Desktop Publishing

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Use boxes to organize information, while adding contrast to the page.

For instance, you might frame the table of contents with a box on the front page, or if you have to fit several articles on the same page, turn one or two of them sidebars by enclosing them in a box.

In PageMaker, use the drawing tool to create the box and fill it with a rule from the Elements pull-down menu. In the 1997 Freestone, we used boxes for staff and magazine credits and the table of contents. To view that page, click on the icon below.

There's so much you can do with publishing programs, it's often hard to use restraint, but every element on the page should be there for a reason.

Though the black tones of boxes, rules, and borders help create contrast, they are just organizational tools, and they won't make a page more exciting to read. Plus, overusing them will darken and compartmentalize your publication. If you want to create excitement, experiment with typography and graphics.