If you’ve been asked to create a newsletter for your club, group or business and aren’t sure where to start, look no farther. Today, rather than just “telling” you about the principles I’ve decided to do an in-depth tutorial to help you create a cohesive and concise newsletter design.
In this tutorial we’ll layout a basic newsletter using InDesign, but keep in mind that the same principles of good newsletter design could be used in any program.
Step 1: Set Up Your Document
To get started, first open a new document in InDesign (Apple + N). This basic newsletter will be 1 page front and back so set up your document as shown below:
Step 2: Save
I never go farther without saving my document (Apple + Shift + S). Get into the habit of saving early and saving often.
Step 3: Create Your Header
Depending on how design-savvy you may already be you may already have an adequate header to place at the top of your newsletter, if so, simply place the file in and skip to step 5, if not, we’ll create your header now.
The amount and types of things you want to include in your newsletter header may vary from what you see here, but we’ll stick to a simple rule of thumb. To create your newsletter header, we want to add your logo and some simple graphics that represent your branding to the top of the page.
If you’re not sure where to place your logo, try right-aligning it to add visual interest. In this example, I’ve simply added a blue background behind the logo to anchor to the newsletter name, volume and issue numbers and date. Next, I created a basic 3 pt white line straight across about 2/3” from the bottom.
Step 4: Add Your Newsletter Name
Since we created an anchor point for our headline, we can now add our text and the title of our newsletter. Again, to add visual interest try a few different arrangements. If you’re still not sure what to do, remember that simple is probably better in most cases.
Step 5: Adding Intro Text
With any newsletter you will have a main article or headline story. To create visual interest add this story in full width across both columns of your layout.
Remember, when working in print design you want to use serif fonts as a general rule because it’s easier for the readers to quickly scan and absorb. When working with a multiple column layout also keep in mind that the eye can decipher left justified lines of text quicker than ragged right alignments. For this example I’ve used Garamond 12pt text with 16 pt leading as shown below:
Step 6: Format Your Headline
To maintain consistency in your newsletter try to use a headline font that closely matched the fonts in your logo and/or newsletter heading. This will visually give your newsletter a polished feel. Your article headline should be larger than an author by line. I’ve used Brody, 24pt to match the branding of the Web company.
Step 7: Add Your First Photo
What good is a newsletter without photos? Add your first one here and be sure to include a text wrap as shown to tighten up your design. Keep in mind that depending on which direction your audience reads from you will generally want your image to lead the eye into the article. For my audience images on the left will do just that.
Step 8: Adding an Article Divider
Now that our first article is in place we should add an article divider before switching to our two-column layout. Your horizontal divider can be as simple as a 1 pt line or more complex such as a specific design element.
Step 9: Adding Your First Column Article
Repeating steps 5-7 you are now ready to add your first columned article with the following exceptions:
- Rather than extending the width of the page, you should only fill the first column with this text.
- Your headlines, bylines and image should be proportionately smaller than those in your main article.
Step 10: Adding Other Column Articles
Repeating step 9 you can now add the rest of your column articles. For a small newsletter I would suggest using the columns as needed on the second page as well as shown here.
Step 11: Adding a Pullout or Significant Fact
By now, those reading your newsletter may be drifting off to sleep. Once more, to provide visual interest we need to add another design element. Adding a pullout or significant fact for your readers that is set apart in larger text and spans the whole width again is a great way to vary your layout without creating chaos. Using the horizontal lines in Step 8 and your headline font, add something of interest to pull your readers back into your newsletter.
Step 12: Adding A Closing Article
The last article in your newsletter can be added to the left column following the same steps listed above. This article should give the reader a feeling of closure or include a teaser about what’s in store for the next issue.
Step 13: Adding Contact Information
Perhaps the most vital part of the newsletter is the contact information for the organization. I’d recommend including your logo again as pictured here along with any information or special instructions for your readers to get in touch with you.
Hopefully, the principles applied in this tutorial can help you in your next Newsletter adventure!
Life’s been busy for me lately, between a guest speaking gig, designing and meeting with clients, the last week flew by in a flurry of activity. Not only was I short on time to create anything “extra” but I was also dry for creative ideas. Thanks to my design muse (and former student) I now have an idea to last at elast the next 26 days! Here are the first 3 bookmarks of the “Alpha” series. =P Maybe I’ll do numbers next.
Again, here I am uploading 3 bookmarks. You may notice though that they all use the same color palette and yet portray totally different feels and purposes. When a client gives you a color palette to work within, remember that, that only gives you a guideline. You can take the same colors and make drastically different pieces. Happy Designing!
Smashing Magazine
Today’s bookmark is inspired by the many cracks and potholes present in the Tulsa roads after a series of winter storms and sheets of ice.
We’ve talked about how great a well designed bookmark can be for author promotion in the past, but tonight I wanted to share a recent bookmark I have designed for a client. Enjoy! You can visit 
