Good document design saves time and money, reduces legal problems, and builds goodwill. A well-designed document looks inviting, friendly, and easy to read. Effective design also groups ideas visually, making the structure of the document more obvious so the document is easier to read.

Designing Documents, Slides, and Screens To learn how to Develop visual literacy. Apply design principles to paper pages, presentation slides, and Web pages. Use computers to create headings, lists, and other features to make documents easy to read.

Designing Documents, Slides, and Screens Start by answering these questions: How should I design paper pages? How should I design presentation slides? How should I design Web pages?

Designing Documents, Slides, and Screens Start by answering these questions: How do I know whether my design works? When should I think about design?

Good Document Design Saves time and money. Reduces legal problems. Builds goodwill. Looks inviting, friendly, and easy-to-read. Enhances your credibility. Builds an image of you as professional and competent. Good document design helps reduce noise, which interferes with your audience’s ability to read and understand your message. It saves times and money and makes you and your organization look more credible.

Use white space for separation and emphasis. To Design Paper Pages Use white space for separation and emphasis. Use headings to group points. Limit the use of capital letters. Use no more than two typefaces. Use justification appropriate to the audience. While individual documents and companies may require specific designs, most paper messages in business should follow these guidelines for good readability.

To Create Effective White Space To create effective white space, use Headings. A mix of paragraph lengths. Lists by using Tabs or indents to align things vertically. Numbered lists when the number or sequence of items is exact. Bullets when the number and sequence don’t matter. While individual documents and companies may require specific designs, most paper messages in business should follow these guidelines for good readability.

Choice of Margins Use justified margins when you Can use proportional typefaces. Want a more formal look. Want to use as few pages as possible. Write to skilled readers. Use ragged margins when you Do not have proportional typefaces. Want a less formal look. Want to revise one page without reprinting all. Use very short line lengths. While individual documents and companies may require specific designs, most paper messages in business should follow these guidelines for good readability.

To Design Presentation Slides Use a big font. Use bullet-point phrases. Use clear, concise language and appropriate clip art. Make only three to five points per slide. Choose a consistent template, customizing slides where necessary. Like all guidelines, these ones can be altered when the situation calls for it. In general, though, follow these principles when creating presentation slides. Remember, the slides should support what you have to say rather than replace it.

Provide an introductory statement on the first screen. To Design Web Pages Provide an introductory statement on the first screen. Offer an overview of the content of your page. Put interesting and useful information up front. Minimize large graphics and animation. Standards for Web pages continue to evolve. Use these guidelines as a start, but also review Web pages that you believe work well for inspiration. Remember that the first page is critical. As most readers skim, “hooking” them early may determine whether they continue on to the rest of your Web site.

To Design Web Pages continued Include an “off” button for animation and music on introduction pages. Provide visual variety. Unify multiple pages. On each page, provide a link to the home page.

To Incorporate Good Design Follow These Guidelines As you plan, think about your audience. As you write, incorporate lists and headings. Get feedback from people who will be using your document. As you revise, check your draft against the guidelines in this module. Think about design at every step of the process. Where possible, involve members of the audience, or work with professionals who may provide assistance in creating good layouts.