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Document Design:
Guidelines for Effective
Information Layout
Some Concepts
 Arrangement
 Organization of visual elements
 Sequence of information—
chronological, causal, hierarchical
 Format
 Consistent design conventions of
recurring elements such as headings,
typeface, margins, columns, and boxes
Some Concepts
 Layout
 Arrangement of elements on a
page
Some Concepts
 Physical appearance
 Shape
Portrait or landscape
Full page, folded brochure (tent
style or book style), tri-fold, etc.
 Paper weight, color, and texture
 Type of binding
Coil, tape, binder
Functions of Design
 Provides access to information
 Aids comprehension
 Enhances recall
 Motivates readers
 Meets readers’ expectations
 Facilitates ongoing use
Kostelnick and Roberts,
Designing Visual Language
Principles of Design—
Arrangement
 Arrangement—
shows structure
of information
 Through
numbering
 Spatial
arrangement
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
1.0
1.1
1.2
2.0
2.1
2.2
Kostelnick and Roberts,
Designing Visual Language
Principles of Design—
Emphasis
 Emphasis—
controls what
stands out
Kostelnick and Roberts,
Designing Visual Language
Principles of Design—Clarity
 Clarity—helps readers to access
information quickly
 Encompasses many design elements
 Typefaces
• Easy to read?
• Appropriate for audience?
• Demonstrates professionalism?
• EASY-TO-READ ALL CAPS?
Principles of Design—Clarity
(con’t)
 Charts
 Illustrations
Cats Dogs Birds Fish
2001
2002
Cost
Species
Year
Household Pets
40-50
30-40
20-30
10-20
0-10
Principles of Design—
Conciseness
 Conciseness—designs that are
appropriately succinct
Fish
1
2
Birds
1
2
Dogs
1
2
Cats
2001
2002
Charts are too
concise to
communicate
effectively
Kostelnick and Roberts,
Designing Visual Language
Principles of Design—
Conciseness
 Information consolidated
Strays Adopted
0
10
20
30
40
50
Cats Dogs Birds Fish
Species
Number
2001
2002
Be careful of those stray fish.
Kostelnick and Roberts,
Designing Visual Language
Principles of Design—Tone
and Ethos
 Tone-reveals the designer’s attitude
toward the audience
 Ethos-cultivates a sense of
credibility with the audience
Elements of Design
 Number of columns
 Line length
 White spaces—margins, open space,
vertical or horizontal layouts
 Visuals—number and placement
Elements of Design
 Paragraph length and indentation
 Lists—numbered, bulleted
 Headings—levels, size, font, capital
style, placement
 Portrait vs. landscape page
orientation
 Type—font, size, style
Elements of Design
 Rules, boxes, underlining, pointers
 Shading, color
 Binding, folding, document size
 Paper—weight, color, texture
Document Design
Decisions
 Do I use text or a visual
representation?
 Where do I place text, visuals?
 How many columns should I use?
 How do I group common elements?
 What type styles and sizes should I
use?
 How do I accommodate different types
of readers?
Implementing Design Principles
 Chunking
 Coding information into meaningful
units and separating them from
other units
 Using White Space
 White space is not a left over area,
it is an active design element that
separates and emphasizes
Implementing Design Principles
 Sequencing
 Establishing a sequence of stops for the
reader (large to small, high to low, left
to right, color to black and white, bold
to light, irregular to normal shapes)
Implementing Design Principles
 Navigating
 Using navigational aids such as visual
markers (tabs, bullets, graphics, white
space) and verbal guides (table of
contents, lists, headings, indices,
headers, footers)
Implementing Design Principles
 Signaling
 Using cues that preview organization,
indicate hierarchy, or show
relationships such as type size, italics,
bold, color, underlining, preview
statements, connectives
Advantages of Effective
Document Design
 Accommodates different types of
reading
 Points readers to most important
material
 Promotes comprehension
 Enhances recall
GOAL: Instant and lasting
communication

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Document_Design.ppt

  • 1. Document Design: Guidelines for Effective Information Layout
  • 2. Some Concepts  Arrangement  Organization of visual elements  Sequence of information— chronological, causal, hierarchical  Format  Consistent design conventions of recurring elements such as headings, typeface, margins, columns, and boxes
  • 3. Some Concepts  Layout  Arrangement of elements on a page
  • 4. Some Concepts  Physical appearance  Shape Portrait or landscape Full page, folded brochure (tent style or book style), tri-fold, etc.  Paper weight, color, and texture  Type of binding Coil, tape, binder
  • 5. Functions of Design  Provides access to information  Aids comprehension  Enhances recall  Motivates readers  Meets readers’ expectations  Facilitates ongoing use
  • 6. Kostelnick and Roberts, Designing Visual Language Principles of Design— Arrangement  Arrangement— shows structure of information  Through numbering  Spatial arrangement 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1.0 1.1 1.2 2.0 2.1 2.2
  • 7. Kostelnick and Roberts, Designing Visual Language Principles of Design— Emphasis  Emphasis— controls what stands out
  • 8. Kostelnick and Roberts, Designing Visual Language Principles of Design—Clarity  Clarity—helps readers to access information quickly  Encompasses many design elements  Typefaces • Easy to read? • Appropriate for audience? • Demonstrates professionalism? • EASY-TO-READ ALL CAPS?
  • 9. Principles of Design—Clarity (con’t)  Charts  Illustrations Cats Dogs Birds Fish 2001 2002 Cost Species Year Household Pets 40-50 30-40 20-30 10-20 0-10
  • 10. Principles of Design— Conciseness  Conciseness—designs that are appropriately succinct Fish 1 2 Birds 1 2 Dogs 1 2 Cats 2001 2002 Charts are too concise to communicate effectively
  • 11. Kostelnick and Roberts, Designing Visual Language Principles of Design— Conciseness  Information consolidated Strays Adopted 0 10 20 30 40 50 Cats Dogs Birds Fish Species Number 2001 2002 Be careful of those stray fish.
  • 12. Kostelnick and Roberts, Designing Visual Language Principles of Design—Tone and Ethos  Tone-reveals the designer’s attitude toward the audience  Ethos-cultivates a sense of credibility with the audience
  • 13. Elements of Design  Number of columns  Line length  White spaces—margins, open space, vertical or horizontal layouts  Visuals—number and placement
  • 14. Elements of Design  Paragraph length and indentation  Lists—numbered, bulleted  Headings—levels, size, font, capital style, placement  Portrait vs. landscape page orientation  Type—font, size, style
  • 15. Elements of Design  Rules, boxes, underlining, pointers  Shading, color  Binding, folding, document size  Paper—weight, color, texture
  • 16. Document Design Decisions  Do I use text or a visual representation?  Where do I place text, visuals?  How many columns should I use?  How do I group common elements?  What type styles and sizes should I use?  How do I accommodate different types of readers?
  • 17. Implementing Design Principles  Chunking  Coding information into meaningful units and separating them from other units  Using White Space  White space is not a left over area, it is an active design element that separates and emphasizes
  • 18. Implementing Design Principles  Sequencing  Establishing a sequence of stops for the reader (large to small, high to low, left to right, color to black and white, bold to light, irregular to normal shapes)
  • 19. Implementing Design Principles  Navigating  Using navigational aids such as visual markers (tabs, bullets, graphics, white space) and verbal guides (table of contents, lists, headings, indices, headers, footers)
  • 20. Implementing Design Principles  Signaling  Using cues that preview organization, indicate hierarchy, or show relationships such as type size, italics, bold, color, underlining, preview statements, connectives
  • 21. Advantages of Effective Document Design  Accommodates different types of reading  Points readers to most important material  Promotes comprehension  Enhances recall GOAL: Instant and lasting communication