Planning |
1 |
Does your publication fulfill the goals identified in the six basic questions regarding publication purpose, desired
image, and reader expectations? |
2 |
Does your design reflect the information hierarchy identified at the word processing stage? |
3 |
Did you try out alternative layouts using a pencil and paper before starting to work on your computer? |
4 |
Does your layout project an appropriate image on? |
5 |
Did you establish realistic schedules and budgets before beginning work? |
Page Layout |
6 |
Is there a consistent column structure, or grid, appropriate for your publication's mix of text and graphics?
|
7 |
Have you framed your pages with sufficient white space along the top, bottom, and sides? |
8 |
Is column spacing appropriate to type size? |
9 |
Did you employ only functional borders? |
Headlines |
10 |
Do Headlines clearly emerge from adjacent text? |
11 |
Does headline type size reflect importance? |
12 |
Are headlines surrounded with white space? |
13 |
Did you replace white space inside headlines with white space around headlines? |
14 |
Are headlines, subheads, and pull-quotes consistent throughout your document? |
15 |
Did you break multi-line headlines at logical pauses? |
16 |
Did you use uppercase type in headlines with restraint? |
17 |
Did you break long headlines into shorter elements? |
18 |
Have you avoided parallel, or tombstone, headlines? |
Subheads |
19 |
Did you use subheads to break up long text passages? |
20 |
Do subheads clearly emerge from surrounding text? |
21 |
Do subhead sizes reflect their importance? |
22 |
Have you used typographic contrast, white space, and graphic accents to separate subheads from preceding text?
|
23 |
Have you avoided isolating subheads at the tops and bottoms of columns and pages? |
Pullquotes |
24 |
Did you place pull-quotes within paragraphs rather than between paragraphs? |
25 |
Did you place pull-quotes within paragraphs rather than between paragraphs? |
26 |
Do pull-quotes clearly stand out from adjacent text? |
27 |
Have you avoided introducing unnecessary text wraps? |
Body copy |
28 |
Did you choose a readable or "transparent" typeface for body copy? |
29 |
Is type size appropriate for typeface and line length? |
30 |
Did you experiment with reduced letter and word spacing to tighten up body copy? |
31 |
Did you replace underlined words with bold or italic type, or small caps? |
32 |
Did you use bold and italic type with restraint? |
Paragraphs |
33 |
Did you use one, and only one, way to indicate new paragraphs throughout your document? |
34 |
Are tabs and indents appropriate for the type size and column width you have chosen? |
35 |
Did you avoid indenting the first line of paragraphs after headlines or subheads? |
36 |
Have you eliminated widows and orphans? |
Initial caps |
37 |
Are your initial caps large enough to look purposeful rather than accidental? |
38 |
Did you provide a smooth transition between initial caps and the paragraphs they introduce? |
39 |
Does each initial cap baseline align with one of the text baselines? |
40 |
Have you eliminated unwanted space between initial caps and the words they introduce? |
41 |
Do initial caps inadvertently spell out embarrassing words? |
42 |
Did you hang initial caps to maintain alignment with adjacent columns of text? |
Punctuation |
43 |
Did you replace typewriter-style punctuation with the correct typeset punctuation? |
44 |
Did you hang punctuation? |
45 |
Did you eliminate unnecessary punctuation? |
Lists |
46 |
Did you replace space within lists with space around lists? |
47 |
Did you use typographic contrast to eliminate unnecessary punctuation within lists? |
48 |
Did you use numbers or symbols to introduce lists? |
Characters, symbols, and special numbers |
49 |
Have you replaced letters with ligatures when appropriate? |
50 |
Have you used Old Style Figures and True Small Caps (when available) to maintain an even body copy texture?
|
51 |
Did you replace words with symbols whenever possible? |
Spell-checking your publication |
52 |
Did you run your spell-checker one last time? |
52 |
Did you double-check your spell-checker's substitutions? |
Visuals |
53 |
Do the sizes of your visuals reflect their importance? |
54 |
Do photographs direct your reader's eyes into your pages rather than off the page? |
55 |
Have you cropped and silhouetted photographs to emphasize only the most important parts? |
56 |
Did you align photographs with each other and adjacent text columns? |
57 |
Did you provide borders for photographs when needed? |
58 |
Did you use an appropriate typeface, type size, and line spacing for captions? |
59 |
Did you use care when placing text on top of photos? |
60 |
Have you replaced text with tables, organization charts, or other visual tools when appropriate? |
61 |
Have you chosen the type of chart or graph that best communicates and interprets your information? |
62 |
Did you add meaningful titles for tables and graphs? |
63 |
Have you omitted unnecessary clip art? |
Graphic accents |
64 |
Have you avoided unnecessary rules, boxes, and screens? |
65 |
Did you exercise restraint when adding reverses? |
66 |
Did you choose the proper typeface, type size, and type style for reversed text? |
Color |
67 |
Did you use two-color printing for unity and emphasis? |
68 |
Did you concentrate color in a few large areas rather than scatter it over the pages? |
69 |
Does your use of color reflect an appropriate emotional response? |
70 |
Did you increase the size or width of text set in color? |
71 |
Did you avoid running photographs of people in a second color? |
72 |
Have you avoided weak, screened colors? |
Purpose