Unlike other mailings, a postcard doesn’t require opening, so it gets into the recipient’s hands and commands instant attention, like a mini-billboard. Make a good first impression and it will almost always be read. Keep your message simple, your objective clear and your information well-organized.

Tell the customer what you want them to do and what’s in it for them. Make it easy for them to take action.

Specials and coupons add incentives to act. A time limit or bonus for responding by a certain date adds a sense of urgency. Testimonials improve response rates. So do illustrations and use of color.

Attaching a business reply card provides a convenient way for prospects to follow up on your offer. Interested buyers self-select for the next step in the process (receiving a brochure, scheduling a consultation, participating in a needs assessment, receiving a sample, etc.). The United States Postal Service has specific requirements for business reply mail, especially if you are applying for a bulk mail permit. USPS Publication DMM200 "A Guide to Mailing for Businesses and Organizations" can be accessed on their website: www.usps.com.

To take advantage of standard postcard rates (23 cents per piece) cards must be between 3 1/2 x 5" and 4 1/4 x 6". For a first class 37 cent stamp, you can go up to 6 1/2 x 11 1/2".

Let your creative side play with the possibilities of a postcard promotion. For assistance developing your ideas into an impactful, results-oriented mailing, call Linda at 822-0055 or e-mail linda@kauaidesign.com. 

What? you say! Yes—for years you’ve been told to hit two spaces after periods, and on a typewriter you should. But this is no typewriter.

On a typewriter, all the characters are monospaced; that is, they each take up the same amount of space—the letter i takes up as much space as the letter m. Because they are monospaced; you need to type two spaces after periods to separate one sentence from the next. But…

On a computer, most typefaces use proportional characters; that is each character takes up a proportional amount of space—the letter i takes up about one-fifth the space of the letter m . So with proportionally-designed typefaces you no longer need extra spaces to separate the sentences.

This one-space rule applies just as well to the spacing after colons, semicolons, question marks, quotation marks, exclamation points or any other punctuation you can think of.

Take a look at any magazine or book on your shelf—you will never find two spaces between sentences.

II. Digital Type Tip: Underlining

Have you ever seen a word underlined in a magazine or book? Most likely not. That’s because typesetters are able to italicize words for emphasis or for proper convention (such as book titles, periodicals, etc.).

On a typewriter, of course, we had no way to italicize. So we were taught to underline words for emphasis, or to underline those items just mentioned. Since we are upgrading the quality of our type, we should follow the professional standard of italicizing those items that should be italicized.

Underlining in general should be avoided. The underline tends to be heavy, is too close to the type, and bumps into the "descenders" of the letters (those parts that hang below the line, as in the letters g,j,p,q, and y).

If you want to emphasize a word or two you have other options also. Try bold type, larger type or a different font.

This doesn’t mean you should never have any sort of underline with text—just don’t use the underline style that appears on the menu. If you really do want the look of an underline, use a drawn line (called a "rule" in typesetter’s jargon). Most word processors and all page layout, paint and draw programs have some way for you to draw a line under a word or headline. When you draw a line, you can place it where you want and make it as thick or thin or long as you want. The drawn line also tends to look smoother than the underline because it is one long line, not a series of short lines hooked together.

IV. White Space

White space, or negative space, is the part of the design that "isn’t there". It’s not just leftover space but an active and powerful part of the design, just as important an element as type, color or graphics. White space gives the eye a place to rest and long blocks of text a place to breathe.

White space doesn’t always have to be white, of course. The term refers to any empty area (colored or white, opaque or transparent) that has no text or graphics.

In addition to providing breathing room, white space helps to create contrast on the page, adding interest for the reader. Surrounding a block of text with a lot of white space draws the reader in, especially in a crowded layout such as a newspaper, where every column inch is packed with information.

The Wall Street Journal and New York Times often run full page ads with nothing more than a logo and one sentence of text on the page. You might wonder why a company would pay thousands of dollars for a full page ad, and then not fill it up with their sales message. At the same time, you might find it impossible to resist reading that ad as you page through the paper. That’s the power of white space.