D-I-Y – Graphic Design Rules

Below are some rules-of-thumb the next time you plan to throw together a flyer, postcard, or brochure on your own. Remember, never compromise your image or brand. If you can’t figure something out, contact us, and we’ll take care of it for you!

Fonts

• No more than 2 fonts per project. Try pairing a decorative font for headlines, and a readable font for the text.

• The standard font sizes for readable body copy is 12 pt, but consider using 14 pt for flyers that have minimal text, and for pieces that will be distributed to children or elderly.
• Avoid hyphenating text, or leaving one word left on a line by itself (orphans).

Images

• Make sure you are using higher resolution images for printed pieces. A standard high resolution image is 300 dpi.
• Do not take a small jpeg or gif and try to blow it up, it will become pixelated.

Layout

• Make sure there is enough contrast between your text, and your background.
• Leave plenty of white space around your paragraphs of body copy and graphics. It allows the eye to rest.
• Use borders when you want to frame and draw attention to information.

Templates

• Microsoft offers some great templates to get you started publishing documents on your own using Microsoft Office software. Check them out, and call us when you are ready to energize your piece.