Episode
2
20Nov06
Howdy and welcome to The Big Swell, Episode 2. It's been so long since we released a newsletter, I'm sure you've forgotten you were on our list. If you'd like to stop getting email from us, please unsubscribe at the bottom.
Thanksgiving
We are ever thankful for the blessings God has given us!
Information:
This month we had a customer that had several documents that needed a professional makeover. After working on them we noticed some things that could easily be improved by making some deliberate choices at the beginning of their creation. These design rules may be applied to some of the work you are doing now.
First, choose your fonts wisely. There are just too many choices for fonts today. Once upon a time, typewriters had only one font and things were easier. A professional document should employ the use of no more than 2 fonts for the bulk of its information presentation. One font choice for the titles (usually a serif font – you know, the one with the little feet at the bottom of each character) and one for the body text (usually a sans serif font) is really all that is needed. If possible, these can even be the same font. Most users tend to choose Arial or Times as Microsoft products default to these fonts. We prefer Verdana and Rockwell for our documents as Verdana is easier to read and available on most computers while Rockwell is both modern and professional looking. Emphasis in your document should be added using the features available for your font, namely: bold, italics, underline and size variation (with very limited usage). Note: Comic Sans is not a professional looking font and should be avoided if possible except for comical emphasis.
Second, choose a consistent format for your page layout. If one document uses 1” margins all around, make all of them use 1” margins. Put your logo and slogan at the top of the page and your contact info at the bottom. Make a plan and distribute it to all of your employees. We’ve created a document called a Company Identity Guide that you may find helpful. A little consistency carried through your entire company will speak volumes about how you conduct your business.
