Kurt Weidemann – typographer, graphic designer, brand identity consultant, and teacher – passed away one week ago at age 88. Widely accepted as one of the most influential typographers of the 20th century, he leaves behind an indelible mark on the industry, as well as printed communications in general. Yet, perhaps the greatest lesson to be taken from his life is in the manner in which he conducted business – with the courage and conviction to follow his strong morals and ethics.

Weidemann’s spirit is beautifully captured in this video from Gestalten TV, filmed in his home studio in Stuttgart. He shares a bit of his rich experiences, including a decade spent breaking rocks at a Russian prison camp during WWII, his work as an identity consultant for Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, his views on typefaces, the distinction between professional design and art, and at the very end of the interview…the keys to his success! I highly recommend taking 16 minutes to watch this video.

Kurt Weidemann 1922 – 2011: The King Is Dead, Long Live the King! from Gestalten on Vimeo.

Treehugger recently published an interesting article on the concept of the standing desk, focusing on the offices of Herman Miller as a case-study, both as a designer of such workspaces (Herman Miller’s Action Office, 1964) and as a potential user group (looking at the Herman Miller’s offices today)… The Standing Desk: Why Hasn’t It Caught On?

Over the years, there have been many purported benefits of using a desk that allows one to stand, beyond the obvious increase in choice and freedom of movement it provides:

- Improved productivity
- Increased energy
- Better circulation
- Reduced wrist strain
- Reduced back and neck pain
- Greater mobility

While the vast majority of my own work time is still spent at my main desk, in a traditional seated position, I really value the ability to break up the work day with other options. I’ve long enjoyed the option of a standing workspace, and even found it to be helpful in breaking creative blocks. I built a small, secondary desk at standing height in a little corner (photo at right), which I primarily use for hand illustration. I also use it in combination with a BioFit stool as a quiet place to write with a laptop.

“Man’s physical machine has evolved to do many things well but no single thing continuously…Proportioning some of our work to standup work stations would do more than anything else to overcome sedentary decline. The office can be a kinetic, active, alert vigorous environment.”

- Robert Probst, The Office: A facility based on change, 1986

I’d love to hear what works for others. What’s your workspace like, and is it working for you?

Author’s note: If you haven’t already read the preceding article, Creating an effective brochure #1: Planning, I highly recommend starting there, then coming back to this article. Many of the suggestions below assume that you’ve already given consideration to the information and questions presented in the article on planning.

When creating a brochure, regardless of the organization, service, product or project it will represent, quality content is paramount. A brochure that captures the attention of your audience, engages readers and effectively communicates your message not only requires the use of good writing and design principles, but content that is meaningful and valuable to readers. This is not an area to cut corners. Time invested in researching, preparing and editing content is never wasted. In short, Be as mindful of the character of your content as you are of the content of your character.

The following is a list of suggestions and guidelines to consider as you craft your brochure’s content.

1. MAKE AN EMOTIONAL APPEAL

The old adage in marketing is that consumers buy based on emotions and justify with logic. The need to appeal to your readers emotions holds weight even if you are not selling anything per se, but are looking to compel readers to perform a certain action, change their behavior, or simply contact you or visit a website for additional information.

2. BE PROFESSIONAL

No one wants their brochure to appear cheap or amateurish, as the publication serves as a representation of your organization and its staff. There is no quicker way to suffer this unfortunate situation than by including careless writing errors, poor quality graphics or generic clip art.

As a side note, professional doesn’t always have to mean polished. For example, many nonprofits who depend largely on public and private donations may want to make sure their promotional materials do not appear too slick and polished, inadvertently giving readers the impression that they are well-funded. Nonetheless, in these situations, a clean professional image is no less important and will convey to prospective donors and grantors that your organization has its act together and will use their funds wisely and efficiently.

3. BE PERSONAL

An effective brochure shares your message in a way that connects personally with your audience. If your brochure spends too much time talking about how great your organization or business is, rather than life from the reader’s perspective, it will likely only make a connection with the trash can.

4. MAINTAIN READABILITY

The need for a brochure to be readable seems obvious, but is too often overlooked. It should be easy to the eyes, a clearly displayed hierarchy of information. Key information should be broken up into easily digestible bits through the use of bullet points, arrows, boxes, or other design elements.

When establishing readability, it is important to be realistic and to put the needs of your target audience first. Consider any potential accessibility issues that your readers might have such as visual impairments or language barriers.

5. SPEAK THE LANGUAGE

An effective brochure will speak in a language that is familiar to it’s target readers. Avoid any technical terms that your readers may not understand, as they may only create distance between you and your audience. The simpler your communications are, the easier it will be to connect with your readers.

6. LEAD WITH THE BENEFITS

Rather than pitching your service or product, consider selling its benefits, whether they be for the reader directly or for the community in which the reader lives. By promoting benefits such as time savings, enhanced productivity, safety, or environmental improvements, you are much more likely to capture your readers’ attention.

7. MAINTAIN A CLEAR, SINGULAR MESSAGE

It’s often tempting for the inexperienced brochure writer to include as much information as possible in the brochure, providing their readers with a listing of all the features of your service or product. This temptation often stems from the misguided notion that their brochure can be used to close the sale, so to speak. However, providing too much information and covering too many topics has a tendency to confuse readers and distract them from the core message. Instead, choose one primary theme or message that you wish your brochure to convey, and create all of your content in support of that theme.

8. FOCUS ON A SINGLE SERVICE OR PRODUCT LINE

A brochure is not a catalog and should not be treated like one. The central message of your brochure should be based on a single service or product line. The greater the number of services, items and choices in your brochure, the greater the likelihood you will confuse, overwhelm or otherwise lose the attention of your readers.

9. MAKE A CLEAR CALL TO ACTION

Your brochure should direct the reader to take a specific, definable action such as make a phone call for more information, or visit a website or physical location. If your brochure is well-written, it will leave readers wanting more. If your brochure lacks a clear call to action and fails to make it clear what they can do to get more information, you’ve missed a golden opportunity.

It’s not enough to make your audience thirsty, you’ve got to lead them to the water too.

10. GET GOOD HELP

Consider hiring a professional graphic designer with experience in brochure design. Their knowledge, insights, and talents will produce a more effective brochure, improving your odds of winning the patronage of your prospective customers or clients.