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Chapter 8Chapter 8
Document Design Document Design 22
Page Layout Page Layout
1
Creating Visually Effective Creating Visually Effective DocumentsDocuments
Technical communication is based on informed informed choiceschoices.
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Creating Visually Effective Creating Visually Effective DocumentsDocuments
A technical communicator makes decisions about aspects of design based on the audienceaudience and purposepurpose.
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Creating Visually Effective Creating Visually Effective DocumentsDocuments
Readers - view a page as a whole unit- scan the page to get a sense of
layout and structure- determine the page’s “road maproad map”
by looking at title, headings and subheadings
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Creating Visually Effective Creating Visually Effective Documents Documents
Visual hierarchyVisual hierarchy- shows main items or most important topics in primary headings- shows secondary items in second level of headings or subheadings
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Creating Visually Effective Creating Visually Effective Documents Documents
Headings and subheadingsHeadings and subheadings- use same (parallel) grammatical structure- show the structure (outline) of the document
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Creating Visually Effective Creating Visually Effective Documents Documents
Electronic pagesElectronic pages
- web pages (often cluttered)- computer screens (shaped differently)- electronic text (fuzzier than print)
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Formatting a Page Formatting a Page Effectively Effectively
GridsGrids- vertical- horizontal- combined
see Fig. 8.3 on p. 135
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Formatting a Page Formatting a Page Effectively Effectively
White SpaceWhite Space- isolates and emphasizes important elements and areas- keeps related elements together- breaks up regular visual pattern- provides breathing room between blocks of information see Fig. 8.4 on p. 136
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Formatting a Page Formatting a Page Effectively Effectively
Adjust the guttergutter- white space between
columns
Use ample marginsmargins- white space around
edges of a page
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Formatting a Page Formatting a Page Effectively Effectively
Avoid orphansorphans- a paragraph’s opening line left at the bottom of the page
Avoid widowswidows- a paragraph’s closing line left
at the top of the next page
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Formatting a Page Formatting a Page Effectively Effectively
ListsLists- bulleted - numbered (for series or steps)
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Formatting a Page Formatting a Page Effectively Effectively
Tips for ListsTips for Lists
Don’t overuse bullets.Avoid using fancy icons.Use punctuations only when
required.Use parallel grammatical
structure.
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Formatting a Page Formatting a Page Effectively Effectively
HeadingsHeadings
- size headings by level- choose appropriate heading size- make headings visually consistent- make headings grammatically
parallel
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Formatting a Page Formatting a Page Effectively Effectively
Tips for HeadingsTips for Headings
- use no more than 4 levels of heading
- divide the text logically - do not write the first sentence as a
continuation of the heading - do not leave a heading floating at
the bottom of a page
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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TypographyTypography
FontsFonts- use fonts from only one typeface- be consistent if you mix typefaces- use italics, boldface and all caps
sparingly- avoid going below 12-point type- make headings at least 2 points
larger than the text
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Search OptionsSearch Options
• Table of contents• Index• Running heads • Running feet• Electronic searching or
“find” feature
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Electronic DocumentsElectronic Documents
• Web pages• Online help• Adobe Acrobat and PDF files• CDs and other media
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
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Style Sheets and ToolsStyle Sheets and Tools
• Organizational style guides• Word-processing and
page layout software• CSS and HTML web pages
Technical Communication Ch 8: Page Layout
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Web Style GuideWeb Style Guidehttp://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/
index.htmlindex.html
Ch 8: Page Layout
Document Design 2
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Chapter 8Chapter 8
Page LayoutPage LayoutDocument Design 2Document Design 2