Design
Design Principles
Never use more than two fonts on a single document
Using too many fonts makes a page
look busy and distracts from the readability of the document. For
a clean readable document, it’s best to use no more than two
different fonts, and even then it’s best if they are very different
font. This typically means using one serif font and one sans-serif
font. You will note from reading books and journals, that the best
fonts for reading body text are serif. The little embellishments on
the tops and bottoms of serif fonts aid in quick and accurate visual
recognition. San-serif can be used for headings and poster-type presentations.
Not as well known is that it is easier to read san-serifs when reading
body text on computer screens.
Never use all capital letters
ALL CAPS ARE HARD TO READ. Caps
take up more space and don’t give the visual clues with taller
letters and tails. They also distract from identifying the beginning
of sentences.
Use one space between sentences.
Double-spacing is a feature of
typewriters which used “monospace” type, meaning that
every takes the same space. Most fonts in word processors are “proportional”
type, meaning that some letters are wider than others. Because words
using proportional type are set more tightly, a single space is adequate
as a visual clue for identifying the beginning of a sentence.
Make good use of white space
White space is the blank space
on a page and this helps define the design of your page. White space
can be used to emphasize key points, to organize information and to
give the eye room to rest. It is best to concentrate white space around
the edge rather than small chucnks in the middle of the page. If you
leave a good amount of white space at the top of the page, your readers
will forgive you for any number of other design errors.
Don’t leave widows on
your page
When you type a paragraph and
the last word drops down to form a line of its own at the end, that
word is called a “widow.” The last line should never be
only one word. When this happens, one should edit the text or make
other adjustments to the page format so that the lasts line is longer
than 7 characters.
Don’t use underlines
Underlining text makes it difficult
to read because, in part, you lose the visual clues from letters with
tails. If you wish to emphasize a word, use bold or italic to set
it apart.
If you choose a particular font, style and face for a heading, such as 18pt bold Times, make all your headings 18pt bold Times. Keep your alignment and emphasis consistent. If headings are centered and subheading and text are left-aligned, have all headings centered and all subheadings and text left-aligned. If you use bold for emphasis at one point, don’t use italic at another point.
If items belong together intellectually…put
them close together physically
This is particularly important
with subheadings in a simple, all text document. The subheadings should
be closer to the paragraph they are defining than to the paragraph
above. This allows for easier recognition of which text belongs together.
Make good use of contrast
Don’t be a wimp. If two
items are different, make them very different. To set you subheadings
apart, don’t simply make them bold, make them very different.
Try a different font, a larger size as well as a bold style. Contrast
adds interest to your page. It makes a page look rewarding to read.
Too little contrast results in a boring page.
Remember the concept of Effort
and Reward
The goal in designing a page is
to make it east to read, and to make it look rewarding. Readers won’t
bother if it looks high effort and they can’t see the value
of reading it. Make the important ideas jump out at the readers. Let
them see immediately what the value will be to them in reading your
document. You can do this by following the above design principles.
Assignment for Montage
For details on the montage assignment go to the Images webpage
This assignment is due October 18 or 21.