I belong to several professional communications organizations. So I was somewhat surprised when a client drew my attention to the fact that she had a hard time reading the articles in a recent issue of one of our national trade publications. She had a pretty good idea as to why the articles were difficult to read, but asked me to elaborate so she could understand what was going on more fully.
Reverse Type
One of the double page spreads in the magazine introduced a feature article. They used an illustration and headline on the left hand page and a page of text on the right. This right had page had a black background though, with the text reversed out of it in white. Being a designer, I admit, I’m a big fan of using this technique and there are lots of great reasons for doing so. But asking anyone to read a page of text sized type is not one of them. Instead, you can use the black background behind a line or paragraph or two to draw the reader into the article and then use the easier to read light (or white) background for the majority of dark (or black) text. The reader can then continue reading without struggle and comprehend more of what they’re reading.
Monotony
This same spread used three equal columns of type that spread from the top to the bottom of the page, filling it. The left hand page held only the illustration and headline. To make the layout more interesting and easier to read, the large block of text needs to be broken into five or six columns over the two-page spread. Varying the height of the columns would also add interest. Too much predictability in this spread and its similarity to others in the publication can keep the reader from delving into the content.
Creativity vs. Readability
You don’t have to sacrifice creativity to make something easily readable. And you don’t have to sacrifice readability to put interesting pages together that draw the reader in and pique their interest. Writing and design, when both are done well, enhance and support each other, reinforcing and therefore strengthening the message or subject of the article.
Keep this short check list in mind the next time you’re looking at your company’s publications:
> Is there a good balance between creativity and readabiltiy?
> Have you kept the layouts interesting to avoid monotony for the reader? and
> If you’ve used attention getting devices like reverse type, has it been done judiciously and wisely?
Happy Publishing.
Happy Spring!
Linda E.
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Enrico Design will help
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your values and ensure your company makes a lasting impression. To see how
we’ve done this for other clients, visit http://www.enricodesign.com/, call
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Feel free to contact us for help incorporating these ideas into your marketing communications projects and publications.