GUIDELINES FOR USING LAYOUT AND TYPOGRAPHY TO CREATE EFFECTIVE EMPHASIS
These are recommendations from experts based on research in technical writing. They are guidelines, not rules.
Layout
Margins
- Use justified left but ragged right all through letter
- Leave 1 ½ inches left and 1 ½ inches right
Leading (space between lines)
- Set 2 points larger than type size (e.g., 12 over 14)
Headings
- Use upper and lower case (not all caps)
- Set in boldface
- Justify to the left margin
- Triple-space before headings and double-space after (19.2 points before, 8.4 points after)
Typography
Fonts
- Select a serif font for the text of the letter (like Times Roman)
- Don't mix fonts within the text of the letter
- Select a sans serif font for the headings (like Arial)
Shading/Boxing
- Use shading and boxing only to accent graphs, charts, etc.
Bullets
- Use standard bullets (if you choose others, like diamonds or arrows, be consistent)
- Generally, don't use more than two types of bullets in a letter
- Use numbers only if there is a sequence to identify
Bold/Italics/Underlining
- Use bold for emphasis (not underlining)
- Use italics for parenthetical information, like citations of laws
Before You Finish
- Take a long look at the appearance of the letter for eye-appeal
- Be sure the letter does not look visually confusing
- Don't overuse layout and typographical devices
- Check for odd shapes (the "hourglass effect") that may have unintentionally been created as you composed the letter