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CHAPTER 2

Basics of Document Design

One of the most important elements of workplace writing is a document’s appearance. Writing in professional contexts requires as much attention to the way a document appears on the page or the screen as its content. The reason is that as writers, we must make the task of reading easy for our audience. If you have ever waded through dense pages of text with long paragraphs or tried to follow a single line of type that goes across an 18-inch computer screen, you know that reading can become tedious if good design is not factored into what your eyes must look at.

In this chapter, we’ll cover the basics of document design for print and screen. We will discuss the conventions of document design as they pertain to specific genres in the remaining chapters.

Print Document Design

Writing for a printed page differs from writing for a screen not just in the words we write but in the way the words look on the page. This is called page layout. You are probably aware of certain elements of page layout without knowing it. For example, use of columns and choice of landscape or portrait view are part of page layout.

When composing a document that will be printed, first consider page size. Is your document for standard sized paper (8.5 × 11 in.) or smaller? If you are creating a trifold brochure, for example, you will be laying out the words very differently than if you are writing a report. In both cases, however, consider the z pattern. The z pattern (see Figure 2.1) is the way readers of English approach a page. Our eye begins at the top left of the page and scans to the right, going back and forth, left to right, until we reach the bottom. This pattern is significant because words or images that fall along the z hold the eye’s attention more than the areas surrounding

Mizrahi, Janet. Writing for the Workplace : Business Communication for Professionals, Business Expert Press, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/apus/detail.action?docID=2050916. Created from apus on 2021-08-10 22:50:34.

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the z. Savvy writers will put words and images they want the reader to focus on along this path.

Elements of Page Layout

Each page contains design elements you will want to consider as follows.

Color

Although black is always the preferred color for body type, some color can add visual interest to print pages. Color can be used for document headings, in charts and graphs, or as ways to highlight information. Avoid using bright colors for type and understand that the way a color appears on the screen will likely differ from its reproduction on the printed page. Also remember that you will need a color printer for your color scheme to show!

Graphical Elements

Adding graphical elements to your documents such as boldface, bullets, enumeration, italics, or underlining serve varied functions. Boldface calls attention to words and phrases. It is commonly used for headings and sparingly used to highlight words or phrases. Bulleted points are used to list items and to attract the reader’s eye. Bulleted points break up text, too. Enumeration (listing items 1., 2., 3., etc.) is used to indicate a series in order. Italics are used for emphasis, to indicate a word in a different language, for proper names, and for titles. Underlining can indicate a title or emphasis.

Reader begins

Reader ends

Figure 2.1 Z pattern of reading

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A quick word on the use of CAPS. Beware that the reader will inter- pret type in all caps as a scream. The only time I use all caps is in a context in which I must conform to a text-only design. In that case, I use caps for headings. I never use all caps and boldface, however. It is not only redundant but also truly a signal for translating the words into a scream.

No graphical elements should be overused, and writers should avoid including too many on any one page. Doing so clutters the page and ends up having the opposite effect from what was intended.

Headings and Subheadings

Headings name categories of information. They summarize the content that follows and are organized by levels: first level heading, second level heading, and so forth. Headings can be viewed as the points of an outline, and their use is a primary way writers organize content. For the reader, headings serve as graphic markers that signal a new topic. They help the reader easily focus on specific areas of interest. Headings break up text, making material more visually attractive and easier on the eye.

Subheadings are mini-headings, or subsections of a heading. They, too, break up long text and enhance visual appeal.

In a print document, headings are indicated by use of a graphical device such as centering, boldface, or caps. Headings often use a con- trasting type font. For example, if the body of a report were Times New Roman, you might want to use Arial for headings.

Header and Footer

Using a header and footer is a way to unify a document. Headers and footers also provide a location of page numbers or add graphic design features such as a company logo.

margins

Most business documents have page margins all around of 1 to 1.5 in. Page margins are important because they create white space to make a page look uncluttered. Another aspect of margins is justification. Word

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processing programs give you four options for your margins: left justified with a ragged right edge, centered, right justified with ragged left, and fully justified. Table 2.1 illustrates the types of margin justification and when each should be used.

Table 2.1 Type justification

Type justification Functionality

This margin is left justified, ragged right type. This margin is left justified, ragged right. This margin is left justified, ragged right.

Notice how the left margin forms a straight line, while the right edge is jagged. This is considered the easiest alignment to read and should be used in nearly every writing situation.

This is centered type. This is centered type. This is centered

Centered type is inappropriate for most reading tasks but is a good choice for headings, such as the headings in this table.

This is right justified type with a ragged left margin this

is right justified type with a ragged left margin

Readers’ eyes would quickly tire if having to readjust to locate the beginning of each line of type. Use right justified type to align short phrases only.

This line is considered fully justified. This line is consid- ered fully justified. This line is considered fully justified. This line is considered fully justified.

Notice the awkward spaces between the words when using fully justified text. This occurs because the word processor does not hyphenate words so it has to create spaces to fit the type into a rectangle. Those spaces slow down reading. When full justification is needed for particular documents, you will need to use your own appropriate word hyphenations to reduce the space gaps that otherwise occur.

Paragraph Length

In college papers, it is not unusual for a paragraph to take up an entire typed page. However, that this is unacceptable in all business documents. To aid our readers, business writers limit paragraph length to no more than eight lines (not eight sentences.) This is a rule of thumb that should be taken very seriously. Long, dense paragraphs scare readers away.

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Spacing

Again, in college, papers are usually double spaced and new paragraphs are indented. However, in business documents, single spacing is the norm; new paragraphs are signaled by adding an extra space. Because the extra space is clearly a marker of a new paragraph, it would be redundant and unnecessary to also use a tab.

Typeface

Type fonts are divided into two basic families: serif and sans serif. Serif fonts such as Times, Garamond, or Palatino have feet and tails under the letters that form a line to help the eye track the words and sentences, which is why graphic artists choose serif fonts for long documents such as books. Serif fonts have an old fashioned feel. For business documents that will be printed, using a serif font will help your reader move through the content faster.

Sans serif fonts like Helvetica, Arial, and Verdana have a cleaner, simple line that translates better to the pixel-based display on screens.

Look at the following example to examine the difference between font families:

This is 12-point Garamond, a serif font. This is 12-point Arial, a sans serif font. Notice the difference in the two 12-point fonts. Both are 12-point,

but Arial appears much larger than Garamond. When you choose your font, you will want to take into consideration how large or small it appears on the page.

White Space

Space on a page without any visual or type is called white space. White space breaks up text and frames the words on the page. It also helps balance a page. It is helpful to view your page in the preview function of the word processing tool you use to see how the white space is arranged on the page. This is an excellent way to adjust pages that are off balance or too densely packed with words.

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Word Processing Defaults and Templates

Word processing is no doubt a blessing for everyone who has to write. It’s hard to imagine not being able to instantly rearrange paragraphs or delete sentences. However, when using word processing, it’s a good idea to keep its limitations in mind.

One point to examine is your application’s default document design. You will find the newer default versions of Microsoft Word documents use 1.10 or 1.15 line spacing instead of 1.0, as is the norm. They also include sans serif fonts. These elements are easy enough to alter, but be aware that you must manipulate the default.

Word processing templates are a mixed blessing. Sometimes learning how to alter the preformatted document elements takes more time than creating your own. Using easily recognizable templates can make a writer appear lazy or unoriginal. In addition, I find that many templates ignore the basics of good design. On the other hand, Word’s new newsletter and brochure templates make creating these documents easier than ever. Word also allows anyone to insert professional looking charts and other graphics into documents. In all cases, it’s a good idea to be aware of the plusses and minuses of using defaults and templates.

Design Considerations for Digital Formats

Writing for the screen differs measurably from writing for a printed page. If you are writing anything from an e-mail you know will be read on a screen to a report saved as a PDF that the reader can print or read on the screen, you will need to understand the unique situation of composing for the screen.

The first thing to consider is that reading on a screen slows readers down. In fact, studies show that it takes readers 25 percent longer to read something on the screen than on paper.1 The cause is likely due to screen resolution, despite the headway new electronic devices have made in this regard.

Another consideration is that people reading on screens scan and scroll. They tend to not read in a linear fashion (starting at the begin- ning and going to the end) and instead jump from heading to heading or

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section to section. For this reason, we must be aware of creating scannable text. Certain techniques make text more scannable. These include writing paragraphs of six lines maximum and using headings and bulleted points.

The following design elements affect writing for the screen.

Color: Writers have much freedom in color choice when writing words that readers will read on a screen. However, the best color for readability remains black type on white background. Bright colors like fuchsia or light colors such as yellow will be very hard for readers to decipher, even in headings. Do, however, use color selectively for your page design in reports designed to be read on the screen or documents such as resumes.

Font style and size: Because sans serif fonts are crisper, many people consider them easier to read on the screen. Indeed, many copy-heavy websites such as newspapers and magazines use serif fonts for their print editions and sans serif fonts for the online versions. However, some designers continue to use serif fonts for the screen. If you choose to do so, make sure the font is large enough for your intended reader and the spacing is adjusted.

It is also important to remember that the way you design your docu- ment may be affected by the end user’s device and its settings. Unless you are providing a PDF, the way you design a document to be read on an electronic device may not be the way the receiver sees it.

Graphical elements: Much of the advice related to using graphical elements in print also applies to their use in electronic documents. But because we know readers have less patience when reading on the screen, devices to break up text and highlight important ideas, words, or phrases are even more important. Note that boldface can indicate a link, so when using it, make sure your readers will not be confused.

Headings: Headings in print and electronic documents serve the same function, but they are even more important for reading on the screen than reading on the page. The reason is that people

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tend to skip when reading on the screen. Headings, therefore, help readers find information quickly and make text more scannable.

Line length and spacing: Because screen reading is more taxing, keep lines on the short side, no more than 70 characters. Consider using two columns for reports that will be read on the screen.

Paragraph length: When writing for the screen, keep paragraphs short—about six lines—to avoid dense blocks of text.

White space: Lack of visual clutter will make any document more appealing for the reader. White space helps readers focus on words

Conclusion

Taking the time to consider how our words look on a page or a screen is imperative for writing in the workplace. Our job, after all, is to make the task of reading less of a chore. Considerations of type font, spacing, page layout, and graphical elements are as important to writing as are well-drafted sentences and paragraphs. A well designed document will make your writing more effective.

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