"There's life beyond the Times Roman font," says Tracy D. Hargrove, speaker for the April 24 Illinois Woman’s Press Association meeting to be held at The Courtyard at Marriott in Chicago (see box on this page for details).

Hargrove is a graphic design manager for Vigil Printing, a Chicago printer geared to nonprofits. He is encouraging participants in the program to bring their newsletters for a critique afterwards.

A "word" person as well as a designer, Hargrove is also editor of Stagebill Magazine, which often has a 14-day turnaround for programs for 50 Chicago theaters, the Chicago Symphony, and the Lyric Opera. He says that simple changes in fonts and layout can make dramatic changes in a print piece’s ability to communicate with its readers. He will answer questions such as:

• How does a designer under deadline unify diverse copy into an appealing format?
• When you can use 2- 3- or even 5-column layout?
• How do you choose the most effective photos?
• How can you break the habit of using default fonts like Times Roman and Helvetica?
• What are the appropriate fonts for an older as opposed to a younger readership, a church newsletter, or a school textbook?