How to attract attention
01. Using colour
02. Using fonts
03. Using font size
04. Using words
05. Using graphics
06. Using photographs

01. Using colour

Colour can make a huge difference. With today’s printers, you can print in any colour you like. The colour of the text or the background are very important. They can change the whole atmosphere of what you are writing.

A different colour text can provide a totally different ‘feel’. Change the colour of the paper and/or background too! This again can change the atmosphere.

02. Using fonts

03. Using font size

Newspaper headlines
These are centred and usually 20–36 point, though they are larger in tabloid newspapers.

Subheadings
These are usually 12–20 point and are bold, but are typed on the left.

Body text
This is the main part or body of the document. It is written in paragraphs. Body text is usually from 8 point in newspapers to 10 or 12 point for a letter, magazine or book.

04. Using words

Using the right words is important, whether it is for a business letter, a sports report or an advertisement for frozen peas!

The structure of your text, your choice of adjectives and the overall tone of your writing are all very important.

 

05. Using graphics

Sometimes it is simpler to explain things using diagrams or pictures.

Financial information and details of the weather forecast are usually provided with diagrams and drawings to help us understand the situation.

06. Using photographs

Photographs can tell a story which would be impossible to explain with the same impact by using words on their own.

It is easy to see how a journalist might add a caption to the above picture to explain the excitement of the race.

Writing a caption for a picture is called anchorage. Without the caption, it can be difficult for the reader to interpret the picture.