Elements of Document Design

1
Elements ofDocument Design
2
Why is Design Important?

• It creates the image/ethos of the author, the
  company, etc.
• It helps get the readers attention.
• It makes reading and understanding easier.
• Even if youre not a graphic designer, you need
  to be able to make informed decisions about
  design.

3
Elements of Design

• Paper
• Ink/printing process
• Headers and footers
• Grid
• White space
• Margins
• Line length
• Figure/ground contrast

4
Figure/Ground contrast

• Bad

• Better

• Poor

• Best

5
Elements of Design, cont.

• Line spacing (leading)
• Avoid orphan (bottom) or widow (top) lines
• Focused paragraphs or chunks
• Bulleted lists/numbered lists
• Tables
• Color
• Font or typeface

6
Fonts/Typefaces

• Serif
• Sample (Calisto)
• Sample (Batang)
• Sans Serif
• Sample (Arial)
• Sample (Century Gothic)

7
Fonts/Typefaces

• Casual
• New York Style
• Heavy
• Typewriter
• Pseudo-Script

8
Typeface Guidelines

• Avoid sentences in all caps.
• AVOID SENTENCES IN ALL CAPS.
• Limit your documents to 2, maybe 3 typefaces.
• Use boldface and italics for specific purposes.
• Underlining is on the way out.

9
General Design Guidelines

• Bigger things are more important.
• Bigger headings are higher in the hierarchy than
  smaller ones.
• Things that are different in some way will
  attractattention.

10
Writing Section Headings

• Provide useful information.
• Use consistent phrasing.
• (These guidelines are good for instructions, too.)

11
Web Design Guidelines

• The same principles apply.
• Sans serif fonts tend to be easier to read
  online.
• Use shorter chunks.
• Eliminate side-to-side scrolling reduce vertical
  scrolling.