White Paper Design CRAP and Beyond

Contrast . . .

Repetition . . .

Alignment . . .

Proximity . . .

Examples . . .

Examples . . .

Examples . . .

Examples . . .

Examples . . .

Examples . . . Check out the proximity… Use of spacing to group related information Use of headings to clearly demarcate sections/spacing

White Paper: (Sub)Headings . . . Multiple and well-labeled access points are crucial for a White Paper. (scannability) The Colon: Something Catchy, then Something Informative (talking heads). Keep On Truckin’?: The Future of Fossil Fuels Grand Theft Soul: The Effects of Violent Video Games No, I’m Frank: The Consequences of Identity Theft

Talking Heads . . . Principles Talking heads provide the reader with detailed information (vs. "generic headings" that tell the reader very little). The idea of talking heads is to give the reader as much help as possible. The trick to creating talking heads is to make them informative without making them too long! (For example, a two-line heading is probably too long.) The more information you add to the heading, the longer it will be—so talking heads are bound to be longer. But a heading that is too long will not have as much impact as a concise one.

Talking Heads . . . Examples   Generic Heading Topical Heading "Talking Head" Advantages or Disadvantages Provides little or no information (poor) Provides more information but does not convey message (better but not ideal) Identifies role in report AND provides detailed information AND indicates point of view or conclusion (best option) Example 1 Problem Current Scheduling Practices Problem: Current Scheduling Procedures Are Time Consuming and Costly Example 2 Work Accomplished Work Accomplished: Test #1 Work Accomplished: Test #1, Boric Acid Wash (Unsuccessful) Perform the Stand Alone Test: To see if your report’s headings are effective, scan them. Can you understand the main argument of the report and figure out the main conclusions and findings? If so, then your headings are working well as visual summarizing devices to help the reader.

Summary Text Boxes. . . Redundancy Accuracy Responsibility Highlight the key points of the adjacent body text to allow for multiple access points. Accuracy Be thorough in how you select information. Avoid simply cutting and pasting. By writing a separate summary, you can frame more information in a more tailored fashion. Responsibility Imagine a reader reading only the summary text boxes. What would they take away? Be responsible to this type of reader; give them important information as well.

Summary Text Boxes: Format

Caption Writing . . . As with the title, captions are important, though small, chunks of text with tremendous framing power. They direct the reader to important features. They give the reader an interpretative mechanism (i.e., what should I do with this picture? What do I take away from this chart?) with which to view the image, the chart, or the graph.

Caption Writing: Finding or Looting Look how the caption directs the eye and gives you a way of interpreting the image, its meaning and implications. Top caption reads: "A young man walks through chest deep floodwater after looting a grocery store in New Orleans...“ The bottom caption reads: "Two residents wade through chest-deep water after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store after Hurricane Katrina came through the area in New Orleans..."

Charts . . .

Cover Page . . . Title Graphic Establish Design Instructional, original, catchy (think of using the colon) Graphic Catchy, instructional, relevant Establish Design Repetitive Elements, colors, logo, etc.

Figures and Pictures . . . Clearly labeled Captioned (instructional) In physical proximity to explanation (in text) Clearly referred to in text Consistency of labeling and reference Function as an AID to the text (help your audience understand the text) Not just random, somewhat related pictures

Figures/Pictures . . . Examples