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Design 101: Newsletters Planning - Step 5

Step 5 of 6:

Many people are frightened by this step because they don't consider themselves "artistic." But the truth about good graphic design is that it's based on logic. If you ask yourself logical questions, you should be able to create a design that works.

Starting with a blank page can be intimidating – so don't. Start with documents your company or group already uses. Looking at letterhead, business cards, and other printed pieces that feature some kind of consistent "visual identity" is a great place to start.

Identify recognizable characteristics from your business cards or letterhead. These include typeface, logo, color, even layout. While you don't have to match the typeface used in your logo, sometimes this works well for items such as headings. For your newsletter's body text (the small text you're reading, such as this), you'll want something that goes well with your logo and headline fonts. Check in typeface resource books to find a body typeface to match your logo or headline typeface.

Figure 1: Here is the company's existing business card. This can instantly give you lots of ideas. We can use the logo for the newsletter nameplate, and we can use the fonts on the card – CafeMimi (in the logo) and Cheltenham BT (from Bitstream) for the body text. The cat illustration is from ITC's Design Fonts Eclectics.

Now it's time to start thinking about color. If your letterhead or logo always appears in a certain color, try to match that color. When just one or two colors are used like this, they're generally called "spot" colors and are specified as PANTONE® Colors. You can buy a PANTONE Colors swatch booklet to compare to the color on your printed materials and probably find an exact match.

The kind of reproduction method you choose will affect your choice of color. If, for example, you're going to have your newsletter offset printed, you can choose between spot color (for a few colors), or process color (for many colors and for things like color photographs). Spot color is generally inexpensive and doesn't cost much more than printing in black alone. Even low-end programs such as Microsoft Publisher handle spot color well.

But process color can be expensive and difficult to use. First, you have to use a program that can create "separations," then your offset printer has to print your document four times, one for each process color of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (often referred to as CMYK.)

If you're printing to a color printer ,however, you can get "process-color-like" results easily and inexpensively. You don't need to create separations because your color printer handles all the details of the color. It's a good idea to test colors on the printer itself because they may look quite different than they do on-screen. Some programs include "color matching" or "color correction" features to help make "what you see" on-screen more like "what you get" on the printer. It's important to do some test runs to make sure of what you'll get.

Just because you can use every color in the rainbow with a color printer, you don't necessarily want to. Newsletters tend to have more graphic appeal when you select one or two main colors and stick with them. You can still use color photos or other full-color artwork, but one or two dominant colors will create a strong visual image to make your newsletter instantly recognizable.

Figure 1: The business card is printed on a light blue stock, so that can be color #1. The cat is orange, so that can become color #2. Body text should always be printed in black or a in very dark color – in this case, we'll stick with black. In this example, we have black, plus two "spot" colors. We could also use blue paper, and just have black and one spot color.

Figure 2: Our newsletter design uses elements taken from the business card, including typeface, logo, and color. The two spot colors were used in several shades, which makes it appear as if there are more colors than there really are. Light shades of color (10–20% screens) can be used on images behind text, as in the face under "Napping Supplies."

Give yourself ample time to experiment with the design and don't settle for the first thing that you think of. Create several versions, as different from each other as possible. This will give you more options to choose from and will help your final product be more interesting and effective.

If you're working with a group, plan on showing the design you choose and make sure to leave time to get the group's approval, as well as to integrate the changes they will surely require. It's best to do this now, when you have more time, rather than during the last-minute rush.

Once you find a design you like, create a template. Different software programs have different ways of doing this, but almost all do. You can also save a copy of the file and call it "Newsletter Template." Then, when you want to create a new issue, open the Newsletter Template and – before you do anything else – save it as something like "Newsletter October." That way, you don't overwrite your template, and you keep a record of all your newsletter issues.

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