Newsletters
Programs
When designing newsletters, it is recommended that you use Adobe InDesign, Adobe Writer, Adobe PageMaker or Microsoft Word.
Dimensions
The recommended dimensions for a regular newsletter are 8.5 x 11 inches or 11 x 17 inches.
Photos, Illustrations
A newsletter layout may contain photographs, drawings, charts, graphs or clip art.
- Mug Shots — The most typical "people" photograph found in newsletter design is the mug shot, a more or less straight into the camera head and shoulders picture.
- Caption — The caption is a phrase, sentence or paragraph describing the contents of an illustration such as a photograph or chart. The caption is usually placed directly above, below or to the side of the picture it describes.
Design Guidelines
The outer edge of the newsletter is considered a “safety area” that is utilized for cutting. No important images or text should be placed within this area. Although 1/8 inch is the minimum, we strongly recommend you use 1/4 inch (.25).
Most newsletters will have at least a nameplate, body text and headlines, but many more of the parts listed below may be used in newsletter design.
Nameplate
The nameplate is on the front of a newsletter that identifies the publication. It usually contains the name of the newsletter, possibly graphics or a logo, and perhaps a subtitle, motto and publication information including volume and issue or date.
Body
The body of the newsletter is the bulk of the text, excluding the headlines and decorative text elements.
Table of Contents
Usually appearing on the front page, the table of contents briefly lists articles and special sections of the newsletter and the corresponding page numbers.
Masthead
The masthead is that section of a newsletter typically found on the second page (but could be on any page) that lists the name of the publisher and other pertinent data. This data may include staff names, contributors, subscription information, addresses, logo, etc.
Heads and Titles
- Headline — After the nameplate, the headline identifying each article in a newsletter is the most prominent text element.
- Kicker — Often seen in newsletter design, the kicker is a short phrase set above the headline. The kicker can serve as an introduction or section heading to identify a regular column.
- Deck — The newsletter deck is one or more lines of text found between the headline and the body of the article. The deck elaborates or expands on the headline and topic of the accompanying text.
- Subhead — Subheads appear within the body of articles to divide the article into smaller sections.
- Running Head — More familiarly known as a header, a running head is repeating text (often the title of the publication) that appears, usually at the top of each page or every other page in a newsletter design. The page number is sometimes incorporated with the running head.
Page Numbers
Page numbers can appear at the top, bottom or sides of pages. Usually page one is not numbered in a newsletter.
Bylines
The byline is a short phrase or paragraph that indicates the name of the author of an article in a newsletter. The byline commonly appears between the headline and start of the article, prefaced by the word "By," although it could also appear at the end of the article.
Continuation Lines
When articles span two or more pages, a newsletter uses continuation lines to help readers find the rest of the article.
- Jumplines — Jumplines, also called continuation lines, typically appear at the end of a column, as in "continued on page 45." Jumplines at the top of a column indicate where the article is continued from, as in "continued from page 16."
- Continuation Heads — When articles jump from one page to another, continuation heads identify the continued portion of the articles. The continuation headlines, along with jumplines, provide continuity and cue the reader as to where to pick up reading.
End Signs
An end sign is dingbat or printer's ornament used to mark the end of a story in a newsletter. It signals readers that they have reached the end of the article.
Pull-Quotes
Used to attract attention, especially in long articles, a pull-quote is a small selection of text "pulled out and quoted" in a larger typeface.
Mailing Panel
Newsletters created as self-mailers (no envelope) need a mailing panel. This is the portion of the newsletter design that contains the return address, mailing address of the recipient and postage. The mailing panel typically appears on one-half or one-third of the back page so that it faces out when folded.
For further help with designing your newsletter, please call (864) 656-2041.