Feb 24 (ch 8): Designing Documents

Why Design Matters

• Saves time and money
• Reduces legal problems
• Builds goodwill
• Attractive pages look friendly, easy to read
• Grouping ideas shows structure

Design: Part of Writing

• Think about design at each step
• As you plan, think about audience
• Skilled or busy?
• Read straight through or skip around?
• As you write, use lists, headings.
• Use visuals to convey numerical data clearly
• Get feedback from your audience
• As you revise, check the design guidelines that follow

Design and Conventions

• Vary widely by audience, geographic area, industry, or department
• Change over time
• Violating is risky
• Presents incorrect interpretations
• Signals author is unreliable or unknowledgeable

Page Design Guidelines

• Use white space
• Use headings
• Limit words in all capital letters
• Use no more than two fonts per document
• Justify margins selectively
• Put key items at top left or bottom right
• Use a grid for graphic unity
• Use highlighting, decorative devices, and color in moderation

Designing Brochures

• Use this process to create effective brochures
• Determine your objectives
• Identify your target audiences
• Identify central selling point
• Choose image you want to project
• Identify objections; brainstorm ways to deal with them
• Draft text to see how much space it takes
• Select visuals to accompany text
• Experiment with different papers and layouts
• Make every choice a conscious one
• Color – Font – Layout – Paper
• Polish prose and graphics

Designing Web Pages: Text

• Help surfing audience learn about Web page sponsor
• Offer contents list, link to each part
• Make clear what audience will get if they click a link
• Put most important info at top of page
• Start with important words

Designing Web Pages: Visuals

• Use white or light background
• Keep graphics small
• Provide visual variety
• Unify pages; show sponsor on each
• Include link to homepage on every page
• Use little animation; let users control it
• If page includes sound, put off button where users can see it

More to do…
Assignment 8: Visual Impression and Organization Analysis
DUE: Thursday, March 31

Blog entry: What part of report writing do you find to be the most challenging?

---

Content attributed to Locker, Kitty O. and Donna Kienzler. Business and Administrative Communication, 9/e. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 2010.