Creating a newsletter offers unique design opportunities and challenges for the desktop publisher.
The first thing to keep in mind when designing a newsletter is that content is king. While visual considerations and graphic impact do play an important role in newsletter design, ultimately you must create a newsletter with one very important goal in mind; readers need to be able to comfortably read and absorb the content. Unlike a poster, for example, grabbing their attention is less important than presenting information in a coherent, readable way.
With this in mind, typography plays an especially vital role in newsletter design. Type has to be consistent throughout (or, if it isn’t, there has to be a good reason for you to break the rules). If you decide to use fifteen different font types in a newsletter (not something we’d ever recommend), make sure that you have a very good reason to do so, other than the fact you just downloaded them and would love to try them somewhere.
Also, readers like consistency (whether they are aware of it or not). Have some sort of coherent format in place for your newsletter. Consistently use the same size of fonts throughout, and keep leading consistent as well. Headlines may use a different font than the body copy, but don’t use a different font for each headline. That doesn’t mean you can’t use different font sizes and types for different sections, but have a rationale for your typographic choices. For example, feature stories might utilize one size and type of font, while regular editorial columns might use another size and type, to more readily distinguish them from one another.
Type also has to be readable. A distorted ‘grunge’ type font in deep purple on a black background might look innovative, but it probably won’t make for a very readable newsletter. Save the concept for the next CD cover you plan on designing.
Visuals, including photos, line art illustrations and graphs, are a good way to break up copy in an interesting way, and provide some graphic appeal to a newsletter. However, make sure that the visuals you are using enhance and explain the accompanying copy. Also make sure you aren’t violating copyright laws by using them (the same holds true for any copy you use).
Last, but not least, make sure that there is a flow and coherence to the articles in the newsletter. Don’t break up content unless you have to, and if you do have to split an article between different pages, make sure you provide readers with easy instructions on where to go to finish the story.
Keep these principles in mind, and any newsletter you design will not only look good, but just as importantly, it will be read by its intended audience.