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.
Download ReportTranscript 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.
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