Best print design practices
When others don't personally know you, how your publication looks can say a lot about your club to prospective Rotarians, new Rotarians, and anyone else you may wish to communicate with.
It's important to make the extra effort to have your publications look their best.
Letterhead
Rotary club and district letterhead should feature the Rotary emblem and provide such
basic information as the club name, district number, address, phone and fax numbers,
and e-mail address and Web site. Many clubs and districts also list their current officers.
Newsletter mastheads
The masthead of a club or district newsletter should be easy to read and provide as much
information as possible, including the name and date of the publication, the name of the
Rotary club or district and possibly the names of the current club or district officers. The
Rotary emblem should be used according to the guidelines provided in this manual.
In designing a print publication, think of the page design as the framework or skeleton
and the type as the finishing layers within that framework. Design decisions about the
layout and typography are critical to the publication’s success.
Page layout
Consider the following guidelines for creating a clean, simple layout:
- Allow ample margins and space between elements.
- Create hierarchy, usually by having one dominant element.
- Follow the guidelines for good typography.
- Use headings, subheadings, and bullets to separate information.
- Minimize the use of clip art.
- Use high-quality, well-cropped photographs.
- Use color for a specific purpose -- to direct attention, create emphasis, or differentiate
content.
Each element on a page should function as part of the whole rather than a separate entity.
This can be achieved by grouping elements or by creating obvious similarities of line,
shape, or color. The end result of a balanced layout is equilibrium among the various
elements that make up the page.
Typography
The most important design consideration is that your publication be easy to read and
easy to interpret. Following good typographic principles will increase the readability
of any publication. Remember, people don’t read one word at a time. Instead, they scan
lines of text, reading three or four words at a glance. The type you choose should make it
easy for the eye to move smoothly through the text.
Good typography also helps organize your publication by signaling levels of content
and hierarchy of information. And it helps convey meaning by telling your reader which words are most important.
Learn more in the Visual Identity Guide or contact Rotary International for more information.