Type Tricks: eliminating typographic clutter

Simplify your pages as much as possible; the simpler your design, the easier it will be for readers to understand your message. When adding graphic accents like page borders or vertical rules between
columns, ask yourself: “Do these accents really make it easier to understand my message?”

All too often, graphic accents provide more “decoration” than function. Your goal should always be to “make as few marks on the page as necessary,” so you readers will devote their full attention to your words, ideas, and graphics. Some graphic accents, like reverses (white type against a black background)
or type set against shaded backgrounds (printed in gray or a second colors), make reading harder by interfering with foreground-background legibility.