Twelve Common Design Mistakes
Details spell the difference between attractive, easy-to-read pages that project a professional image and boring, hard-to-read pages that undermine your firm or association's credibility. Here are some of the areas where you should pay particular attention.
1. Gray pages
Gray pages are the result of too much type, not enough white space and a lack of typographic contrast between each element of page architecture. Readers should be able to glance at a page and easily identify headlines, subheads, body copy and captions.
Make sure that headlines and subheads form a strong contrast with adjacent text. This can be created by using a different typeface, a significantly larger type size, or a different type style.
2. Lack of white space at top, bottom and sides of page.
White space makes pages more attractive and easier to read by providing a resting space for the reader's eyes and creating empty/filled contrast with the text on the page.
3. Long lines of small type or short lines of large type.
It's hard to decide which is worse! Long lines of small type are tiring to read because each line requires several left-to-right eye movements. In addition, readers can get lost at the ends of each line on the right and return to the beginning of the wrong line—or, even worse, reread the same line (called doubling). Short lines of large type are characterized by excessive hyphenation and awkward word spacing (lines with wide word spacing can follow lines with narrow word spacing).
4. Narrow columns of justified text
Narrow columns of justified type do not offer enough opportunities for words to be properly spaced. As a result, lines containing a few long words are characterized by huge gaps between words and lines containing several short words exhibit extremely tight word spacing.
5. Inappropriate borders
Page borders should reinforce the text, not distract. Boxed borders create barriers to reading on to the next page. Centered, boxed borders are inappropriate for asymmetrical page layouts. Alternatives to boxed pages include top and bottom borders which extend the width of the text or a light horizontal rule at the top of the page combined with a heavy rule at the bottom of the page to "weight," or anchor the page.
6. Overuse of reverses, screens, rules and boxes
Small areas of reversed text can attract more attention than the importance of the text they contain. A single, large reversed headline is preferable to several smaller reversed headlines.
Text set against screened or tinted backgrounds (less than 100% color saturation) is harder to read than regular text because the reduced foreground/background contrast makes it harder for readers to recognize the distinctive shapes of each letter.
Rules and boxes form barriers which not only distract but also add clutter to a page. When used properly, such as above subheads, rules emphasize that one topic is ending and another is being introduced. Boxes form even stronger barriers but should only be used to intentionally separate text or visuals.
7. Incorrect punctuation
Readers are no longer willing to accept up-and-down "inch mark" quotation marks. Replace them with open and closed quotes and use typeset apostrophes rather than vertical "inch and foot" or tick marks.
8. "Floating" initial caps
Initial caps should be closely related to the text they introduce. Carefully align the baseline of the initial cap with one of the lines of the paragraph. Text should wrap as tightly to the initial caps as possible. Whenever possible, rewrite the first sentence to avoid sentences beginning with one-letter (i.e. "I," "A" or ) or two-letter words (i.e. "To"). Use overhanging initial caps like T's, Y's or A's and open letters like C with care because it is difficult to relate adjacent text to them.
9. Excessive text wraps.
Whenever possible, align photographs, charts and pull-quotes with the underlying column grid. Photographs, charts and pull-quotes placed between columns or extending part way into the next column create problems by reducing the line length of the text in the adjacent columns. This disturbs the reader's established rhythm.
10. Unnecessary spacing
Avoid unwanted text spacing within and between paragraphs
- Duplicate spaces. Avoid using two spaces after periods. Only one space is needed following periods.
- Unnecessary indents. Never indent the first line of a paragraph following a headline or subhead; indents are only necessary within columns of text.
- Fine-tune lists. Eliminate space in lists by reducing the distance between bullets (or numbers) and the text they introduce.
11. Widows and orphans
Pay particular attention to the tops and bottoms of columns and pages. A "widow" is the last line of a paragraph that appears alone at the top of the next page, and an "orphan" is the first line of a paragraph that appears alone at the bottom of a page. When a new paragraph begins, keep at least two--preferably three--lines together. Avoid subheads appearing by themselves at the bottom of a column or page. Keep at least two sentences of the paragraph with the subhead introducing the new paragraph.
12. Color printing
Color works best as a background element, such as a field against which text is set, rather than as a foreground element itself. Text set in color is often harder to read than the same words set in black. Avoid overly bright colored backgrounds that can interfere with headlines and text. Always provide plenty of foreground/background contrast.
With careful planning and review, you can successfully ensure that you have not inadvertently included design elements that hinder, rather than enhance, your reader's understanding of your message.
