Document Design

“Document design is the field concerned with creating texts, that is books, pamphlets, posters and others that integrate words and pictures in ways that help people to achieve their specific goals for using texts at home, school, or work” (Shriver, 1997).

Good document designs

•               Guide readers through by directing attention.

•               Create retention value on important points.

•               Increase reader interest.

•               Achieve focus through

–              Conscious use of design principles

–              Graphic aids

–              Attention-getting format devices

•               Reflect and enhance the desired message.

The principles of design are qualities important to any visual presentation. According to Reep (2006), 4 general principles are to be considered when designing any document:        

–              Balance

–              Proportion

–              Sequence

–              Consistency

Balance

Page balance is about comparable visual “weight” on both sides of a page.

·         Weight matters!

·                     Big weighs more than small.

·                     Dark weighs more than light.

·                     Color weighs more than black and white.

·                     Unusual shapes weigh more than simple circles and squares.

·         Positioning – where the above elements are placed and used offers perspective on how to use the document.

·         Arrangement – arrange elements so that the overall look is held together in harmony.

Proportion

·         Size and placement of text, graphic aids and format elements – serves as a guide and help draw attention to what matters more on the page.

·         The Rule of Thirds technique helps to establish proportion in an image.

Sequence

·         Establish the hierarchy in the best possible order for easy comprehension.

·         Draw the eye to the most important point and then to the next.  

·         Readers tend to read starting from top left and then scan down left-right before ending downwards towards right. Read about the Gutenberg diagram (cited in Butler, et.al. 2003).

·         Use ‘weightier’, that is, heavier colours to guide desired direction and sequence.

Consistency

·         Keep to similar features, similar elements and similar styles.

·         Keep margins and indentations uniform.

·         Typeface – Use the same family of fonts to avoid disjointed content.

The use of white space, colour, typographic devices, graphic image, graphic aids and formatting elements are also pertinent to good document design. Good document design aids document usability and offers clarity of content and message.   

Related readings:

A Visual Guide to Document Design and Layout

Ten Steps to Good Document Design

Reference

Butler J, Holden K, Lidwell W 2003, Universal Principles of Design: 100 ways to enhance usability, influence perception, increase appeal, make better design decisions, and teach through design, Rockport Publishers, Beverley, MA.

Reep DC 2006, Technical Writing, 6^th edn, Pearson/Longman, New York.

Shriver KA 1997, Dynamics in Document Design, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

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New Forms of Media Publishing

The Yellow Pages now come in many formats (as seen above). Technological convergence brought together computers, telecommunications and media, transforming media along the way, resulting in a media convergence (Gordon, 2003). Digitization of media into computer-readable forms, together with the proliferation of wireless internet access allowing convenient connectivity to the internet, has changed the world of media forever.  

Publishing on the web has many advantages over publishing in print – including the ability to be searched, indexed, linked-to, and copied, all without sacrificing any trees. Its outreach to people worldwide far outweighs the usual output of a book, a journal or publication. Electronic communications such as blogs, websites, e-books and social media networks assert dominance. There is increased interactivity as the multimedia allows topics to be discussed, investigated or even challenged almost instantaneously defying geological boundaries.

Birkerts (1994) laments the depreciation of literature and historical context. "The order of print is linear, and is bound to logic by the imperatives of syntax”, as reading is fundamentally an act of translation, electronic reading works differently for “information and contents do not simply move from one private space to another, but they travel along a network. Engagement is intrinsically public, taking place within a circuit of larger connectedness in the vast resources of the network.” (Birkerts, 1994). While electronic communication can be passive, its contents can be changed or deleted with the stroke of a key. With multimedia, visual impression and image take precedence over logic and concept, at the expense of detail and linear sequencing.  

Gordon (2003) points out that this change in media infrastructure brings key challenges in managing content creation, distribution and consumption, in particular pertaining to ownership, ethics, tactics, structure, information gathering and presentation/storytelling.

Though many publication houses are losing ground against new medias with free online content, many traditional newspapers, journals and magazines have gone online and have experienced significant growth in readership. (Source: Nielsen Online, NAA: Newspaper Companies Drew Record Traffic in Q1 2010).

The big question remains: Would consumers pay for online content?

Related articles:

• What’s Your Online Content Worth? Global Consumers Say: It Depends
• Three Screen Report: TV Remains Strong as DVR and Online Video Show Most Growth
• 74% of U.S. Adults Read Newspapers at Least Once a Week in Print or Online
• Nielsen at the European Journalism Centre Innovation Series
• OnDemand Online, TV Everywhere and What It Means for Audience Measurement

References

Birkerts, S 1994, The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age, Faber and Faber Inc, Winchester, MA.

Gordon, R 2003, Digital Journalism: Emerging Media and the Changing Horizons of Journalism, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc, Lanham MD.

Covey, N 2010, Changing Models: A Global Perspective on Paying for Content, The Nielsen Company, viewed 12 October 2010, http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/global/changing-models-a-global-perspective-on-paying-for-content-online/

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