1. Agricultural Communications
Document Design
Agricultural Communications

2. Introduction
Getting people to understand your written message is more than just putting words on paper. The message also has to look appealing.
When you read training manuals or advertisements, you see some type of visual, such as photographs or graphics.

3. Newsletters Newsletters: Collection of stories
Easy way to keep members informed
Sent on a regular basis

4. Newsletter When looking at other newsletters consider the following:
How big the headlines are
How easy is it to read
How crowed the pages appear
How colorful the newsletter is
How photographs and graphics are used

5. Tips Newsletters Write to be read quickly 100-600 words
4 page contains around 2,000 words
Write accurate information
People like recognition
Put the best stories first
Use bigger heading and visual elements for inside stories

6. Tips, Cont. Use document design principles Text: Color Graphics
10 pt for Normal Text
18 + for Headlines
Color
Graphics
White space
Visual
Balance

7. Newsletters
Newsletters come in many styles and forms. They can have both a formal and an informal tone.
They fall into three categories
Bullet Sheet
One page: front & back
Newsletter
4 – 8 pages with
Short articles
Mega letter
Magazine 8-16 pages
Longer articles

8. Examples of Columns

9. Newsletter Job Sheet

10. Document design
The process of choosing how to present all document elements, so your message is clear and effective.
When a document is well designed, readers understand the information more quickly and easily.

11. Terms Thumbnail Unity Order Balance Symmetrical Balance
Asymmetrical Balance
Line
Texture & Pattern
Color
Typography
Shape & Space
Proportion
Size and Scale
Rhythm & Movement
Contrast
Proximity & Repetition

12. Basic Principles of Design
The following is a brief overview of the principles of design. Although they are discussed separately, they are really interconnected. Rarely will you use only one principle at a time.

13. Unity Variety The control of variety
Necessary to create visual interest balancing visual contrasts combining
unusual elements
The Crayola logo shows the unity among the different products that have a variety of visual contrasts.

14. Alignment
Nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily. Every element should have some consciously designed visual connection with another element on the page. This creates a clean, fresh, and intentional look.

15. Alignment Find two (or more) elements that are aligned on the design.
How does the alignment of the elements create a sense of organization in the design?
Unity is an important concept in design. To make all of the elements on the page appear to be unified, interconnected and interrelated, there needs to be some visual tie between the separate elements. Even if they are far apart on the page, they can appear connected or related simply by their placement on the page.

16. Balance Is the act of comparing or estimating two
things, one against the other, and the
contrast between:
Empty space (white space) and filled space
Text and images
Color and no colors and different colors
Textures against flat colors

17. Balance Symmetric: elements appear to be a mirror image
Asymmetric: the art of creating balance using uneven numbers, sizes, or kinds of elements
The visual distribution of elements
The above mosaic shows the tiles in a symmetrical balance.
The artwork above shows an asymmetric balance of different shapes and sizes.

18. Hierarchy Dominance Emphasis
An arrangement in order of importance
Dominance
The prevailing influence of one element over another
Emphasis
The importance of one element over another
This SmartArt graphic shows the hierarchy and dominance of information presented, as well as the emphasis on the elements being defined.

19. Line
The moving path of a point
Lines of type can take the form of any configuration of a drawn line. This shape poem, type is used in a linear way to create the image of a football.

20. Texture & Pattern
Texture: refers to the quality and characteristic of a surface
Pattern: a decorative design
The bricks shown at right replicate actual texture but function as visual texture.
The bricks are arranged using their direction to create a pattern.

21. Color
Heightens the emotional and psychological dimensions of any visual image
Color can help create emphasis, as it does on the above advertisement for a Museum and Gallery Month. Without the addition of color, the advertisement could be easily ignored and would be boring to look at.

22. Typography
Can function as shape, texture, point and line
Word forms must communicate a verbal message as well as function effectively as graphic elements
These examples of typography present a verbal message as well as function effectively as graphic elements of fire and snow.

23. Shape & Space Shape: a figure or form
Space: an area activated by other elements
The example shows a relationship between the shapes of the design and the configuration of the space around the shapes.

24. Size & Scale Size: the physical dimensions of an element or format
Scale: size comparisons used to create variety and emphasis in a design and help establish visual hierarchy
By looking at the sizes of both the monkey and Alcatraz Island in the background, it is apparent they are not to scale with each other. The monkey appears to be larger than Alcatraz, which is not the case.

25. Proportion Refers to the size relationships
The large giraffe in the picture
below is not proportional to the
landscape shown, while the
smaller giraffe shows proportion
to the background.
Refers to the size relationships

26. Rhythm & Movement Rhythm: the choreography of graphic design
Movement: the resulting choreography from rhythm
In the picture above, the alternating occurrence of form and space shows rhythm. This rhythm gives shape to the movement and dictates the arrangement of each colored line.

27. Contrast
Used to create an interest on the page and to aid in the organization of information
Can be used typeface, thickness, colors, shapes, sizes and space
The top half of the example to the right shows good color contrast, while the bottom half lacks bold contrast

28. Question To which design elements has the designer added contrast from the first version to the second?
Think about type, line thickness, dark and light areas, shapes, sizes, proportion, etc.

29. Proximity & Repetition
Proximity: the position and space given to the placement of elements
Repetition: follows a regular pattern
The proximity placement of the 9 rectangles in the example to the left establish visual continuity and aesthetic harmony. Proximity groupings can create repetition. The elements repeated vary in color.

30. Process Steps: Consider the purpose Determine your audience
Help determine the content and design
Determine your audience
What are your readers’ characteristics?
Match document to audience characteristics
Young, old, and educated
Develop a content outline
Includes main topics
Helps with the length

31. Process Write the content Design the document Print the document
Fliers are short
Newsletters are long
Design the document
Create a sketch – Thumbnail
Helps with the layout and designing process
Print the document
Save in PDF Print
Professional printing

32. Getting Started - Design
Putting your thoughts together may be difficult, but the following tips will help with the process
Learn from good examples
Look at magazines, brochures, advertisement
Study for effective designs
Keep it simple
Usually the best for design
Design should enhance the message
Not to be complicated

33. Getting Started - Design
Select appropriate visuals
Must support the text
Needs to clarify your message
High resolution
Layout the document
Fun part
Piecing it all together
Follow principles of design
Balance, proportion, order, contrast, similarity, and unity

34. Document Design Visual Elements of a Page Text Headings and titles
Graphics
Simple separators like
lines and boxes
Headers and footers
White space
text text

35. White Space: A Design Element
Use white space to set off important or “different” items:
figures and tables (including titles)
titles
headings and (some) subheadings
Follow conventions for margins and line spacing.

36. Design of Headings
Indicate level of heading (major heading, subheading, etc.).
Be consistent with design of each level.
Consider making differences more prominent than you might at first think.

37. Use size and position to differentiate
Title
Heading Level One
Heading level two
Heading level three. Might be run on with text. If you use numbering, do not use bullets.
Be consistent with capitalization.

38. Use numbering to differentiate
Heading One
1.1 Heading Two
Heading Three
You don’t have to use different size or other
differentiation as well, but you may.
Try not to use more than a three-point system.
e.g., 3.1.2

39. Text Can be boldfaced, italicized or underlined.
Should be used to draw readers’ attention.
Italicized: quotes, short phrases
Use serif type and Microsoft sans serif type for story text.

40. Bullets Use for lists within paragraphs.
Use bullets carefully – don’t overuse.
Use when all elements in list are equally important and have no special rank, sequence or significance.
Consider using when listed items are long (more than one line) but are not prioritized.

41. Designing Pages: A few Tips
Use same design for all pages that contain same kinds of information.
Use limited variety of easy-to-read typefaces.
Ragged right margin is slightly easier to read for long documents than are fully justified margins.
ALL CAPS ARE HARD TO READ--USE SPARINGLY.

42. Style Sheet Checklist Page Numbering Where on page? What font/type?
Different for different sections?
Tables and Figures
Integrated with text??
Where do labels go??
References
Citations in parentheses in text?
Reference list goes where?
Abbreviations, Acronyms, Equations
Include glossary? Where?
Acronyms spelled out where?
Document
Paper and covers
Single-sided?
Margins
Sections
Start on right-facing pages?
Use line or other graphic device?
Headings and Subheadings
Position
Font & size & characteristics
Main Text
Font
Paragraph indentation?
Line spacing