| BIG BRAND TECHNIQUES
Your Design Questions Answered
Styling text in the new millennium, and other pressing design topics
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I promised to answer your design questions in the last issue. Thanks to all who took the time to send them in! I'll cover one question here, and another in the next issue. Please keep those questions coming: if I don't cover them here, I'll answer them on the Big Brand System blog.
 Marlene Hielema creates photographs for companies to use on web sites, blogs, newsletters and magazines, and teaches people how to take better pictures. You can find her at imagemaven.com. She asked:
"What are 'best practices' for styling text to use on the web and in print?"
Marlene, here's my list of recommendations for styling text in the new millennium:
One space between sentences. Back in the typewriter days it was important to leave two spaces between sentences. Typewriters used monspaced type, so two spaces helped people to see where one sentence ended and the other began. Not anymore. Typing two spaces between sentences creates visual "holes" in your paragraphs. There's a space above each period anyway, so the space above the period+the space you type=space enough.
Avoid underlining. If you're on the web and see underlined type, you know it's a link. In printed material, though, it's a big no-no. There are plenty of ways to add emphasis to a word: try italics or bold.
All caps means you're yelling. Web etiquette developed quickly, and one of the early rules was that typing in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS was the visual equivalent of yelling your message. Capital letters are best used in small quantities anyhow: studies have shown that our brains read and comprehend the irregular forms of words typed in lower case much faster than the squared-off shape of all capital letters. It's ironic, but even though people may "yell" with ALL CAPS, they'll communicate better if they "whisper" with lower case letters.
In the next issue we'll cover a question sent in by reader Julie Westbrooks. Julie asked about the best camera to purchase now that her company has decided to delve into online video.
 I'm very happy to say that the amazing Dave Kaminski of Web Video University has agreed to be interviewed here, and he suggested we do a video interview! I'll ask him the most common questions I receive about web video, and post a link here and on my blog. This will be my first video interview, and I can't think of a better person to start with: I've followed Dave's work and sent many people to his site over the years.
As always, stop in at the blog in between newsletter issues. I'll be looking for you there!
 PAMELA WILSONBig Brand System
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DESIGN SCHOOL
More Ways to Get Great Looking Type
The first thing to remember when you style your text is your ultimate goal is to communicate.
Designers are notorious for creating beautiful but unreadable pieces. Great esthetically when taken as a whole, but not so nice for the eyes when you try to read the text.
Here's what you should avoid:
Low contrast: Don't use light colors for text. Period. It's not fair to make your readers squint!
Itsy-bitsy sizes: Remember, we want to communicate. Teeny-tiny type is the equivalent of mumbling your message. Avoid it!
White type on a black background: This is very common on the web. In small doses (a few sentences, maybe) this can work. But entire web sites with white type on a black background are very tiring for your readers' eyes. Give 'em a break!
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Next TimeIn the next issue I'll have my first-ever video interview with web video expert Dave Kaminski. I'd still like to get design questions from you: I'll answer them here or on the Big Brand System blog. Follow the link in the section below to send a question.
Read back issues of the Big Brand System newsletter in the archive.
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 What's Bugging You?What's most confusing to you about design and marketing? Send me your question, and I'll cover it in a future issue of the Big Brand System newsletter. Send your question. |
