A New Look Improves Readership

The Design Monkey took their award-winning abilities to help the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce update their monthly newsletter. View the new look and learn what they and their members are saying about it. Read more…

The Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce asked The Design Monkey to help them with a new look for their monthly Perspectives newsletter. Their current version had been in use for about 10+ years and was very limiting for what they wanted to accomplish. They didn’t have the option to use photos to break up large text areas and to add anything out of the ordinary required a separate insert. This wasn’t very efficient for them.

So after meeting with Debbie Bauer at the chamber, a few guidelines for the project were it had to be easier to read, more dynamic, allow more flexibility of what was included and give them the ability to edit and produce it in-house.

All right let’s get to work then. First off I started with a new masthead for them. The original version was set in a plain italic font similar to Times and then turned 90 degrees. The new version needed to be strong and hold the page together. People needed to recognize it immediately in a stack of mail or a rack and want to pick it up. After some pushing through some different looks, two ideas started to standout. One was rather industrial using the bold, rich burgundy of the chamber to create some excitement. The other a more organic feel that used the calm earthy green from the chamber. After some deliberation, the choice was made to go bold and create some excitement for this newsletter using the industrial look. Now the meat of the newsletter had to be addressed.

MACCI wanted the new version to be easier to read so a table of contents or story cheat was placed on the front right. The article titles were set at as 18 point text in that rich burgundy to help tie the newsletter together and stand out from the body copy. The body copy was divided into three columns to help with reading and spaced generously to allow air to move through the type. An image scheme was developed that let the pictures go across 1 or more columns and let the copy run around it without crowding. After a few rounds of tweaking and moving things around the final version went to press. Now the test was to see how the newsletter would be received by their members.

The chamber has informed me that the new look has been viewed very positively. On the first morning that it was out Debbie had people calling and emailing her about the redesign.

"The Chamber's newsletter was long overdue for a fresh look. The new format is easy to read, eye catching and looks very professional. We are now able to print photos in full color and really make the piece user-friendly.  We have so much flexibility as to what we can do, it now has become a “fun” project putting it together rather than just a monthly job. Our members have commented they are reading it - which is a really great thing! Jon was great to work with in redesigning this piece and was most willing to listen to our suggestions and share his expertise with us. And, best of all we are able to save the Chamber money through this whole process.  A true win-win situation for all!"
Debbie Bauer
MACCI Program Director

In the near future an ad program will be developed for the newsletter to provide their members new ways to help get in front of potential customers. Thank you to everyone at the Chamber that made this a great project for everyone.

Contact Jon at The Design Monkey, by email or 715.652.6887, today to have your internal and external communications evaluated. Perhaps it’s time to update.

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