Designing Reader-Focused Documents

C H A P T E R 10

• What are the Principles of Design?• How Do You Plan Your Document Design?• What Considerations Are Involved in

Designing the Whole Document?• What Considerations Are Involved in

Designing Each Page?

Presentation Overview

• Contrast • Repetition• Alignment• Proximity

What Are the Principles of Design?

• Means that different items on the page should be designed to appear differently

HeadingThis is body text, arranged in paragraph format. This is body text, arranged in paragraph format.

This is body text, arranged in paragraph format. This is body text, arranged in paragraph format. This is body text, arranged in paragraph format. This is body text.

Bad Example

Contrast

• Adds visual interest• Shows how a

document is organized

HeadingThis is body text, arranged in paragraph format. This is body text, arranged in paragraph format.

This is body text, arranged in paragraph format. This is body text, arranged in paragraph format. This is body text, arranged in paragraph format. This is body text.

Good Example

Contrast

Heading___________________________________________________

Subheading_________________________________

Subheading___________________________________________________

Bad Example

Heading___________________________________________________

Subheading ________________ _________________

Subheading ________________ _________________ _________________

Good Example

Contrast

For this year’s company picnic, we still need to purchase hot dogs, hot dog buns, condiments, chips, sodas, marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.

Bad Example

For this year’s company picnic, we still need to purchase hot dogs, hot dog buns, condiments, chips, sodas, marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.

Good Example

Contrast

• Means that some aspect of the design should be repeated or that similar items on the page should be designed to appear the same

• Also known as “consistency”

Repetition

__________________________________________________

Heading_________________________________

Subheading ________________ _________________ ________________ _________________

Heading___________________________________________________

Subheading ________________ _________________

Subheading ________________ _________________ ________________ _________________

Repetition

Bad Example

1 2

________________ _________________ _________________

Heading_________________________________

Subheading ________________ _________________ ________________ _________________

Heading___________________________________________________

Subheading ________________ _________________

Subheading ________________ _________________ ________________ _________________

Repetition

Good Example

1 2

• Unifies a document• Adds visual interest by making the document

appear more polished

Repetition

• Means that every item should be aligned with the edge of another item on the page

Photo by Fred Hendriks, 2009 Suhtterstock Images, LLC

Alignment

Heading_______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bad Example

Alignment

Heading _________ ______ _______ ________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bad Example

Heading ______ _____ ______ ________ __________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Good Example

Alignment

Figure 1: Iceberg

Bad Example

Figure 1: Iceberg

Good Example

Centered_______________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bad Example

Right Aligned_______________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bad Example

Alignment

Flush Left_______________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Good Example

Alignment

LeftHanging

LeftHanging

Good Example

___________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Alignment

Modified Hanging ________________ ________________ ____________ ________________ ________________ _______________ ________________

Modified Hanging ________________ ______________ ________________ ________________

Good Example

Heading _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________

Bad Example

Alignment

Heading______________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Good Example

Alignment

• Connects items on a page• Allows for scanning

• Means that related items should be placed more closely together than unrelated items on the page

Bad Example

Heading___________________________________________________

Subheading ________________ _________________

Subheading ________________ _________________ ________________ _________________ _________________

same

Proximity

• Visually organizes information or graphic elements on a page

Good Example

Heading___________________________________________________

Subheading ________________ _________________

Subheading ________________ _________________ ________________ _________________

more

Proximity

How do you tell where one paragraph ends and another begins?

If you followed the principle of proximity, you would make the space in between paragraphs greater than the space in between lines, not the same.

Indenting the first line only to designate the start of a paragraph violates the alignment principle.

Good Example

Proximity

How do you tell where one

paragraph ends and

another begins?

If you followed the principle

of proximity, you would

make the space in between

paragraphs greater than the

space in between lines, not

the same.

Bad Example

• Consider your readers’ needs and expectations

• Consider your resources

How Do You Plan Your Document Design?

Ask: • What design elements will help readers fulfill

their purpose for reading your documents?• Where will readers use the document?• Do readers have expectations about quality?• Do readers have expectations for the

presentation of the information?

Consider Your Readers’ Needs and Expectations

• Budget• Time• Equipment

Consider Your Resources

• Page size• Paper• Binding• Locating Tools

What Considerations Are Involved in Designing the Whole Document?

Remember that you have more options than 8 1/2 x 11 inches!

Page Size

• Weight• Brightness• Coating

Paper

• Loose-leaf binding• Wire or plastic spiral binding• Saddle binding• Perfect binding

Binding

• Tabs• Divider pages• Headers and footers• Page numbers• Headings• Color• Icons

Locating Tools

• Layout• White space• Type• Margins• Line spacing

What Considerations Are Involved in Designing Each Page?

• Thumbnail sketches: rough drawings of possible page layouts

• Prototypes: full-size version of possible page layouts

• Style sheets: plans for the language and design choices in a document

• Styles: a word processing feature that allows users to save and apply formatting choices for different items in a document

Layout

• Is not a problem when used correctly• Is essential to the principles of contrast and

proximity• Calls attention to important items on the

page

White Space

Examples of White Space

• Typeface• Size• Style• Case

Type

Typeface

Common Serif Typefaces• Book Antigua• Bookman Old Style• Garamond• Georgia• Palatino Linotype• Sylfaen• Times New Roman

Common Sans Serif Typefaces• Arial• Arial Black• Franklin Gothic

Medium• Lucinda Sans Unicode• Microsoft Sans Serif• Tahoma• Verdana

Note: Avoid script or decorative typefaces like Comic Sans or Impact.

Size

• For text, use 10-, 11-, or 12-point type.• For headings, use a type size 2 to 4 points

larger than the text.• For footnotes, use 8- to 10-point type.• For slides, use 24- to 36-point type.

• Use boldface, italics, and reverse type carefully.

• Avoid outlining, shadowing, and underlining.

You can use lines, rules, or borders—depending on your word processor—to create the same effect (as shown below).

Underlining

Style

• Avoid using any text in ALL CAPS, which is less recognizable because it detracts from the shape.

PARTY Party

Case

• Justification• Margins

Margins

Justification

JustifiedKeep your paragraphs ragged right instead of fully justified. Full justification can be difficult to read. Having all the lines the same length creates a lack of contrast that often causes readers to miscue. Some of the lines have to be stretched to make them the same length, which creates inconsistent spacing.

Bad Example

UnjustifiedKeep your paragraphs ragged right instead of fully justified. Full justification can be difficult to read. Having all the lines the same length creates a lack of contrast that often causes readers to miscue. Some of the lines have to be stretched to make them the same length, which creates inconsistent spacing.

Good Example

• Use the same top, bottom, left, and right margins on each page.

• Indent headings, paragraphs, and lists consistently.

• Use a consistent amount of spacing– Between columns – Within lists– Above and below headings, lists, and visuals

Margins

• Use single spacing for e-mail, memos, letters, and most manuals.

• Use single, one-and-a-half, or double spacing for reports and proposals.

Line Spacing

Questions?