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PatternsWriting patternsPull quote

Pull quote

A sentence or two from the page, set in display, used to anchor a section.

Editorial use only1 per case study, maxAlways a quote, not a paraphrase

Anatomy

A pull quote is a sentence or two from the page, set infont-instrument-serif at 1.5 rem, with a 1 px--line-strong left border. It is reserved for editorial moments — a sentence the page wants the reader to take away.

"If a page feels wrong, change the spacing, the size, or the weight. Adding a third face is not the answer; the answer is usually that the body type is too small."

Rules of thumb

  • One pull quote per case study, max. Two pull quotes break the reading column.
  • A pull quote is always a real quote from the page, not a paraphrase.
  • A pull quote never has a byline. The reader knows who wrote the page.
  • A pull quote never has a figure next to it. The figure is below the pull quote, in the same column.

Do and don't

Do

"The hardest callout to write is the one you don't write."

A real sentence from the page. A moment worth underlining.

Don't

"This is a great point the author makes about callouts."

A summary, not a quote. A pull quote is what the page said, not what someone thought about what the page said.