"What really annoys me is the poor spelling of so many people especially when it’s not just a typo. More so, the incredibly improper use of words such as… their & there, your & you’re, two, too & to, and here & hear. It’s truly appalling..."
Some might say that typos and misspellings are not really a design issue and that's possibly true. But if it detracts from the message in your carefully designed piece it's just as bad as cheap paper, ugly fonts, or uninspiring layouts. Sure, you could blame the copywriter or the proofreader or the client but do you really want that piece in your portfolio? And who do you blame if you are the only person responsible for the writing and the proofing?
On blogs, in forums, and in email we can and often should forgive some bad spelling and erratic punctuation. Much of what we read online is meant to be more casual, is often written without benefit of an editor or proofreading, and maybe isn't really intended to be that closely scrutinized. Plus, if it is something that is intended to have a long life (such as articles on this Web site) it's a fairly simple matter to go back and correct errors days, weeks, or months after the fact. I find myself needing to do that from time to time and wish that more people would do so as well.
However, a typo in print isn't going away anytime soon. Even if the brochure or newsletter or sales flier ends up in the recycling bin eventually, typos and misspelled words can linger on in the mind of the recipient much longer. Do you really want to be remembered as the person who spent hours designing an incredibly beautiful wedding invitation for a friend but didn't proofread enough and got the date wrong or misspelled the groom's name? Your friend might throw a fit but would (hopefully) forgive you in time. You might never know about the number of potential customers you or a client lost because of bad spelling in a business brochure.
If you know you aren't a great speller, get out a dictionary or ask a trusted to friend to look over what you've written before you commit that spelling error to permanent print. For business or pleasure, proofread, proofread, proofread. And if you are doing desktop publishing professionally, proofread anything and everything you share with clients or potential clients including business correspondence such as contracts, invoices, and email. Catch those typos and misspellings before you hit print or send.
