Reverse type? Use sparingly
File under: Skimmability 101
Great-looking case! Lush typography, too!
On the other hand: DOA?
(white type on a colored background) is pretty in print .... for a little bit.
Beware, though: overusing this form of emphasis in body copy will mean that a large chunk of potential supporters will likely NEVER, EVER, NEVER, EVER absorb the messages you are trying to get across.
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How would YOU respond to this email footer?
These few words and stats appeared at the end of a warm email from Michelle Smalling.
Michelle Smalling is ED at Homes4Homes, a faith-based charity in Tennessee. Also known as HH, this U.S. charity works with communities in four other countries to build better housing for vulnerable families.
800+? 5,000+? These are strong stats. And I'm incurably nosy. So I headed right over to the HH website [if you click through here, you'll arrive at their "community transformation" page] ... and fell deeply in love.
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My dear ambitious subscribers, today's topic is this: the Homes4Homes case for support, now under construction.
Psychologist Otis Fulton, a huge fan of Michelle and HH [click thru to go to their inspiring "stories" page], asked me to peek at this "case in progress" and comment. "Do you see any problems?"
Target audience? Compassionate Americans who might want to significantly improve conditions for families living in unsafe housing overseas.
This new printed case would be a handout, distributed at gatherings like Rotary luncheons or church services, in conjunction with a short talk by Michelle. [This link goes to the HH "sponsor" page.]
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This is the cover of the HH draft case for support:
Then came this page (a great visual demonstrating the before-and-after of this mission):
Then this page of information:
Then this page with "you are there" authentic photography:
The cost per new home: $4,000 in donations, an amount that could be raised with one gathering of compassionate friends.
Yes, but....
There's this research, scanned from my heavily marked-up edition of Colin Wheildon's essential book on effective typography.
Dear reader: Please pay special attention to the "good" vs. "poor" comprehension scores. (By the way: PMS 259 is magenta; PMS 286 is a bright French blue.)
As you've now noted: Only ONE typographic solution — text printed black on white — earned a "good" comprehension rating from a majority of people participating in Wheildon's laboratory study. White text on any colored background MURDERED comprehension.
Yes, you CAN use reverse type ...
with discretion
Reverse type isn't a curse.
Reverse type is a way to emphasize ... as are boldface or italic or highlighting. (Design above by Andrea Hopkins.)
Here's the rule (and this is a real rule, not just a guideline): use ALL forms of emphasis sparingly ... because if we emphasize everything, then we've emphasized nothing.
Our presumed "readers" (and, fingers crossed, donors-to-be) aren't really readers. They're mostly "skimmers"; eye-motion studies make this clear. Skimmers look at the pictures. They look at the big type. They assume they've got the message. And they move on.
Plus, let's never forget: readers, skimmers, whoever .... they're ALL volunteers. They don't HAVE to read our stuff, unless it engages them. When you dish out lots of great info in reverse type, you're throwing mental labor at busy lives and brains. That never turns out well.
The second time I read this brochure, I was shocked to discover...
... that I'd missed most of the really cool stuff ... because that really cool stuff was set in reverse type.
On my second read-through, I learned that Homes4Homes, a faith-based charity in Tennessee, replaces unsafe housing in 4 countries with sturdy, locally-sourced and -built housing. HH works with collaborating communities in Uganda, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico ... adding homes "that are built to last."
I learned that "locking doors and windows allow families to sleep and work in peace everyday without fear." >> I learned that "the walls are built to stand the test of time and provide a legacy of shelter." >> I learned that "community transformation is the ultimate goal of our projects, and we focus on making a long term impact."
But I was the exception. I labored through a second read because I was doing my job. I'd been asked to critique the HH case for support. So I gave it a second, closer read ... and caught the really cool stuff that I'd missed in my first skim of the reverse type.
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For more information, maybe start with this article regarding reverse type.
Your designer will complain of course. Mine do, too. Buy lunch. Hug them. Praise the heck out of them (they deserve it). Then insist.
Homes4Homes has a Neighborhood Newsletter. It promises "Good news delivered to your inbox!" I've subscribed. Who doesn't need some good news?
# # #
Fundraising Writing now has a YouTube channel called Win It In A Minute, where Julie Cooper interviews Tom Ahern ... and more! These are very short videos, each focused on a single donor-communications challenge.
Dear Reader: This is an excerpt from Tom Ahern’s e-newsletter. Did you miss crucial back issues of this how-to e-news? Immediately available! Just GO here. (And scroll down just a bit to sign up for Tom’s revenue-boosting tips and insights. In your inbox regularly. It’s free.)