” documents

Welcome Special Offer Up Up Up

Pull Quotes

 Used to attract attention to features of the publication  Select dramatic, thought-provoking, or enticing excerpts  Do not place too close to the text quoted  Keep the length to about 5 lines or less  May be framed with rules  May be across multiple columns

Columns

 Use columns to organize the horizontal placement of type and artwork • • • • • Closely spaced columns “darken” Extra space “lightens” Wide columns are harder for reader to follow All columns on a page don’t have to be same width 3 or 4 column publications give flexibility

3 Columns

4 Columns

Text Organizers

 Headlines • Basic text organizing tool  Subheads • Break up body copy and provide visual contrast  Captions • Next to headlines, captions are the best-read part of a publication

Masthead

 Create a distinctive masthead for your publication • • Provide quick and lasting identity Should not overshadow headlines

Building Blocks of Design

White Space

 Blank space used to add contrast to your publication • • • • • • • Open areas surrounding headlines Margins Space between columns Space at ends of lines Indented paragraphs Areas between lines of type Space between paragraphs

Typeface

 Choose a typeface that “speaks” to your readers in the tone of voice most appropriate to your publication

• Formal

• Newsy • • Technical Contemporary • Ornate

Serif versus San Serif Type

 Use serif typefaces for body copy • Characterized by tiny decorations or “feet” – used for large text areas  Use san serif for headlines • Type that lacks the decorative flourishes – used for headings T T

Serif San Serif

Type Style

   Normal Bold • Used for authority Italic •  Bold Italic • Use for emphasis Creating emphasis is an

important

and

integral

part of designing. Handled with

taste

and

good judgement

it can help direct and inform the reader. When these qualities are lacking,

or

someone feels that

every

word is important and

MUST BE EMPHASIZED

in some way, ten the printed page starts to look like a battlefield and

BECOMES DIFFICULT TO READ!

Use for emphasis within headings/ subheadings

Type Size

 Type size should be proportionate to both the importance of the message and its surroundings • Measured in points - 72 points to the inch Free!

Free!

Type as a Graphic

Leading

 Adjust vertical spacing between lines of type to approve appearance and readability  Sometimes used as a design tool  Sometimes called paragraph spacing

Tracking and Kerning

 You can improve the appearance and readability of your headlines by adjusting the spacing between letters  Tightening allows you to fit more words into the same amount of space

Paragraph Spacing

 Add extra space between paragraphs to enhance readability • • Adds “air” to publications Can be adjusted finer than paragraph “returns”

Tabs and Indents

 Used to emphasize paragraph divisions and set off extended quotations • • Help to identify new paragraphs Give importance to lists

Alignment

 Flush left/Ragged right • Creates informal, contemporary look  Justified or Flush left and right • Tend to “darken” a publication  Centered • • Useful for headlines Avoid using over three or four lines  Flush right/Ragged left • Used with discretion

Tools of Emphasis

Reverses

 Emphasize headlines or short sentences by using white type against a black background • • Effective for short sentences Generally set in sans-serif type

PROMOTIONS PROMOTIONS

Screens

 Emphasize headlines and important passages by placing them against a gray background • • Add contrast Enhance readability of publication

Reduced Contrast Is Sometimes a Virtue

Color

 You can use color in several ways to add impact without going to the expense of four color printing • • • Use non-standard paper color Use a custom ink color Use preprinted paper

Drop Caps

 Over-sized first letters to emphasize the first sentence of an article • Provide important visual transition

Drop-Shadows

 Use drop-shadows to draw attention to photographs • When several photos are used together, make the most important one dramatically larger

Rotated Text

 Use rotated text to draw attention to key words • • Should be used sparingly Often used with reverses

Word Art

 Used for emphasis and effect • Should be limited to a few key words

Common Design Pitfalls

Excessive Underlining

 Use discretion when underlining • Use bold or italicized type instead • Descenders often become lost in underlining When more than a few words are underlined, the reader’s eyes become confused. Readers have difficulty separating the words from the horizontal lines because their eyes fluctuate between the underlining and the words.

Widows and Orphans

 Widow is a word or syllable isolated at the bottom of a column or paragraph  Orphans are words isolated at the top of a column  Usually eliminated by editing text to adjust lines YIKES!

Excessive Boxing

 Boxes should be used for emphasis...too many detract

Unequal Spacing

 Strive for consistent spacing between the elements • • • • • • Spacing between headlines and top and side borders Headlines and body copy Subheads and body copy Captions and artwork Artwork and body copy Column endings and bottom margins

Exaggerated Tabs and Indents

 When placing text from word processed files, tabs and indents should be adjusted • Narrow columns and small type sizes shouldn’t be indented as deeply

Excessive Hyphenation

 Switch to manual hyphenation or adjust the hyphenation zone when too many words are hyphenated • Often occurs in narrow columns

Grammatical Errors

 Carefully proofread your publication • • Avoid placing too much trust in spell check programs Read your completed manuscript aloud • Then have a second person read your work aloud New york wins world Series Their goes Rodney

Cramped Logos and Addresses

 Design your advertisements from the bottom up • Give your logo the importance it deserves

Too Many Typefaces

 Avoid mixing typefaces, type sizes and weights on a single page

Putting Your Knowledge to Work