Designing
Newsletters
Visually appealling
newsletters attract readers. Well-designed newsletters make reading
content easy for the readers. As you design the layout for your
newsletter, you should:
- Decide
on the newsletter size
- Choose
an appropriate grid
- Select
a grid that is appropriate to your newsletter
- Establish
page margins
- Design
the nameplate
- Choose
the right title and subtitle
- Isolate
important words
- Choose
the right type for the words
- Carefully
select a size and position
- Add reader
cues
- Headlines
- Subheads
- Pull-quotes
- Other
markers
- Add visual
images
- Evaluate
for possible design problems and correct any that are found
Newsletter
design includes format, type specifications, and items such as
the nameplate that appear in every issue. Layout is the
design for a specific issue -- the way the items are assembled
on the page. Design is the plan and layout is the way it
is carried out. Format is the form or basic framework of
your newsletter. It shapes how a newsletter looks, how hard it
is to produce, and how easily readers learn from it.
Format includes:
- Page size
- Number
of columns
- Dimensions
of columns
Graphic
Design
Graphic
design is the process of creating the appearance of a publication,
presentation, or web site in an attractive, logical manner. When
done successfully, it attracts attention, adds value to a message,
enhances readership and readability, simplifies, organizes, provides
selective emphasis, and creates unity.
Steps in
the Graphic Design Process:
- Analyze
the audience.
- Consider
the purpose of your message.
- Establish
goals
- Choose
an appropriate format, grid and layout.
- Select
appropriate typefaces, type sizes, type styles, and spacing.
- Add and
manipulate graphics.
- Organize
text and graphics.
- Proofread
- Refine
and fine-tune.
Layout and
graphic design determines how type and other elements are set
up on a page. Good design organizes the elements to make reading
pleasant and efficient. Poor design creates a jumbled image that
is not enticing to the reader.
Creating
Effective Layouts
Layouts require
that some elements appear earlier, longer, or larger than others.
Priority determines what goes on page one, what takes the largest
headline, and what gets bumped to the pile labeled "maybe-in-another-issue.
Successful
layouts have:
- Simplicity
- Structure
- Eye flow
- Proportion
- Spreads
Grids
A grid provides
the underlying structure for a page and provides guides around
which you can build your newsletter. Grids are vitally important
to newsletter layouts.
Grids usually
set up a typical page as a series of one, two, or three columns.
A good grid provides an infinite number of choices for the placement
of elements, such as text, headings, photos, and clipart. For
example, a three-column grid (the most common for newsletters),
allows you to use one-, two-, or three-column photos; run headlines
in one-, two-, or three-column widths; and many other options.
Two-Column
Grids
The simplest
type of grid to use for a newsletter is the two-column grid. This
type of structure is a classic in newsletter design and useful
if you need something simple and that can be done fairly quickly.
Articles in
this simple design flow one after the other until the pages are
filled up. No particular emphasis is placed on any article and
both long and short articles fit equally well into this design.
No jumps are necessary because the articles appear one after the
other, and each article is completely finished before the next
begins.
A disadvantage
of this type of grid is that photos are restricted to a near-square,
horizontal shape because they are restricted to the width of a
column. If they were much larger, the photos would overwhelm the
page and if they were smaller, you would have to wrap text around
them and complicate the layout process.
Three-Column
Grids
Three-column
grids are the most popular type of grid for newsletters and many
other printed publications, such as magazines. One rease for this
is the flexibility that is gained in placing articles and pictures
with this format. Three-column grids allow you to run headlines
over one, two, or three columns to control emphasis. Smaller pictures
that are the width of one column can be used without requiring
a text wrap.
Organizing
Layouts
Good layouts
are easy to follow and provide clear reader cues to help readers
easily find their way through a publication, presentation, or
web page. If readers have to work at finding their way through
a publication, they probably won't read it. Arrange and emphasize
your information to make your message as clear as possible. Decide
what you want the reader to see or read first and position it
accordingly, then decide what you want the reader to read or see
next. Continue arranging and emphasizing the information until
you have included everything. The quality of your layout determines
how quickly your readers will be directed through the publication
and how fast they will be able to read it.
Guidelines
for Organizing Layouts:
- Use different
sizes of type for different elements.
- Establish
a hierarchy of type sizes for headlines, subheads, text, etc.
and be consistent with formatting. (All headlines should be
formatted alike, all subheads should be formatted alike, all
text should be formatted alike, etc.)
- Make the
most important element you want your readers to see the largest
and the least important element the smallest.
- Use rules
(lines) to separate information into groups.
- Use different
weights of type.
- Use white
space for design purposes in your publication.
- Position
important information in the upper left corner. The upper left
corner is usually read first.
- Place a
box around important information.
- Call attention
to lists of items by placing bullets in front of them.
- Use colored
or reversed type (white type on a dark background) to separate
or emphasize.
Capturing
the Readers' Attention
Information
must be noticed before communication takes place. It has to stand
out from the crowd by being different from what is around it.
Before you decide how to grab your readers' attention, you should
consider who will read it and where it will be seen. Your design
should be suitable for your audience and appropriate for its environment.
Guidelines
for Capturing the Readers' Attention:
- Enlarge
a graphic or photo of something small, so it will cover a large
area.
- Tilt an
image or a block of type at an angle.
- Surround
a small element, such as a block of type or a graphic, with
lots of white space.
- Use bright
colors for publications, presentations, or web sites that will
be viewed in dark or gray environments.
- Use a solid
black area or a large white area in your design.
- Crop an
image in an unusual way.
- Set important
information in an atypical way, such as in a distinctive font.
Newsletter
Nameplates
The newsletter
nameplate is the portion of your first page that identifies your
newsletters. It sets the tone of your publication and differentiates
it from other newsletters. It typically appears in the top 3 1/2
inches of the first page.
Typically
nameplates include:
- Newsletter
Name
- Subtitle
- Publication
Information
- Issue
- Date
- Volume
(the year in the series--first year would be Volume 1)
- Number
(the number in the volume--the first of the year would be
Number 1)
Nameplates
provide issue to issue unity with:
- Size
- Shape
- Position
- Color all
remaining constant
Elements
to consider when designing a nameplate:
- Typeface
- Type Size
- Type Style
- Alignment
- Background
- Graphic
Accents
- Color
- Artwork--
logo or symbol associated with firm or group
Because you
want to design the nameplate only once it is worth taking the
time to get exactly what you feel is the most appropriate and
effective one possible.
Reader
Cues
Reader cues
include:
- Headlines
- Subheads
- Tables
of Contents
- Continuation
Heads and Jumplines
- Pull Quotes
- Other Markers
Reader cues
act as road signs on a reader's journey through the text. They
give direction and highlight key information and points of interest.
They also add visual relief and color to a page. If your signals
are clear your readers can quickly see what's most important and
what they want to read. Each reader cue functions as a hook, or
magnet, that can lure people who might just be scanning your publication
into actually reading it. By breaking up long blocks of text into
bite-sized chunks, reader cues add white space, visual variety,
and help to increase readability.
A unified
design can be reinforced by using the same:
- Typeface
- Type Size
- Spacing
- Alignment
for each type of cue -- headline, subhead, pull quote, etc.
Consistent
treatment avoids the chaos that can result when a reader cue is
treated in a different way each time it is used.
Be sure to
give the same emphasis to equally important items throughout your
publication. For example, all "Level One" headlines should have
the same type treatment, all "Level Two" subheads should be treated
the same, etc. Readers should be able to determine an item's importance
at a glance.
Contrast is
important, too. Reader cues should be different from the body
copy. And they should contrast somewhat with each other, so readers
don't misread headlines as subheads, or subheads as pull-quotes
or body copy.
Headlines
Well written,
well-presented headlines can do more to increase the readership
of your newsletter than any other element. Readers often base
their decision to read on headlines. A good headline can lure
a reader into a poorly written article, but a bad headline can
torpedo even the best text. Consequently, headlines must stand
out.
Consider the
following design tools when choosing a headline style (or other
reader cue):
- Size
-- As a rule the greater the size difference between headline
and body copy, the better.
- Typeface
-- Sans-serif headlines and serif body copy work well together.
- Weight
-- Size and typeface contrast can be enhanced by using different
weight strokes; heavy weights are particularly effective.
- Style
- Bold, italics, and bold italics used sparingly, add motion
and give voice to your headlines.
- Case
-- A combination of upper- and lowercase type provides contrast
and readability.
- Alignment
-- Reader cues can be set flush-left, flush-right, or centered.
(Centered type can slow down reading.)
- Spacing
-- Unusual letter spacing transforms letters into visual icons.
- Shading
and Color
- Backgrounds
-- Like nameplates, reader cues can be placed against a reversed,
screened or colored background.
- Graphic
Accents -- Graphic accents, such as rules or boxes, make
reader cues stand out.
Headlines
succeed when they contrast with, and at the same time complement,
the body copy. In general, they're set noticeably larger than
the body copy, but not large enough to overwhelm. A frequent design
mistake is setting headlines too small.
Headlines
set in all uppercase type are generally hard to read. Upper and
lowercase words make it easier for the reader to identify letters
and recognize words, whereas uppercase shapes blend together into
uniform rectangles. Uppercase headlines can work, if they're limited
to one or two high-impact words.
Jumplines
and Continuation Heads
It is important
to give readers clear and accurate cues for articles continued
on the following pages. Jumplines identify where an article continues
or where it's continued. Jumplines need separation and contrasting
size and style so they won't be accidentally read as part of the
body copy or a continuation headline. They're usually set in small
italics type.
Continuation
headlines should not complete with headlines introducing articles
on inside pages. They should always be smaller than article headlines.
In addition, they should contain at least some of the same words
found in the article's headline.
Subheads
Subheads should
contrast with body copy in type size, style, alignment, white
space, and graphic accents. When there's insufficient contrast,
subheads tend to blend into the body copy, failing to give readers
a sneak preview of the content. Larger and bolder subheads, in
a contrasting typeface, communicate more effectively and add visual
interest to the page. Use flush-left subheads, set in upper- and
lowercase type. Avoid using centered, uppercase subheads that
may look like mini-headlines and be distracting barriers. Don't
leave a subhead alone at the bottom of a column. Follow it with
at least three lines of text before a column or page break.
Pull Quotes
Pull quotes
are useful as both editorial and as design elements. Editorially,
a pull quote draws attention to an article by highlighting an
interesting quote. As a design element, a pull quote can help
to fill space. Place pull quotes in the middle of paragraphs,
not between. They could be mistaken for subheads.
Tables
of Contents
Tables of
contents should be easy to read and should go on the first page
of a newsletter.
Visual
Images
Visual images
can add interest to newsletters. Images are easy to read and can
draw a reader into reading an article associated with an image.
As you design your newsletter, plan to add a few visual images
to add interest.
Types of
Visual Images:
- Sidebars
- Charts
and graphs
- Fast facts
lists
- Bio boxes
- Lists (top
ten, indexes, glossaries, etc.)
- Checklists
- Q and As
- Quizzes
- Surveys
and Polls
- Tables
- Ratings
- Timelines
- Step-by-step
guides
- Diagrams
- Maps
Before you
select your visual images, ask yourself:
- What is
missing from the story? What information will complete the picture
for those who read it?
- What is
bogging down the text? Series of numbers, details, dates, definitions,
and comparisons can sometimes overwhelm the reader. Some of
these items can be pulled out of the text and formatted visually.
- What data
needs clarification? Statistics, geographical details, and history
sometimes need to be reviewed for the readers.
- How much
extra space is left after the text is added to the layout? Squeeze
in interesting pieces of information formatted in the form of
visual images.
- What is
the point of a sidebar or graphic? There each visual image should
emphasize a clear concept.
Design
Problems to Avoid
Try to avoid
these design problems:
- Tombstoning
- Avoid parallel headlines, subheads, or initial caps in adjacent
columns. Tombstones are created when headlines or other highlighted
type items appear next to each other in adjacent columns. A
reader faced with tombstones on a page may have difficulty deciding
what element to examine first. Solutions include changing the
alignment of the columns, changing the layout of the page, or
editing the text in one column so headlines are staggered.
- Trapped
white space - Avoid holes in the middle of publications.
Trapped white space occurs when a hole appears between a headline
and an adjacent graphic, or when an article is too short to
fill the column down to the next headline. Solutions include
adjusting the size of the graphic to fill the hole or adjusting
the text so that the white space falls at the bottom of the
column.
- Claustrophobic
pages - Always provide sufficient white space (breathing
room) around columns of text. Claustrophobic pages result when
columns of text crowd each other and the edges of a page. Solutions
include increasing the size of the margins on the page and adding
more white space around individual elements.
- Whispering
headlines - Headlines should be significantly larger, and
often bolder, than the text they introduce. Gray pages result
when there's not sufficient contrast between headlines and text.
Whispering headlines fail to attract attention to the text they
introduce.
- Similar
typefaces - Strive for maximum contrast when using more
than one typeface on a page or within a publication. When using
different typefaces for headlines and text, go for contrast.
Avoid typefaces that are similar in appearance (style, size,
and weight).
- Underlining
- Underlining undermines readability. Try to use boldface type
or italic type instead of underlining. More than a few underlined
words cause visual clutter and confusion. Also, it takes more
time for readers to separate the words from the horizontal lines.
- Widows
and orphans - Watch for widows and orphans, which can cause
unsightly gaps in text columns. A widow is a syllable, word,
or less than one-third of a line isolated at the bottom of a
column, paragraph, or page. An orphan is a word isolated at
the top of a column or page.
- Buried
heads and subheads - Avoid headlines and subheads isolated
near column bottoms. Buried headlines and subheads are followed
by only one or two lines of type at the bottom of a page. This
is not only unsightly, but also distracting. The reader's concentration
may be broken by the jump to the top of the next column. Solutions
include editing text or using uneven column bottoms.
- Box-itis
and rule-itis - Avoid overusing boxes and rules. Too many
bordered elements on a page lead to overly compartmentalized
pages. This can easily occur in newsletters if you use a box
to frame each page, then add internal boxes around elements
such as nameplates, mastheads, pull-quotes, sidebars, and the
table of contents.) The result is a busy effect that interferes
with easy reading.
- Jumping
horizons - Start the text the same distance from the top
of the page throughout a document. Jumping horizons occur when
text columns start at different locations on a page. The up
and down effect is bothering to the reader and creates an unprofessional
appearance.
- Excessive
spacing after punctuation - Avoid placing two spaces after
a period at the end of a sentence. Two spaces following periods
are needed for typewritten text. But in desktop-published type,
the extra space creates large holes between sentences, which
is especially noticeable in justified type.
- Floating
heads and subheads - Be sure headlines and subheads are
closer to the text they introduce than to the preceding text.
The impact of a heading is weakened if it isn't immediately
clear which text it belongs to.
- Unequal
spacing - Strive for consistent spacing between elements.
Pay particular attention to the space between:
- Headlines
in relation to the top and side borders and headlines and
text
- Subheads
and text
- Captions
and artwork
- Artwork
and text
- Column
endings and bottom margins
- Exaggerated
tabs and indents - Default tabs and indents in word-processed
files should be altered to be proportionate with the type size
and column width. The first lines of paragraphs are often indented
too deeply.
- Cramped
logos and addresses - Sometimes a firm's logo, address,
phone number, and other buying information are difficult to
read because they're treated as if they were squeezed in with
the other information. To avoid this, place the logo first and
other important information on the page first, then build the
document around them.
- Too
many typefaces - Avoid a large mixture of typefaces, type
sizes, and weights. Discipline yourself to use the minimum number
of typefaces, type sizes, and weights necessary to organize
your information and create a hierarchy of importance. Each
variation in type slows the reader down.
- Irregularly
shaped blocks of body copy - This makes type harder to read.
Flush left type is the easiest to read. Lines without a consistent
starting point take more time to read and may cause readers
to lose their place as they read.
