A pull quote is a larger, differently formatted excerpt or quote from an article used to add visual interest and emphasis. They are common in magazines and newspapers, and online media. Formatting and placement vary, and they are intended to capture the reader’s attention.
A pull quote is a typographic technique in which an excerpt or quote from an article is reprinted within the article in larger text and using a different formatting style so that it stands out to the reader. Common in magazines and newspapers, they are easily identified as a separate piece of text from the rest of an article. Quotes are used to add visual interest to a printed piece, making it more dynamic and eye catching. They are also used to place special emphasis on a particular line or issue in the piece.
Magazines often feature pull quotes, as do some newspapers. They are also employed in online media, which can tend to be bland without the use of typographical tricks to enliven it. Typically, only one or two quotes per page are used, because higher numbers are distracting.
There are many ways to format a pull quote. At a minimum, the text in a quote is larger than the text in the body of the piece. You can use a different font or color, along with accents like color bars, ornaments, or italics. Depending on the publication, the quote can be more flashy; traditionalist publications tend to keep their quotes fairly calm, if they use quotes.
The placement of these typographic features also varies. Some publications set them up to span multiple columns of text to make them very eye-catching, while others fill in a blank column that is typically thinner than a standard column with a quote. The citation can also be framed within a regular column, or it can be inserted into a main page of a magazine; the leader could include the title of the article, a distinctive image and a quote.
The content of a pull quote, also called a call out or lift-out quote, is intended to capture the reader’s attention. It could briefly summarize an important point in the article or use a shocking quote to grab the reader’s attention. Once the reader sees the quote, the hope is that they’ll be drawn into the feature film. These graphic treatments can be very useful when used well, although they can overwhelm readers if used too heavily. It takes a good eye to find the right quote, format it and frame it correctly.
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