Extra Milers pushes the envelope of one-color printing. (Newsletter profile).

Anyone who thinks one-color, black printing has to be dull or project a "cheap" image obviously hasn't seen the City of Houston's Extra Milers newsletter--a 2001 Silver Award winner in The Newsletter on Newsletters' annual Newsletter Awards Competition.

"Black no longer has to mean dull or boring," one judge said.

Although Extra Milers contains a lot of text, the overall image is light and airy. This comes from the use of a four-column grid which employs only three of the four columns on each page. This technique builds white space into each page design and avoids an overall gray image.

Editor Cynthia Sax, who publishes four titles for the City of Houston, told NL/NL, "I'll cut copy for white space if I have to.

My 23,000 readers are tremendously diverse. I have Ph.D.s, engineers, and the folks, who pick up the trash. They all work hard. When they're finished, they're tired.

"I want the newsletters to look attractive," she said. "Something they'll pick up and look at the headlines, photos, and the first story. I want it to be something they're proud of, something they'll take home with them. Actually, many people tell me they read the whole thing."

Contributing to Extra Milers' visual interest is the way the typography of the nameplate, which is based on the metaphor of a roadway with center line, is carried through on each page. The same technique of balancing a script first word with a larger, sans-serif second word set in heavy typeface is used for department heads throughout each page.

The result is that each page contains a pleasing visual contrast based on three blocks: the dark nameplate or department head, the gray text columns, and the generous white space which frames everything.

The overall impact is one of balance combined with enough visual variety to maintain the reader's interest.

Extra Milers, which highlights City of Houston employees who went the extra mile in providing assistance or support to citizens in difficult situations, is a fast read. The department heads make it easy to locate particular operating areas, and employee names are set in a bold-face type that allows readers to immediately locate individual names in the stories. Entries are short, usually consisting of an extract from a call or letter commending the employee's concern and efforts.

One of the things that our judges liked was the way one department is featured each month. A teaser for the particular department, with a head shot of the director, is built into the nameplate. This adds subtle month-to-month variety that helps each issue appear fresh.

Extra Milers is a case study of using design to make a lot out of a little--an innovative use of limited resources to serve a worthwhile cause.

Roger C. Parker. a longtime NL/NL contributing editor, advocates short, monthly one-page newsletters that drive people to web sites. Read why at www.OnePageNewsletter.com.