The KellyGram

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WANT YOUR MATERIALS READ? CHOOSE A SERIF FONT!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ive long been a proponent of serif typefaces in body copy, including articles, books, letters, etc. Virtually all newspapers, and most books and magazines, use them.

A serif is defined as: "any of the short lines stemming from and at an angle to the upper and lower ends of the strokes of a letter." Some examples are Times Roman, Courier and Garamond.

In recent years, theres been a growing trend, particularly among graphic designers, to use sans serif (or sanserif) typefaces (or fonts), including Helvetica and Arial, in body copy. In 2006, a feature-length documentary film, Helvetica, was released, extolling the virtues of the font.

In a recent Metropolis magazine (June 2007), graphic artist Ellen Lupton wrote a glowing review of the film, printed entirely, by the way, in a serif font.

Now, Im not out to pick a fight with graphic designers, or to criticize the use of sans serif fonts. Theyre fine for headlines, callouts, sidebars, etc., and, used judiciously, can add to the eye appeal of a book or article. As Lupton points out, theyve also greatly improved "the public image of the typeface on café signs, billboards, subway graphics, and so on."

Why should you avoid sans serif fonts in body copy? Theyre much harder to read in large blocks! That isnt merely my opinion; thats a proven fact, tested again and again for years. Recently, I found added support for that position in a completely unexpected place.

It came from a book I was reviewing for a nonprofit client. Written by Ken Burnett, and titled The Zen of Fundraising: 89 Timeless Ideas to Strengthen and Develop Your Donor Relationships, it was published by Jossey-Bass in 2006.

In Timeless Idea #55, Burnett urges his readers to "design for readability," and writes at length about the importance of using serif typefaces in communication. He cites extensive studies done by an academic researcher named Colin Wheildon, whose findings "are all based on painstaking research with groups of typical readers over many years in many formats, using lots of subjects in several countries."

In Burnetts words, Wheildon found that: "in comprehension studies, whereas roughly two-thirds of a newspapers readership will comprehend a given article set in Garamond (serif), that comprehension level will drop to one-eighth when the same text is set in Helvetica (sanserif)."

Lets see: 67 percent? Or 12.5 percent? Thats a no-brainer. I rest my case!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SMILE AWHILE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marty had recently retired after 26 years of military service and had gone to work in what seemed an unlikely place for a battle-scarred veteran a womens lingerie factory.

Amazed at his choice of jobs, one of his old buddies asked him, "What in the world are you doing there?" Martys reply: "Im a diesel fitter."

Asked for a more detailed job description, he explained: "I stand at the end of the line where the womens panties are made. As they get to me, I hold up each pair and say, " Yeh, deesl fit ’er."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ODDS AND ENDS

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back Issues:

All previous issues of The KellyGram, dating back to January 2003, are available on our website: http://www.wordcrafters.info/back_issues.html.

Privacy Policy:

Your privacy is very important to us. We assure you that under no circumstances will we share, distribute, publish, give away or sell our mailing lists or other information about you to any other party.

Reprint Permission:

You may copy or distribute excerpts from The KellyGram by using the following credit line: "The following is taken from the October 2007 issue of The KellyGram, and is used with permission." We will appreciate receiving copies of any publications in which you use materials contained herein. Thank you.

Subscribe/Unsubscribe:

If this issue was forwarded to you and youd like to receive it regularly at no cost, please subscribe either by email at bob@kellygram.com or by using the form at http://www.wordcrafters.info/newsletters.html.

If you are currently a subscriber but no longer wish to receive The KellyGram from us, you may unsubscribe by clicking on the link above.

If you know of others who might like to receive The KellyGram, please forward this issue to them.

Comments/Questions:

Your comments and questions are always welcome. Please contact us at bob@kellygram.com, or call Bob Kelly at (480) 895-7617.

Answer to Fun with Words:

DBOMTYCC Dont bite off more than you can chew

OOTFPITF Out of the frying pan into the fire

STBBTH Seize the bull by the horns

APLTW Actions speak louder than words

TBOAPW The best of all possible worlds

THABTW Two heads are better than one

TEBCTW The early bird catches the worm

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE LAST WORD

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Never blame a legislative body for not doing something. When they do nothing, they dont hurt anybody. When they do something is when they become dangerous.

(Will Rogers)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

© 2007 by Bob Kelly. All rights reserved.