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Newsletter Design Clinic: 3Cs

Use Consistency, Conservation, Contrast to Improve Newsletter Design

By Jacci Howard Bear, About.com

Newsletter Design Clinic

In newsletter design, be consistent, cut clutter, and add contrast.

Have you ever looked at a newsletter -- yours or someone else's -- and couldn't quite put your finger on what was wrong with the newsletter design? Look more closely. Does it appear haphazard, thrown together with each page having a different look? Is it cluttered with multiple fonts, photos, and unnecessary clip art? Do the pages appear gray and monotonous?

The first lesson of good newsletter design is to practice the 3Cs:

  • Consistency
  • Conservation (Clutter-busting)
  • Contrast

As with any design, these are not hard and fast rules. There is rarely only one way to do something. But follow these guidelines and you can turn a bad or so-so newsletter design into a more eye-pleasing publication. No newsletter can survive without good content but our aim in the Newsletter Design Clinic is to present your content in an attractive, effective package.

NEXT: Consistency Organizes and Unifies Newsletter Design

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