1

The Good, the Bad

and the Ugly
Shoot Out at the PR Corral
Presentation by Annette Wetteland
State Library of Iowa
October 11, 2007
Iowa Library Association
Fall Conference
Wanted
If I dont get all your questions answered, or if you think of some after this session,
you can reach me at:
2
http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org
Click on Contact Us
Annette Wetteland
What we will not be covering:
How to use a camera; digital or otherwise. Thats what your instruction manual is
for or a photography class.
Different publishing programs for creating publications: There are many out there.
You may want to try and learn Word Publisher which is fairly simple if youre good at
Word.
What we will discuss:
Tips for taking good photographs with any camera and things to look out for when
shooting pictures
Things to pay attention to when designing print and Web pages
Also touch on using colorcarefully!
3
Every Picture Tells a Story Baby
Why do we take pictures in our libraries?
For our:
Websites
Newsletters
Scrapbooks
Local newspapers
Historical or posteritys sake
Do you use them to bring attention to whats going on in your library:
During budget presentations
When speaking to civic organizations
They can be used successfully to tell your story whether that story is good or bad.
But to do this well, your pictures have to be good!
4
Yawn.boooring
One picture is worthnothing if its boring or doesnt convey a message. Youre
better off not using a photo at all than using a bad one.
5
See What the Camera Sees
Watch out for busy backgrounds. Pay attention for things like plant hats. You
may not see it because youre distracted by your subject, but the camera will! Keep
your surroundings in mind when you think about where to stage a photo.
6
The Line Up
If its a photograph of a groundbreaking ceremony, you dont have much choice.
People will be lined up. But if youre taking a picture of say your summer library
program participants, think again.
And the old grip and grin photos the ones where someone representing some
organization has just given you a monetary donation. You have a line of people
the donor is holding the check while shaking your or your board presidents hand.
You cant help it if thats what the newspaper photographer wants. But I saw a
much more interesting picture in a newspaper lately where the donor wanted to
provide funds to beef up the librarys business publications. He was standing in the
stacks looking at what the library had already. That picture told a story.
7
Clustered
Have some people sitting, one or two standing behind them. That helps give the
picture depth and a little more interest. Needless to say, tall people in the back,
shorter people in the front. They can even overlap. Rememberif they cant see
the camera lens, the camera cant see them. The same goes with you. Be sure
you can see everyones face in the lens. And again, be careful about whats going
on in the background and on the sides of your pictures. Messy area? Clean it up or
move.
You have to get up close and personable with the object of your picture.
It takes courage during meetings / presentations to get in peoples way for a
minute. Maybe you think your subject will be bothered by it. (Most people arent by
the way.) But getting in someones face or in someones way for just a few seconds
makes all the difference in getting a good shot.
8
Fill the Frame
Whats wrong with this picture?
Where does your eye flow?
To the left?
Is it clear who you are seeing?
Does it look focused?
The photographer needed to move in tight so that all she saw in the frame is what
she wanted in her picture. The people!
9
Up Close and Personal
More like this! Dont stand at the back of the room, but up close. You can use the
zoom lens on your camera to get a closer shot, but use caution. My experience is
that the photos are grainy and a little out of focus using the zoom. Whenever
possible, simply get closer.
10
Cropping Symbols
Were going to talk about cropping photos. Here are a couple of symbols that depict
the cropping tool. It can look different in different publishing programs, so youll
have to take the mouse and hover over things that look similar to see if cropping
pops up.
You want to take advantage of this little tool because it can make a lot of difference
in your photographs.
11
Cropsand I dont meant corn and
soybeans
When I look at this photo, the first thing my eye focuses on is the people, but then
right away Im drawn to all the other things going on in the background. While it
would have been better to get close to my subjects and fill the frame with them, I
can still make this a good photo with my cropping tool.
12
Cropped
Ive cropped it once (left) which improves it. But by cropping it even tighter Ive
almost completely done away with anything distracting in the background. Maybe
you like the bridge. Thats OK, too. Art is in the eye of the beholder.
13
More is Betterand Safer
Shoot lots of pictures, especially when photographing kids and groups. Its not
unusual for me to take 20 or more pictures at an event, and then only use one or
two of the best. These were taken years ago (obviously) at the State Law Library
during the 2004 Iowa caucuses. Bob Scheiffer was doing a live interview of
presidential candidate John Edwards for Face the Nation. It was an exciting
opportunity and I cant tell you many dozens of pictures I took that morning.
14
1 in a 100
But this is the one I chose to use. I like the interaction between them and the
setting.
15
Take a lot of pictures of the same scene, too. These are people using computers at
the Des Moines Public Library. Depending on what the story is, I could use any one
of these pictures. The first one (upper left) could be used to tell the story of how
tied up our computers are and that we need more. The second photo could tell the
story of how students use the library to do homework. The third would make a nice
picture in a collage that talks about the daily goings on at the library.

16
Shoot from the Subjects Eye Level
We miss the opportunity for a good photo if we dont get down to the level of our
subject, especially children. Its important to take pictures at their eye level.
You can also get very interesting effects from taking pictures looking up at people or
standing on a ladder shooting down at them. Ladder shoots are great for group
scenes because youll be able to get faces of more people.
17
Action
Another reason to take a lot of pictures is to try and get one that shows action. And
thats not easy. They move, you click, but you and/or the camera werent fast
enough to actually catch the action. Its frustrating to miss a good action shot. The
best way Ive found is to stand at attention, camera focused on a person, finger on
the shutter, and waitand waitTHEY MOVE. Click!
18
Can anyone explain why one of these pictures is better than the other? You dont
want bright light in the background or youll get shadows.
19
Keep Your Camera Close
One never knows when a good picture will suddenly occur. Keep your camera
handy where staff have
easy access to it. I got my 3-year-old cat, Riley, a playmate from the Rescue
League. I knew it would take a couple of days for them to warm up to each other,
but I kept the camera on the dining room table so I could capture the moment when
they became bosom buddies.
I was sitting right next to them, as was the camera. Voila!
20
Avoid Using Color Paper
Colored paper is fine if youre not going to include photos, but look at what happens
when you do. The photos take on the color of the paper. It cant be helped. I once
saw a newsletter that used blue paper with blue print. And everyone in the pictures
looked blue in the face. Better off sticking with white paper when using photos.
21
Photos on Web Pages
The photos you put on your Web pages are probably some of the most important
youll use. Especially if you intend for them to be a permanent fixture, like your
library building.
This photo would be better if the library wasnt in the shadow. Sometimes its worth
it to wait for a sunny day and good lighting. (Early morning or early evening light is
better than the harsh sunlight of midday.)
22
Trying to Capture it All
Here, the photographer has decided he wants to show the whole library. Its an
impressive looking building, I think. Its so far away its kind of hard to tell. The
photo would be better on the page if it was larger.
23
Better to Zero In
Notice how the photographer chose to zero in on just a part of the library.a
welcoming front door. Also, the picture is bigger and fits well on the page.
It would be perfect if it had a couple of people entering or leaving the library.
24
Layout and Design
Identify the Point
What you produce
represents your library
Focus on your message
and audience
KISS
Were going to change course now and talk about some simple strategies for
creating publicity materials.
Most of us arent artists, but if we follow some basic design principles, our final
production will be better. Maybe not award winning, but at least not ugly.
What is the hot issue, the one thing you want your reader to retain. Let this issue
dictate your designs emphasis.
Good document design is mainly a combination of common sense and keeping
things simple. Look at attractive examples of documents that are similar to what
youre trying to create.
When creating publicity materials, remember that your fliers and brochures
represent your library and reflect on you! Focus on your audience and your
message.
Its important to keep simplicity in mind when designing publicity pieces. Its easy to
get carried away with fancy fonts and colors, clip art and boxes. Know your
limitations. Stick to the basics and leave the complex to the artists.
Use the KISS rule. Keep it simple and smile!
25
Whats That Doing Here?
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The Smalltown Public Librarys Annual Report
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr
Lets talk for a second about using graphics and photos. Never use a graphic for its
own sake. Always consider and justify its inclusion as a contributor to the overall
design effect.
Clip art and other graphics are just clutter if they dont contribute to a special
objective.
26
Upper Left to Lower Right
Research shows that readers enter a layout at the upper left and exit at the lower
right.
27
Page Layout
Smallville Public Library
undergoes major renovation
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New youth services director
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If we follow that rule, the most important headline should be the biggest and placed
at the top left hand side of the page. Other headlines should be slightly smaller in
size.
One rule of thumb is that 24 point bold is a good size for your main headline, and 18
point bold is about right for other headlines in a newsletter.
28
Smallville PL
Update
Smallville Public Library
undergoes major renovation
New youth services director
named
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Youll see that I like to use photos in the upper part of the article.
But, in this case the eye is drawn to the lower right hand corner. Strong or large
photos or graphics placed here will grab the readers attention but may
distract them enough to skip whats on the rest of the page.
29
Smallville PL
Update
Library
renovation
planned
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Stephen King
to talk about
his latest book
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Story hour
times changed
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What you see here is called tombstoning.
Each article is given the same importance. They run together to make it seem like
you really have one big headline instead of three very different stories.
So avoid positioning articles next to each other. I think a visit by Steven King
deserves a little more attention here than story hour!
30
Smallville PL
Update
Poet John Thompson scheduled to read
his book on Iowa counties at library
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Poetry becomes
popular with
young readers
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Consider different types of layouts. Here we have a main story, along with a
sidebar.
Typically sidebars have something in common with the main article, but you can
effectively use this layout to tell two different stories. Youll also notice that Ive
started to include other design techniques to make the page a little more interesting.
Adding lines helps break up the page in the readers eye without taking away from
the articles.
31
SMALLVILLE PL
UPDATE
COMPUTER CLASSES PLANNED
FOR ADULTS
NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE NECESSARY
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LAPSITS BRING
PARENTS CLOSER TO
THEIR BABIES WHILE
ENCOURAGING EARLY
READING
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Using all caps in your headlines makes reading difficult. It takes your brain longer
to comprehend what youre seeing.
There are two schools of thought on headlines. Some will capitalize only the first
letter in the headline and proper nouns, while others will capitalize every word
except prepositions such as as, ans, thes, etc. Either way is OK but be consistent
throughout your document.
You can see Im starting to add some color to the layout.
32
Avoid using too many different type faces or styles. Use only two different ones at
the most and be sure they are complementary.
I happened to notice this the other day. It is our fax cover sheet using two different
type faces. One is Times New Roman and the other is Comic Sans.
One reflects a sense of business, the other a sense of fun. Since this is a business
document, it should have a serious tone. Comic Sans is fun, but its out of place
here.
33
Smallville PL
Update (Arial)
Computer classes planned
for adults (Times New Roman)
No previous experience necessary
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Lapsits bring parents
closer to their babies
while encouraging early
reading (Arial)
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Type faces each have personality and character. Here were using two different
fonts. One is Arial and the other Times New Roman. They look OK together. But
typically I use just one type face. You can bold it, italicize it, wrap it in a box,
change the color of the font and it will look different but still be consistent.
34
Smallville PL
Update
(Bradley Hand ITC)
MAYOR TO PROCLAIM
SEPTEMBER 29 AS
BANNED BOOKS WEEK
(CASTELLAR)
Mayor John Doe will proclaim September
29 as Banned Books Week. The mayor
will also read from the book Huckleberry
Fin. Other community leaders will also
read from some of the hundreds of books
that have been banned over the years.
(Abadi MT Condensed)
Teen group formed: Members
invited to meet at the library
on October 10
(Beesknees ITC)
Ten Smallville teenagers have
organized a teen board and are
inviting others in grades 9-12 to
join them in deciding what
changes they would like to see in
the library.
(StempelGaramond Roman)
What are your reactions to these different type styles. Which one is easy to read?
Which one is difficult and why? Some designs are just easier to read than others.
Each may have their place in a publication, however. For instance
35
Quilters Wanted
The Smallville Public Library is hosting
local quilters for a sewing bee. Hats,
gloves and scarves will be knitted and
sewn to help underprivileged children in
the community keep warm this winter.
When: 9 a.m. Saturday, October 13
Where: Smallville Public Library
101 Main St
Register by calling (555) 222-2222 or
drop by the library
Refreshments and materials will be
provided.
Using an unusual type face like Curlz works okay for one or two words in a
headline. In fact it can be eye catching. Or, as we saw from the previous slide, it
can adversely influence your audience. There are hundreds of different type styles
to choose from. Choose wisely. Let a couple of people look at it and get their
feedback. Bottom line, if its difficult to read, it wont get read.
36
Youre Invited to a
Halloween Party
(Chiller type face)
Bring your spooky friends to a Halloween
Party at the Smallville Public Library
Chilling Stories
Ghostly Games
And
Frightening Treats
7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday
October 31
(Abadi MT Condensed)
Lets talk about white space. Dont use every inch of space on your page with
writing and pictures. White space is as important as your text and graphics and
should be considered a design element. White space equals eye rest.
37
Youre Invited to a
Halloween Party
(Curlz)
Bring your spooky friends to a Halloween
Party at the Smallville Public Library
Chilling Stories
Ghostly Games
And
Frightening Treats
7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday
October 31
(Abadi MT Condensed)
There are too many distractions here to get your message across quickly. Clutter
confuses. It dilutes your message. One or two graphics on a page are usually all
you want. As noted before, be sure they are appropriate for your message.
38
Smallville PL
Update (Arial)
Computer classes planned
for adults (Times New Roman)
No previous experience necessary
Tired of being the only one
in the house who cant use a
computer?
This class is for you.
Learn how to:
turn on a computer.
use a mouse.
use e-mail.
Lapsits bring parents
closer to their babies
while encouraging early
reading (Arial)
Experts agree that it is never
too early to start reading to
your child.
Learn how to read to your
baby or toddler in this special
lapsit class.
Give your baby a mental leg
up in the world!
10 to 10:45 a.m. Saturday,
October 13 at the library.
6:30 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday
Smallville PL
Library
Use of short paragraphs psychologically tells readers they can read all of the
information quickly. Next time you pick up a newspaper, notice how the first
paragraph in a story is usually only one or two sentences. Use that first sentence or
two to grab and hold your readers attention so theyll continue to read the rest of
your story. Try to make that first line an attention grabber!
For instance, rather than say Story hour times are changing at the Smallville Public
Library, you may start the article withMore kids will be able to enjoy story hours
because of recent schedule changes.
39
Smallville PL
Update (Arial)
Mayor Mark Johnson to
recognize National Library Week
at special event
National Library Week is
just around the corner and
the Smallville Public
Library has lots of fun,
special events planned,
including Mayor Mark
J ohnsons signing of a
declaration marking this
important week.
Plan to be part of the
declaration signing by
coming to the library on s
Lapsits bring parents
closer to their babies
while encouraging early
reading (Arial)
Experts agree that it is never
too early to start reading to
your child. Learn how to
read to your baby or toddler
in this special lapsit class.
Give your baby a mental leg
up in the world!
10 to 10:45 a.m. Saturday,
October 13 at the library.
6:30 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday
Smallville PL
Library
There are several ways to lay out text. Typically we use left justification. You can
also center your text or do a right justification though you typically would not do that.
What newspapers often do is called full justification or block type like shown here.
Avoid it. Its very formal and as you can see, it tends to stretch out space between
words making it difficult to read.
40
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Another way to highlight important information is by indenting paragraphs, using
bullets, color, and other easily accessible tools. Bullets and indents give you the all
important white space, making it easier and quicker to read.
41
Smallville Public Library
U
p
d
a
t
e
Library receives
state accreditation
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Local author to read from
new book
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s
You dont always have to conform to standard layouts. Its OK to try different
designs as long as you keep them simple and easy to read.
42
Smallville Public Library
Update
Library receives
state accreditation
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Local author to read from
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Another example.
43
Smallville Public Library
U
p
d
a
t
e
Library receives
state accreditation
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Local author to read from
new book
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Another example.
44
Layouts for Web Pages
What is the difference between print publications and Web pages? In print
publications, especially newspapers, magazines, etc., were reading up and down
the page. On Web pages, we read across. You dont want to have to scroll down to
read an article, only to have to scroll back up to finish it.
45
Publications on the Web
We want to design publications on the Web so they read horizontally.
46
Using
Color
In most cases, areas intended for reading look best with a white background and
black text. Dull but true, especially when there is a large amount of text content.
Professional graphic artists say it is best to restrict the use of colors to no more than
3, with perhaps additional colors introduced in the form of different shades.
47
Smallville PL
Update
Poet John Thompson scheduled to read
his book on Iowa counties at library
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Poetry becomes
popular with
young readers
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Here we have 3 different colors of blue from the same blue family. When you pick
a paint color for a room, you usually get a color guide that shows you all the
different variations on the same color. Thats what we mean by a family of colors.
Often they are just lighter shades of the same dominant color. The heading here is
a dark variation of the first headline, and the second headline a lighter version of the
first headline. Color can also be used to help dramatize the words youre using.
For instance
48
CEMENT
Would you use pink to describe cement?
49
Does this color work?
Theres nothing about this color that adds interest to the picture. In fact, its .
BAD!
50
Does this color work?
Given the tree in the background, this is a little better, but
51
How about this color?
I think this shade of brown works best. It doesnt conflict with the colors in the
picture, but rather complements them.
52
State Library of Iowa
This probably seems obvious, but I have seen this on some Web sites. Avoid
putting text on any but the most subtle background image; it can be hell to read.
53
State Library of Iowa
Even a bright color wont help. You lose all interest in the graphic because youre
struggling to read whats on it.
54
State Library of Iowa
Bottom line keep text and graphics separate in most situations.
55
Latest Annual Report Shows
Usage is Up
Customers are
using library for
more than books
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Help needed in
evaluating library
services
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White text on a black background is very hard on the eyes. If you want this sort of
effect, try using a gray background and/or tan or pastel colored text.
56
Meeting on Library
Renovation Plans
The same goes for using text on textured backgrounds.
57
Youre better off
using a light colored
background with
black text.
Or just a few words
of white text on a
dark color
These work. The first background is a light color. And there arent a lot of words
on the black background so it works, too.
58
Summary
Photos:
Fill the camera frame
Pay attention to whats around your subject
Take lots of pictures and only use the good ones
Publications:
Keep them simple and easy to read
Use white space
Layout your pages depending on your medium
columns OK for paper / horizontal lines
for Web pages
Color:
Use color sparingly
Keep text and graphics separate