Spectrum PR Column
July 1997
Designing Effective Newsletters
Carol Bredemeyer, Salmon P. Chase College of Law Library, Northern Kentucky University (Highland Heights, KY).
AALL Spectrum, Volume 1 No. 10 July 1997, p. 25.
The late syndicated columnist Sydney J. Harris used to write an occasional column he would call "Things I Found on My Way to Looking Up Other Things". Librarians frequently find themselves in this situation. I never expected to find a public relations column idea in a word processing magazine. When I work evening reference, there is rarely anyone to eat dinner with so I catch up on my reading. One night while reading WordPerfect for Windows magazine, I came across an article in the February 1997 issue by Daniel Will-Harris titled "How Do I Design Effective Newsletters?"
Law librarians in all types of libraries produce newsletters. Depending on the organization, they can serve either as internal or external public relations vehicles. Many of us are also responsible for chapter newsletters. However, how much thought goes into newsletters - do we plan or do we "just do it"?
Harris contends that there are four elements to every piece of design - text, graphics, typeface, and layout. The first rule for any of these elements seems to be "don’t overdo it". Starting with text, how long is your newsletter? Is it longer than your patrons will read? If the answer is yes, then you have defeated your purpose even if the newsletter is beautiful in appearance. Maybe you need to do a shorter newsletter more often.
Once computer users discover graphics, they often don’t know when to quit. You won’t always need a graphic for every article. Also, be careful about being too cute - your newsletter is going to be read by professionals in a professional setting and context. You can be clever without being cute. The title of your newsletter can be a play on legal terms or even your organization’s name. The University of Kentucky calls their newsletter "Tort and Sweet". My school’s student newspaper is called "The Paper Chase".
Choose a typeface that is easy on the eyes. Making the type too small to fit in a lot of text will not encourage the reader. Choose one typeface and stick with it. You might use a second typeface to highlight one piece, but again don’t overdo it. You can also try making the first letter of the first paragraph larger. This technique is frequently used in magazine articles. Headlines will also draw attention to your articles.
Layout is possibly the most important aspect for your newsletter. Harris’ article shows an example of a page crammed with text and too many boxes. You need some blank space to draw the reader’s attention to the text. The design should be simple. Don’t contradict the message of your text with the message of your design. Harris gives an example of a newsletter planning form. He also reminds us about using time saving devices such as templates and macros.
One aspect of newsletter design not discussed in the Will-Harris article is the use of color. Paper is the first color issue. What color do you use? You can try to use a bright color that will catch the reader’s attention. Does your organization have a color scheme you can work with? The use of a color printer can give you many new design options and can revitalize a white paper newsletter. Cost of course will be a factor in how much color you can use.
Take a look at some library newsletters. See what you like and what you don’t like. There will be examples in the AALL Public Relations Committee’s "Marketing Medley" exhibit in Baltimore. Please come and see what other libraries are doing. We are constantly learning from each other and the area of library publications should be no different.
Daniel Will-Harris is a designer and author who writes the Desktop Publishing column for WordPerfect for Windows magazine. You can find his work on the Internet at http://www.will-harris.com. WordPerfect for Windows articles can be found at http://www.wpmag.com. As I am writing this column in late May, the February issue is not on the web site, but by the time you read this it may be.
Last Updated: January 20, 2003
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