Page Design

Overall design issues u Know audience expectations u Know client expectations u Maintain a consistent look and feel u Consider how each page will look before starting the work. –Each page must be part of a whole –Prevents having the 1 page that looks awkward

Design points u Audience needs come first –What are audience goals and information needs u Obvious organization -- lead the reader –Informative headings –Enough white space to show structure

Design to draw reader in u How does it look at 10 feet? A well designed document will look good at a distance, even though you can’t read the text. A poorly designed document will become a gray blob. u Which of these two pages would you want to read?

Align with tabs, not spaces

Lists

Why use lists u Lists help the reader find information easier and also improves later recall of the information on the list. u The white space that surrounds the list also helps give the page a less dense appearance.

Types of list u Bullet lists –unordered items u Numbered lists –when order matters u Simple lists –short lists

Items for a bullet list u advice or examples u conclusions and recommendations u criteria for evaluation u errors to avoid u materials and equipment for a procedure u parts of a mechanism

Numbered List 1.materials and equipment for a procedure 2.parts of a mechanism 3.steps or events in a sequence

Simple List materials and equipment for a procedure parts of a mechanism steps or events in a sequence

Combining list types

List questions u What determines if you should use a bullet list or a numbered list? u What list would you use for the following: –To program your VCR for recording: –Tools required to change the fuel pump: –We believe more parking spaces are needed: –To prepare the the sauce for the cake: –For a longer life, eat these fruits:

Format lists properly u Adjust the tabs. Word defaults are poor. u Use bullets. Never a dash or asterisk.

Poor hotel information u all corporate approved hotels in Charleston and Columbia –Charleston: Best Western –Charleston: Days Inn –Charleston: Holiday Inn –Columbia: Best Western –Columbia: Carolina Inn

Better hotel information u all corporate approved hotels in Charleston and Columbia –CityHotelPhoneRates –CharlestonBest Western –CharlestonDays Inn –CharlestonHoliday Inn –ColumbiaBest Western –ColumbiaCarolina Inn

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Fonts

Serif and sans serif fonts u Serifs are the tails on the letters u Serif leads the eye from letter to letter u At large font sizes, the serifs get too big

Sans serif fonts Note varying line weights on Optima

Serif fonts

Display fonts

Font tone u Each font carries a visual tone that affects how the reader reacts to the text u Can be

Letter sizes of various fonts u Actual letter size varies between fonts u This can make a font more or less readable All 72 point fonts

Length of 1 alphabet

Proportional fonts u Each letters gets the space proportional to the amount it needs u I gets less space than M

Non-proportional fonts u Each letters gets the same space u I gets exactly as much space as M

Which is which iiiiiiiiiiiiiii MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM iiiiiiiiiiiiiii MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM All four lines have 15 letters.

Which is which - answer iiiiiiiiiiiiiii non-proportional MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM iiiiiiiiiiiiiii proportional MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM All four lines have 15 letters.

Type anatomy u Points u x height u Body size u Baseline

Paragraph formatting

Technical paragraph style u No first line indent u Single spaced u Blank line between paragraphs

Technical paragraph formatting

Line spacing u Also called Leading u Double or 1.5 is usually too much u Can be set in small increments u Some fonts look better with slightly more leading u Small changes can have large effect on document length

Line spacing examples 12 pt 15 pt 18 pt

Line spacing 12 pt 10 pt 8 pt

Blank line between paragraphs u Use your tools, not extra returns

Text justification u Four options – Justified left, ragged right – Full justified – Ragged left, justified right – Centered

Left justified, ragged right u Easiest to read u Broken right edge helps eye remain oriented u Gives overall page a distinct shape for later recall

Full justified u Both left and right hand sides are justified u Not as easy to read u Page lacks distinct shape u Most publishers use this u Word processors are bad at good justification

Ragged left, justified right u Hard for eye to find new line u Only use for special effects u Never use for large text blocks

Centered u Hard to read u Eye can’t find new line u Use for special effect u Each line should stand alone

Line length u Best line is about 2 alphabets long – Actual length varies depending on the font u Too short, the eye is always doing a “fly back” u Too long, the eye gets lost on the “fly back” u Longer lines require more line spacing

Line length and paragraph width u If the material will be scanned for specific information, indent the text from the headings. u Longer page count = $$

Line length and paragraph width u If the text will be read in long blocks, align the text with the headings. u Saves page count

Hanging indents u First line flush and rest are indented u Useful for definition lists u Tips for the word processor – Set tab properly – Define hanging indent. – Never try to use hard returns and spaces.

Setting the hanging indent

Setting line spacing

Widows and orphans

 Heading at bottom of page One line of paragraph at top of a page  Don’t let them happen  During final pass, add hard page breaks or adjust leading/kerning

Widows and orphans

Margins

? Size of margin affects – Readability (line length) – Page appearance (how dense) ? Margin widths – Top can be smaller than bottom (2 lines) – Allow proper space for binding margin

Margins ? Even and odd pages can vary

Margins in Word  Margins are a section setting  Each setting can have different margins  File-Page Setup

Scholars margin u Wide blank margin on the page u Allows notes either from the author or from the reader u Helps keep line length optimal u Very hard to do in Word

Scholars margin

Examples for analysis

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