[Dalya’s Note: This guest post was written by Nadia Khastagir who will be a Special Guest on the 3/5 Writing Wednesdays call. She is a co-owner/graphic designer at Design Action Collective.]

How many times has a copywriter bemoaned that designers always say there’s too much text? How many times does the designer want the editor to cut more text?

How can we come to a perfect harmony?

Graphic design should make your text sing. Good design should enhance the text, it is the supporting actor to the lead star, making sure that the lead role drives the plot and the story. It is the rhythm section to the leader singer. It is the choir to the diva. At the same time, if the story is dominated by the one star always taking the solo, the audience can lose interest, it starts to feel monotonous. This is why design can enhance the copywriting.

Functional graphic design shouldn’t overwhelm the reader to distraction but encourage the reader to read the this brochure, report, flyer, advertisement. Graphic design should show off the stars of the story.

Graphic design can transform your copy into an eyecatching piece:

And give it a level of sophistication:

How does graphic design interact with your copy?

Color: Less is more when it comes to color. A good color palette will enhance and not distract. We want it to be easy for the reader to read the text. Accent colors can pop out key points.

Why White (or negative) space is important: It’s tempting to use all that extra space up to the edge of the page so we can keep all the important copy. But here is why it’s not a good idea (compare to above):

White space allows the eye to rest. It increases legibility. It increases attention span. It allows a level of sophistication. It creates breathing room and balance. The eye and the brain feel at ease.

What the heck is leading? Simply, the space between the lines of text. How much space depends on the context of the piece. With dense reports, newspapers, and articles, increasing leading will aid in legibility. For design purposes, imagine a beautiful quote with a beautiful font allowed to shine on a page of an annual report.

Typography and Text Styling: Designers use typography to enhance text, to evoke a feeling, or that is easily read on a page. Fonts for text, headings, and special treatments, are carefully chosen from a wealth of fonts available. Using the different fonts in a family (bold, italics) helps enunciate key text. The use of different typefaces should complement each other, based on many factors, as well as support the tone of the publication.

Read the rest of the post: The Loving Tension Between Writers and Designers