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How do I design a good newsletter?

By Jacci Howard Bear, About.com

Question: How do I design a good newsletter?

Answer: First and foremost, a good newsletter has good content that meets the needs and expectations of the reader. On the design and page layout side, a good newsletter design creates interest and maintains readability through consistency, conservation, and contrast. Use these basic guidelines to help construct your publication.

Be consistent in your newsletter design

  • Use grids for page to page consistency.
  • Use templates and styles for consistent formatting.
  • Use repeating elements such as footers, headers, department heads.

Be conservative in your newsletter design

  • Use three or fewer typefaces.
  • Use frames and boxes sparingly.
  • Use no more than one or two pieces of clip art, photos, or graphic accents per page if possible.

Use contrast in your newsletter design

  • Use high contrast typefaces such as a bold sans serif type for headlines and a serif for body text.
  • Make it big, really big. Use an exaggerated drop cap or enlarge a single piece of clip art to make a statement.
  • Use white space (extra wide gutters or margins) to counteract dense text.

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