Technical Communication Document Design 1 Guidelines for Document Design Part 1 Paper Documents

Technical Communication Document Design2 Guidelines for Document Design 1. Use white space 2. Use headings 3. Limit use of all capital letters 4. Limit number of typefaces 5. Justify margins based on situation and audience 6. Place elements strategically 7. Use a grid to unify elements 8.Use highlighting, color, and decorative devices in moderation

Technical Communication Document Design 3 Guidelines for Document Design 1.Use white space - the portions of the page that are blank Create white space with  headings  margins  line and paragraph spacing  multiple columns  lists tabs or indents bullets & numbering

Technical Communication Document Design 4 Would you like to read this document?

Technical Communication Document Design 5 Guidelines for Document Design 1. Use white space 2. Use headings (also called level heads)  Refers to titles, subtitles, headings, and subheadings of all kinds  Differs from “body text” which is the text of the document’s paragraphs and bulleted or numbered lists.

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Technical Communication Document Design 7 Guidelines for Document Design 1. Use white space 2. Use headings 3. Limit use of all capital letters

Technical Communication Document Design 8 If this were an , using all capital letters means you’re yelling.

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Technical Communication Document Design 11 All lower-case letters ALL CAPITAL LETTERS

Technical Communication Document Design 12 All lower-case letters elephant ALL CAPITAL LETTERS ELEPHANT Easier to read and remember HARDER TO READ AND REMEMBER

Technical Communication Document Design 13 Guidelines for Document Design 1. Use white space 2. Use headings 3. Limit use of all capital letters 4. Limit number of typefaces

Technical Communication Document Design Typefaces (for IBM computers & clones) a)Fixed Typefaces b)Proportional Typefaces c)Serif d)Sans serif

Technical Communication Document Design 15 a) Fixed typefaces  Courier This is the standard “pica” typewriter typeface.  Prestige Elite This is the standard “elite” typewriter typeface.

Technical Communication Document Design 16 a) Fixed typefaces  Courier  Prestige Elite Each letter takes up the same horizontal space (width)

Technical Communication Document Design 17 b) Proportional typefaces  Times New Roman This standard business typeface is used for letters, memos, and reports.  Arial This standard business typeface is often used for titles, graphs, and charts as well as for letters, memos, and reports

Technical Communication Document Design 18 b) Proportional typefaces  Times New Roman  Arial M’s and W’s take up more horizontal space than I’s and t’s.

Technical Communication Document Design 19 b) Other proportional typefaces Impact This typeface is appropriate for signs and ads, but too much is hard to read. Lucida Handwriting This typeface imitates script. It is appropriate for personal but not for business letters. It may also be used for signs, ads, and invitations.

Technical Communication Document Design 20 c) Serif typefaces - Little extensions from main strokes - Easier to read Examples: Times New Roman, Courier New d) Sans Serif typefaces Lack extensions from main strokes Good for titles and tables Examples: Arial, Futura, Comic Sans MS (used in this slide show)

Technical Communication Document Design 21 c) Serif typefaces - Find the serifs - Little extensions (some call them “tails,” the French call them “feet”) from main strokes

Technical Communication Document Design 22 One typeface (Font)--many looks Times New Roman Bold (28 pt) Times New Roman Italic Times New Roman Underlined TIMES NEW ROMAN UPPERCASE Times New Roman Shadowed Times New Roman Shadowed Times New Roman 16 pt Times New Roman 40 pt

Technical Communication Document Design 23 Guidelines for Document Design 1. Use white space 2. Use headings 3. Limit use of all capital letters 4. Limit number of typefaces 5.Justify margins or use ragged right based on situation and audience

Technical Communication Document Design 24 Justification refers to how lines of text align with each other on the left and the right margins  Full justification  Ragged left  Centered  Ragged right

Technical Communication Document Design 25 Examples of justification

Technical Communication Document Design Use fully justified margins when you  Can use proportional typefaces.  Want document to look very formal and professional.  Want as few pages as possible.  Write to skilled readers.

Technical Communication Document Design Use ragged right margins when you  Do not have proportional typefaces.  Want an informal look.  Want to be able to revise without reprinting the whole document.  Use very short line lengths.  Write to readers with poor eyesight.

Technical Communication Document Design 28 Guidelines for Document Design 1. Use white space 2. Use headings 3. Limit use of all capital letters 4. Limit number of typefaces 5. Justify margins based on situation & audience 6. Place elements strategically - follow the reader’s eye movement

Technical Communication Document Design 29 Eye movement on the page for most countries using our alphabet

Technical Communication Document Design 30 Eye movement on the page for Hebrew and Arabic

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Technical Communication Document Design 32 Eye movement on the page for Chinese and Japanese

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Technical Communication Document Design 34 Guidelines for Document Design 1. Use white space 2. Use headings 3. Limit use of all capital letters 4. Limit number of typefaces 5. Justify margins based on situation and audience 6. Place elements strategically 7. Use a grid to unify elements

Technical Communication Document Design Use a grid to unify elements Help the reader find useful information quickly -align similar information -use columns and rows -use a chart or table

Technical Communication Document Design Use a grid to unify elements Can you find your dream tour?

Technical Communication Document Design Use a grid to unify elements Can you find your dream tour? Column 1 Dates Column 2 Name of Tour Column 3 Destinations Column 4 Price

Technical Communication Document Design38 Guidelines for Document Design 8.Use highlighting, color, and decorative devices in moderation 1. Use white space 2. Use headings 3. Limit use of all capital letters 4. Limit number of typefaces 5. Justify margins based on situation and audience 6. Place elements strategically 7. Use a grid to unify elements

Technical Communication Document Design Use color effectively a)Limit the number of colors you use in a document, slide, or screen. b)Use color for main points, not details. c)Be consistent. All points at the same level should use the same color.

Technical Communication Document Design Use Color Effectively (continued) d) Create a unified look: Repeat text color in numbers, bullets, and lines. Use the same color scheme for your whole presentation or in a series or related documents.

Technical Communication Document Design Use Color Effectively (continued) e)Make sure that colors contrast with the background. f)Use colors that work with the cultural expectations of your audience.

Technical Communication Document Design Use Color Effectively (continued) e)Make sure that colors contrast with the background. f) Use colors that work with the cultural expectations of your audience.

Technical Communication Document Design 43 Don’t Ove rdo Your Design !! use Just because it’s available doesn’t mean you should use it. Too much is too much. CONSIDER your reader. Look professional.

Document Design