GENERAL GUIDELINES

Use pictures – incorporate some type of graphic interest into the piece. If pictures are unavailable, you can use the organization of the text. Simple lines, bars and boxes can be used to make a very powerful design.

Avoid doing things that were obviously done on a personal computer (like clip art, Helvetica font, etc.), unless you are really good. It detracts from your message if your audience thinks that you have a bargain-basement operation.

If possible get your piece printed rather than photocopied. For less than $50, you can have a flyer printed. Usually, if one additional client comes because of this, it’s worth it. It looks so much better, and it communicates that you are serious about what you do.

Reversed designs are harder to read than positive images.

Italic and bold faces are harder to read but good for emphasis. Use them sparingly.

Thick fonts are good for headlines, but again, use simpler fonts for parts that require sustained reading.

Don’t be afraid to make the headline really big.

Don’t be afraid to set body copy small – 9-point text is what most books are printed in. However, many people over the age of thirty-five can only read twelve-point or larger easily. Of course, if you are putting up a flyer somewhere, it has to be legible from a greater distance, so take that into account.

Don’t set images behind text, because it makes the text much harder to read.

Try to balance the use of space in your design, so there are not parts of it that are too empty or parts that are too busy.