1. Document Etiquette

2. White space An essential design element Should balance text and graphics Allows readers to digest what is being communicated Carries as much weight in a layout as a graphic

3. Font Size Should be easy to read Standard for main text is 12 pt.

4. Font Types Serif: a more traditional font typeset originally credited to the Romans. i.e.. Times New Roman Made word blocks appear more uniform before digitized printing came around.

5. Font Types (con’t.) Sans Serif: a more contemporary typeset i.e. Arial Eliminates “visual noise” for smaller font sizes.

6. Font Styles More than 2 font styles is too much of a good thing ! Decorative fonts should only be used as titles or headers. Don’t overbold or overitalicize; Bo-o-oring

7. Spacing Short paragraphs: Are concise Help the reader quickly find details Should be used under subheadings

8. Spacing (con’t) Alignment brings order to chaos Align paragraphs consistently Keep vertical lines in mind –Pleasingly align text and graphics with white space Sentences should be at least 1.5 lines apart –More for younger audiences

9. Layout Be consistent Know the audience and their needs Use call out boxes Did you know… A Call Out box draws readers attention

10. Resources http://www.gooddocuments.com/technique s/techniqueshome.htm http://www.gooddocuments.com/technique s/techniqueshome.htm http://www.ossweb.com/articles.html http://desktoppub.about.com/