Blane C. Holden’s Portfolio

PORTFOLIO SAMPLE 3
Newsletter and Guide Set

Style Guide

Sample 1

Sample 2

Purpose

The Crime Report newsletter was created for the Boise Partners in Crime literary group. This is the monthly newsletter distributed to the membership and supporting organizations. I initially took over as editor as part of an internship with the group and soon discovered how time consuming creating a monthly newsletter can be. After standardizing the layout to a 12-16 page booklet layout, I designed both a how-to and a style guide to assist future newsletter editors to assist them during transitions and so they might concentrate on editing and producing the newsletter instead of minutiae.

Software

• Microsoft Word
  
• Microsoft Publisher
  
• Adobe PDF
  

Target Audience

The primary audiences for the newsletter are members of the Boise Partners in Crime literary group, which consists of writers and readers of mystery and suspense. The how-to and style guide were directed created for newsletter editors first, but also to the newsletter readers. Both manuals will aid in the keeping the format and appearance consistent from month to month, and from editor to editor.

Design Considerations

I chose this layout to allow for both variable content (size and number of articles) and ease of expansion. This format also eases mailing by not requiring an envelope and meets United States Postal Service guidelines for first-class postage.

I selected the fonts and graphics to best serve the readership, which are mostly older persons with associated vision issues. I also took guidance from by previous editors who noted that the members don't like "a lot of flash or changes."

Production Considerations

I opted to use Microsoft Office tools due to their availability and common usage. This also allowed me to create templates that can be passed on to and used by the next editor. Adobe PDF formatting makes it easy to send the newsletter via e-mail and post on websites. PDF is also a universal format accepted by print/copy shops.

Conclusion

By standardizing and simplifying the newsletter production process I can concentrate on issues that are critical to production of a professional and usable product, such as article presentation, printing, and timely mailing.