White Space

* Use lots of white space on brochures, flyers, posters and other materials meant to attract and capture the public’s attention. Use large graphics and headlines to guide the eye and fewer words in the body copy. Jamming everything but the kitchen sink into a marketing piece is a sin of the amateur.

* Keep most of the white space on the outside of a design. Don’t leave a gaping whole in the middle.

Color

* Use color with purpose. The best way to use color is for headlines, artwork or other graphics in brochures, on flyers and posters. Don’t go too nuts with color or your page will look like a circus clown on Prozac.

* Finally, remember that the old faithful color combo, black and white, can be many times more effective than two or three colors used poorly. When you substitute another color for black, remember that you are cutting down on the clarity and contrast of text, and in essence, your messages.

* Color is much less expensive than you may believe. Full color really makes a piece come alive and will get noticed more than two or three colors. Price full color along with two or three colors before you get into the design process.

If you want to learn more about colors and how they work together, a great product is Color Schemer Pro. It’s located at: www.colorschemer.com.