Making Corporate Documents Lively

Using an unexpected typeface or combining unlikely typefaces almost always creates memorable typography. The only problem is that it could be memorable because it is bad typography. “Unlikely” and “unexpected” can be good qualities¬ – “inappropriate,” however, is not.

One unexpected trick that almost always works is to mix the italic from a serif typeface with any other design – even a sans serif. The combinations work surprisingly well.

We are used to seeing big type against a large backdrop but, when it fills a small format, the type can transform into an engaging and dramatic graphic illustration. Sometimes, if all you are given is text copy and a small budget, very large type can enliven the piece and give it drama beyond the allotted resources.

Exclamation points, question marks, quotes, commas and other punctuation marks can be powerful and versatile graphic images. The key is to use them in unexpected ways. We are accustomed to seeing exclamation points at the end of a sentence, but if one is used to replace the letter ‘I’ in the word “laugh,” a charming and engaging graphic message is the result. Open your mind to the possibilities.

Avoid long lines of type and deep paragraphs and give pages lots of “breathing room.” White space invites the reader into the cover of a catalog or brochure and helps to focus attention on the type and images.

All cap headlines, subheads and blocks of copy are deadly dull, difficult to read, and take up valuable page real estate. Always try to set cap and lowercase headlines and subheads and use small caps, when you have to, in text copy.

Using type to convey a message and create a graphic shape is great typographic trick. The shape helps the message become more inviting, engaging and memorable. Sometimes pouring copy into the desired outline can make the shape. Sometimes the type in a block of copy can be colored or tinted to reveal a shape. Other times, a line of text copy can become the outline of a shape.

Remember, though, that creating a typographic shape is only part of the process. Ensuring that the copy is still easily read is the other part. Text and spacing may need to be manipulated to maintain the shape’s integrity and content readability. It may take some fine-tuning to get the copy to space well and look even on all the lines.
No doubt about it, typography can be a graphically fun and stimulating design tool. It takes common sense and a careful eye, however, to create communication that is inviting, makes an impression, focuses attention and engages the reader – ultimately giving life and personality to the printed word. Typography is fun – but good typography is not always easy.

Download a pdf version of the Making Corporate Documents Lively manual.