Designer: Sueann Hoppock

Like a lot of well-intentioned newsletters, Mortenson Construction packs its newsletter’s pages with information and images. But this can overwhelm the reader and cause the company to look less than professional. With a planned transition from a bimonthly format to monthly in the works, Mortenson should be able provide the same amount of information without making pages so copy-heavy.

Marketing assistant Amanda Schank says, “Seattlelites are proud of our city, area and Puget Sound, so a design that reflects that and differentiates us from a corporate feel is needed.” DG designer Sueann Hoppock’s main concern for the current newsletter is a lack of cohesion: “They need to establish a consistent grid layout, photo and color treatment to create a more polished, professional look. The nameplate is small and gets lost on the front page, and column widths throughout the newsletter are varied and irregular.”

Hoppock recommends a consistent callout treatment. “At times, information is run over the photos, which makes it hard to read. Or it’s placed underneath and sometimes above the image. A lot of textured images are used behind photos—which compete with the main photos and make the newsletter look cluttered,” she says.

“Their new logo—introduced last year—is a graphic of three ascending columns [Ingenuity, Expertise and Exceptional People], so I incorporated vertical columns and established a five-column grid for layout. The newsletter name is set in Frutiger, with the word Seattle in a bolder version to stress the region. Each month, a different photo of the Seattle area could be used for variety,” explains Hoppock. “Using tints of color [from the photo] helps create breaks in the stories and adds additional color without overpowering the photos.”

The company can afford to print in full color—but at times the problem is too much color. “The photos should speak for themselves without competing with other dominating images and unnecessary effects. After all, most of the photos are of the employees whom this newsletter is supposed to be for. They should be allowed to shine,” says Hoppock.

1. Original newsletter
The Mortenson Construction newsletter lacks cohesion and overpowers readers with too much color and unnecessary graphic elements.

2. Redesign
DG designer Sueann Hoppock removed a lot of clutter from the newsletter and recommends maintaining a consistent grid and callout treatment.

3. Images used
Top to bottom, left to right: Image 22829157, Brand X Pictures, www.jupiterimages.com. Images 5106718, 5165400, 5168808, 5193326, 5245993, liquidlibrary, available at www.liquidlibrary.com.

4. Fonts
Frutiger was chosen for its wide familial varieties, useful for headline treatments as well as callouts and headlines. Garamond was used for body copy.

5. Color
Hoppock used the Eyedropper tool in Photoshop to select the purple from the Seattle skyline image to use as the main color throughout the rest of the issue.

6. Puget Sound area
Marketing assistant Amanda Schank says, “Every employee in the Puget Sound branch office and corporate receives this. It aims to keep 500-plus employees of different positions and locations informed and connected. It should reflect pride in the Seattle location … skyline, weather, coffee—we love it!”

7. Five-column grid
Hoppock says a consistent grid “allows for a sidebar and flexibility in story placement to help break up the copy.” She kept text in long vertical columns to recall the columns from the company’s new logo—launched last year.

8. Employee photos
Of the redesign, Hoppock says, “The photos for main stories were given an unusual box that incorporates smaller vertical columns on the sides, creating a frame and reflecting the masthead design. The rest of the photos were given consistent callouts, with infomation placed below the photos making them easier to read and providing a cohesiveness to the publication.”