That document you send seeking support—it’s more than just words on paper.
You’re excited to tell donors about your new program. You’ve spent hours writing (and re-writing) your copy. You’re confident this almost-done brochure (it could be a one-pager, or a longer proposal making the case for support) will showcase your mission’s new program, and do that in such a compelling manner that donors would be, well, silly to not want to join you with their backing.
Now, you think, is the time to bring in a designer to create a beautiful, eye-popping piece of collateral.
Well, not so fast. Don’t wait until that proverbial 11th-hour to think about layout and look. It’s too important a factor to be an afterthought. The fact is, you need to do more—and earlier—with your design than just ‘make it pretty’ if that critical brochure is to be effective.
From the get-go, design input should be part of a collaborative process with writers: it will serve to enhance and lend credibility to your organization’s mission. More than making something that is nice to look at, well-executed design—of whatever matter a nonprofit is producing and showcasing—can effectively augment your organization’s message, create a mood, and suggest a compelling point of view.
All of which produces results—that brochure, designed right, will tell a story quickly and immediately. That’s a powerful thing!
To ensure your design tells the right story, convincingly, it’s helpful to avoid the following three mistakes:
- Not having a clear visual hierarchy
- Not using enough white space
- Bad typography
Not having a clear visual hierarchy
A good visual hierarchy guides your donors’ eyes through your message. Contrasts like shifts in font size, color, and position on the page (or screen) imply to the reader how to engage with your design. They’re most effective when they reinforce the relationships between your written ideas. The key word is contrast. What appears to be the main idea? Can I tell the difference between the main message and supporting information? How are these sections related to one another? Answering these questions can help you determine whether your design’s visual hierarchy is effective.
Not using enough negative space
Negative space—or white space—refers to areas in your design without an active design element (i.e. blank areas). These moments are critical because they allow for the viewers’ eyes to either rest or travel to the next piece of content. It can be tempting to try and maximize every available spot in the layout, but leveraging negative space in a way that reinforces your main content is a much better strategy.
If you start to view negative space as a design element itself, you’ll come to realize that it’s the supporting character to the hero of your message (the content).
Without sufficient negative space, a brochure’s design will feel cramped, and risks giving the reader an uneasy feeling. You don’t want your design to feel like a chore with which to engage. This doesn’t mean that dense pages should be avoided altogether, but the overall feel of collateral material should be engaging and inviting, clearly organized, and easy to navigate.
Bad typography
The way the words look on the page has a big impact on the impression you give to the reader. Are the lines of text too long or short? Is there enough space between lines to read comfortably? Is that the right font to use for the header?
Like the way negative space works, the typography in your design should be in service to your content. If you find yourself becoming distracted by the way something looks or if reading is difficult or strained, then you’re dealing with some bad typography. A good strategy is to limit the number of different fonts you use in the design overall. Too many different fonts, each with its own style, can be confusing and distract from your message. Picking a distinct font to use for headers and a clean legible font for the body of your paragraphs is a good strategy.
Having your design staff collaborate early on while avoiding these three mistakes in your design projects is an effective combination of practices that will go a long way toward ensuring your organization makes the right impression on your audience.