Design and Rhetoric: English 505 January 22, 2008

Rhetoric Analytic → Analysis Heuristic → Production

Rhetoric, briefly defined, is the use of symbols to produce an effect; in professional writing, specifically, it is the use of audience and context awareness, concise and clear writing, persuasive images and graphics, and well-designed documents to facilitate cooperation between people within and beyond specific institutions.

Design Design could be viewed as an activity that translates an idea into a blueprint for something useful, whether it's a car, a building, a graphic, a service or a process. Design is a rhetorical activity.

Design In the first and final analysis, design is about effecting change in people’s choices and behavior. People choose to use or enjoy a particular design. People change, modify or adapt their behavior in order to engage new features, new functionality and new experiences. In other words, they are persuaded—or they persuade themselves—that the design is worth their time, effort, money and/or resources. —The Power of Persuasion; by Michael Schrage

Design and Rhetoric: English 505 January 22, 2008

the rhetorical situation  audience  purpose  context design principles  contrast  repetition  alignment  proximity

document design  is writing information—books, pamphlets, posters, web pages, reports, and more—that integrate words and images in productive, appropriate ways  is bringing together words, graphics, typography—and more design features—to instruct, inform, or persuade  should help people learn and understand, use and apply something, make decisions, and get a job done  should enable people to use a document in ways that serve their interests and needs

goals of document/page design (Markel)  to make a good impression on readers  to help readers understand the structure and hierarchy of information  to help readers find the information they need  to help readers understand the information

 be driven by readers’/viewers’/users’ needs  be a guide; it should enhance, entice, and lead, not distract  be deliberate—that is, elements should be selected, structured, and emphasized carefully document design should

 margins  blank space  paragraph spacing  paragraph length  line spacing  line length  justification  type sizes and typefaces (fonts)  type features (e.g., bold, italics, strikethrough)  letter case  highlighting  color  graphics, images, icons, symbols  tables, charts, diagrams  columns  headings  headers and footers  page numbers document design includes

usable documents  usable means more than just “ease of use”  usable means thinking about how and why people use a document  usable means evaluation, assessment, and redevelopment  usable means user-centered practices and user-centered design

when document design fails

“Design for the greater good is that which is usually overlooked: airport signage, stamps, passports, the driver’s license. It’s time for our government to act publicly, fervently and adamantly in advocating the essential and necessary nature of design. Design should be valued and recognized for the power it holds.” (JP Williams)

C.R.A.P.

Jacques Carelman: “Coffeepot for Masochists”

8:15-12:34