Think in shapes
Paul Lewis, art director at Paul Lewis Design in Stillwater, Minn. , likes to take a hard look at exactly what kind of information is buried in all that copy. He looks for ways to break down the information, including points of interest that can be pulled into boxes or pull quotes that perform a function similar to artwork. Then he figures out how all these elements can work together. “Think of copy blocks as shapes and try to give them structure,” he says. Other ideas for differentiating information include using colored paper stock or colored type.

If you have too much text to make a project work, Lewis suggests going back to your clients and working with them to refine and narrow the overall message. This approach is endorsed by McPherson and Salmela. McPherson often works as co-editor on pieces with his clients, asking for cuts or talking with the writer about adding subheads or call outs. “The key to getting a client to cut text,” Salmela says, “is putting the problem in practical terms rather than aesthetic ones. Point out how overwhelming text blocks will affect readers, ultimately becoming a hindrance to getting the message across.”

Paul Lewis Design: Macalester College These inauguration booklets for Macalester College mix serif body copy (Adobe Garamond) with sans-serif display copy (Frutiger) to help break up the text and distinguish between levels of information.
Art director Paul Lewis used gray (PMS 411) for text because he feels it’s easier on the eyes than black. The PMS 187 red is a Macalester identity color and complements gray in display copy and subheads.
To personalize this booklet reprinting an inaugural speech, a hand-inserted “signature box” communicates that it’s been presented to the reader by a member of the college’s board of trustees.
Pull quotes run into the columns to help break up the copy, and extra space between paragraphs makes text less intimidating for readers.