The different formats of newsletters have a few similarities. Electronic and mailed newsletters usually have some sort of cover, or masthead, with a logo or nameplate that is easily identifiable. They usually have a very basic color scheme (no more than 1 or 2 colors). And most commonly, they will have some sort of calendar of events, dates of interest, or upcoming items of interest highlighted in the text.
A major difference between the two formats is the fact that they are both different formats. Because one is published online, page size and organization of information is usually completely different. Electronically, the text is usually set to flow, so there are no seperated pages, just one really long page. Mailed newsletters have to be conscious of how big it is, how it is folded, and the grid that arises from having to turn pages.
In the publication design book, of all the designs I saw, the newsletter for ASKO Schonberg, an musical ensemble group, seems like it would be the easiest to translate into a digital format. Mainly because it is a single column format, with a relatively consistant and orderly organization of type. Many of the others are very complicated, with an abundance of callouts, overlapping type and photographs, and information that spreads across the different pages.
And to see Fontshop and Emigre news do both an electronic publication and a hard copy newsletter seems to me the smartest approach to newsletters. On the one hand, printing it is costly, but an object that is tangible can feel much more polished and beautiful. Electronic newsletters on the other hand are much more cost efficient, but lack the desirability or polished feel that printed ephemera evokes.
No comments:
Post a Comment