The phrase, ‘it ain’t what
you say it’s the way that you say it,’ is just as
appropriate in print as it is in spoken word according to Roger
Taylor, Creative Director at Montpellier Creative. Here Roger
flags up a few point for you to consider.
One of the most important decisions you
make when looking at presenting your company visually is the
typeface you use. In the design world typography is the equivalent
to your tone of voice. Choosing your typographic style therefore,
is not unlike choosing a voice-over actor to speak your message.
Questions you should ask yourself include;
what style best fits your image? Do you want to shout your message
or whisper it? Do you want to appear serious and informative,
modern and stylish, fun or funky? Will the typography work with
the images that you are intending to use or is type alone the
visual interest on the page or screen? Where will it be read;
on screen, in a brochure, an advert or poster? What else is
going to be around it, how can your message stand out from the
crowd?
As a general rule of thumb, use fonts
from just two type families in any one document. This will provide
structure and a more uniform approach to the design. Use all
‘caps’ sparingly to aid legibility.
Whilst it’s tempting to make important
text bold and in capitals to make it stand out, but do this
too much and the least important text stands out because not
only is it easier to read in upper and lowercase, it also stands
out because it is different.
If designing a poster, don't put the
headline in all caps if it is more than just one word. The viewer
won't have time to read it. Equally a fancy typeface may provide
distinction and help convey the style that you intend, if over-used
it can inhibit the posters readability. As with most things,
the rule to keep in mind is ‘everything in moderation’.
Whether it is a brochure or online, break
up body text into manageable chunks with plenty of sub heads
to help people skim read. If the amount and style of text on
a page looks intimidating the viewer is likely to skip the whole
page and read nothing.
Likewise, when designing headline text
on a poster, advert or brochure cover, try to make the text
flow in the same way that you would like the viewer to read
it. By making the just the key words or phrase within the headline
larger you can make a long headline more readable in much the
same way that body text is broken down into easily digested
chunks.
With all of these techniques the end
result is to get the important part of your message through
to the viewer quickly before they move on. Once you have them
hooked you can start to elaborate on the details.
For more information please go to the
Montpellier Creative site www.montpelliercreative.com or contact
Roger Taylor on 01242 245524.