Barbara Nixon's PR Publications class

1. The top10things I learned inPR Publications -MeShae Hankerson, Senior, Georgia Southern University

2. In case you didn’t know, fonts really are important. Long gone are the days of using just: Times New Roman, Arial & Comic Sans. Technology has allowed design to surpass the limitations of traditional fonts and boring white backgrounds. The concept is easy… the more attractive something is, the more attention it will receive, so type accordingly.

3. Oh yes! Color matters too. Color is what adds emphasis to certain areas of your publication. There are 3 types of color: Primary, Complementary & Intermediate Each type plays a role in your publication, so it is important to understand the differences and how they will affect your design. Remember, color has the power to “jazz up” or “mess up” your publication.

4. Can they read that?! When creating a publication, you must always keep the reader in mind. Visual readability is among the most important things to consider when designing a publication. If your audience can’t read and understand your message, essentially your efforts have failed.

5. Layitallout. The layout of your publication affects your publication’s readability and effectiveness. A poor layout can land your publication under a stack of other, more attractive ones. There are 3 key components to remember when designing a layout. Those components are balance, prominence and distribution. Together, they direct your layout.

6. Let’s weigh our options. Never did I think weight would play a part in the design of a publication, but it does. The weight of paper a publication is printed on can significantly alter its effectiveness. “Light weight papers make for cheaper mailing costs, but seldom have good opacity. More opacity is required to assure that readers don’t see printing on one side of a page while they’re reading the other side.” - Lisa Morton, Author of Strategic Publications The weight of the paper used in the production of your publication should be appropriate for the type of publication it is.

7. Thanks! Public Relations practitioners should strive to build a relationship with his/her printer. Whether you use Kinkos, Office Max, or your local print shop, it is essential to maintain a good relationship with the staff. Building a relationship with your printer will make your job much easier and save time and money.

8. What’s their motivation? When designing a publication, one question you should ask yourself is, “why would they read this?” There are 3 reasons why publics read: Surveillance- Reading to learn how to improve situations/circumstances Interaction- Reading to make better interactions with others Diversion- Reading for entertainment or somewhat of a getaway Keep this in mind when designing, so that you can tailor your message/publication to match your readers’ motivation.

9. Bullseye Before a publication can be made, there must be a targeted group that will read it. You should know 3 things about your public: Demographics- age, gender, race, family size, etc. Psychographics- personality & other psychol. behaviors Sociographics- the groups that the public belong to If you forget to segment your public, you may fail to reach your targeted audience. Find your target in the beginning and stick with it.

10. I’m a designer! There are 4 elements in design: Unity- the ability for all items in a layout to appear as one unit. Alignment- the layout of items along imaginary, yet identifiable lines Proximity- the unification of items by physically placing them close on a page Harmony- the treatment of items similarly on a page throughout a publication; items with similar theme or mood. This one is easy, Unity +Alignment +Proximity +Harmony = Success The combination of these 4 elements makes for a successful and effective publication.

11. “Why am I doing this, again?” One of the MOST important things I learned in PR Publications is how important it is to know your publication’s purpose. Each publication is different, which means that their purposes may be also. As PR practitioners, we must understand why a publication is being made, who it will target, and what our result should be. Knowing your publication’s purpose lays groundwork for everything else in the publishing process.