designing effective newsletters presented by diane mckeever

Designing Effective Designing Effective NewslettersNewsletters

Presented by Presented by

Diane McKeeverDiane McKeever

Design Building Blocks

A willingness to experimentConfidence 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 it relevant? • Is it interesting? • Why read it now? • Why 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 readersBUTKeep 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 can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it

Emphasis can only occur when contrasted against a stable framework

Tools of OrganizationTools 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

SpecialSpecialOfferOffer

WelcomeWelcome

UpUpUpUpUpUp

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 quotedKeep the length to about 5 lines or less May be framed with rulesMay 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

contrastCaptions

• 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 DesignBuilding 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 areasUse san serif for headlines

• Type that lacks the decorative flourishes – used for headings

TSerif

TSan Serif

Type Style

NormalBold

• Used for authority Italic

• Use for emphasisBold Italic

• Use for emphasis within headings/ subheadings

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!

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 toolSometimes 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 EmphasisTools 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

Op

en

Hou

se Fre

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Coming Soon

Word Art

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

Common Design PitfallsCommon 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 Putting Your Knowledge to Workto Work