1. Page Design and Elements
Visuals to Aid Comprehension

2. Overview Page Design Design Principles Design Elements Headings Text
White Space
Graphics and Visual Aids
Headers and Footers
Physical Features of Paper

3. Overview Page Design Design Principles Design Elements Headings Text
White Space
Graphics and Visual Aids
Headers and Footers
Physical Features of Paper

4. Page Design Helps readers understand information
Indicates hierarchy of ideas and concepts
Helps readers locate information
Emphasizes the most important content
Encourages readers to feel good about a communication and its subject matter
Appeals to right-brained user’s
Invites the eye

5. Overview Page Design Design Principles Design Elements Headings Text
White Space
Graphics and Visual Aids
Headers and Footers
Physical Features of Paper

6. Design Principles Consider your reader and purpose
Align related visual elements with one another
Use contrast to establish hierarchy and focus
Use proximity to group related elements
Use repetition to unify your communication visually
Select font types that are easy to read
Design for ease of use and attractiveness

7. Overview Page Design Design Principles Design Elements Headings Text
White Space
Graphics and Visual Aids
Headers and Footers
Physical Features of Paper

8. Design Elements Elements Refers to Headings and titles
Labels for sections of your communication
Text
Paragraphs, sentences, lists, steps
White space
Blank areas
Visual aids
Drawings, graphs, tables…
Headers and footers
Page number, author name…
Physical features of paper
Shape, size and bindings

9. Overview Page Design Design Principles Design Elements Headings Text
White Space
Graphics and Visual Aids
Headers and Footers
Physical Features of Paper

10. Headings
Are the titles and subtitles you insert into the text to indicate the topic and purpose of the paragraphs
Provide an overview of the document/section
Indicate the logic of the documents
Indicate the topic of the upcoming section
Enable readers to read selectively
Provide breaks and white space in dense text
Keep readers focused
Keep the writer focused and organized

11. Designing Headings Use no more than four levels of headings
Make headings bold and avoid all caps
Consistently distinguish heading level by proportionate point size, indentation, font type (italics), capitalization, and other graphic elements
Use sans serif fonts such as Helvetica, Optima, or Arial
Make the phrasing of headings accurate and descriptive
Make headings grammatically parallel
Use an appropriate number of headings
Use task-oriented headings in instructions
Avoid lone headings or stacked headings
Do not use headings as lead-ins to lists, figures, or tables
Adjust paragraph spacing above and below headings

12. Sample: Headings
Level 1 Heading
Level 2 Heading

13. Overview Page Design Design Principles Design Elements Headings Text
White Space
Graphics and Visual Aids
Headers and Footers
Physical Features of Paper

14. General Guidelines for Text
Generally use 9-11 point size for body text, depending on the dimensions and purpose of your document (for user’s guides around 9 pt)
Use serif fonts such as Times New Roman, Garamond, or Palatino
Single space body text
Indent text line to create a column of white space on the right-hand side
Adjust paragraph spacing above and below paragraphs and text elements
Do not shift text margins with heading margins

15. Lists: Bulleted and Numbered
Bulleted lists emphasize two or more items where order is not crucial
Some bullet lists have labels with a term in bold followed by a description or definition
Numbered lists have items that are in a required order, chronological process, or that must be referred to by number
Numbered lists usually indicate a step-by-step process that must be completed in a specific, sequential order
Lists add emphasis, increase readability, and add white space

16. Sample: Bulleted and Numbered Lists
Bulleted List
Numbered List

17. Guidelines for Lists Use the right type of list (number or bullet)
Include a lead-in sentence ending with a colon
Check the grammatical connection between list items and lead-ins
Avoid using too many lists or creating lists with too many items
Don’t use lists with only one item
Use standard punctuation and capitalization on list items
Adjust spacing between list items for readability
Make the phrasing of list items parallel
Avoid lead articles on list items
Correctly align list items and nested list items
Include a bullet list at the end of the Overview or Introduction that lists and explains all your H1s in your guide
If additional information/definitions follow the item, add a period after the item in bold, and add the extra text in unbold on the same line

18. Steps Begin each step with a verb in command form (omit “you”)
Bold the command sentence
Put additional information, notes, explanation about each step is in unbold text on the same line or on the very next line
Include only one action per step (unless two actions must be completed simultaneously)

19. Overview Page Design Design Principles Design Elements Headings Text
White Space
Graphics and Visual Aids
Headers and Footers
Physical Features of Paper

20. White Space Is defined as any space on the page where there is no text
Adds visual clarity to the document
Is created by defining the space along the:
margins, between lines, paragraphs, indentation, lead-ins & bullet text, bullets and the adjoining bulleted-text, etc.
Is created through the Styles and Formatting option in the Format Menu of MS-Word

21. White Space – Sample White Space Heading & Paragraph Text Spacing
Left Margin Spacing
Right Margin Spacing
Lead-in & Bullet Text Spacing
Bullet Spacing
Bullet and Bullet Text Spacing
Paragraph Spacing

22. Overview Page Design Design Principles Design Elements Headings Text
White Space
Graphics and Visual Aids
Headers and Footers
Physical Features of Paper

23. Notes, Warnings, and Tips
Notices are special emphasis techniques for text
Search the text for situations that match the situations for your notices
Place notices with the text to which they apply
Present high-severity notices at the beginning of a document
Align notices with the text to which they apply
Consolidate multiple notices when possible
Use notice types consistently
The types of notices are:
Danger: for situations where serious injury or fatality could occur
Warning: for situations where minor injury could occur
Caution: for situations where damage to equipment or data could occur
Note: for situations where information needs to be emphasized, for exceptions, special points, hints, and tips

24. Guidelines for Notices
While writing warnings and danger notices, consider including:
Conditions
Actions to avoid or to take
Consequences
Recovery

25. Sample: Tips Box

26. Tables, Graphs, and Charts
Tables are rows and columns of numbers, words, or symbols
Graphs show changes in data over time
Charts are graphical representation of data in the form of bar and pie charts, in general
Use lists, charts, flowcharts, tables, diagrams, and graphics to clarify and organize information
Always introduce bullet lists and graphics with a sentence followed by a colon (:)

27. Types of Illustrations
Photographs
Drawings
Flowcharts and other conceptual drawings
Diagrams and schematics

28. Overview Page Design Design Principles Design Elements Headings Text
White Space
Graphics and Visual Aids
Headers and Footers
Physical Features of Paper

29. Headers and Footers
Include a footer on all pages except the cover page and table of contents page
Footers should be of the same font type you use for your headings
Footer usually consists of three items: your name, the title of your guide, and the date

30. Headers and Footers: Sample

31. Overview Page Design Design Principles Design Elements Headings Text
White Space
Graphics and Visual Aids
Headers and Footers
Physical Features of Paper

32. Physical Features of Paper
Readers usually prefer manuals that are compact and manageable, such as 7 x 9
Use a paper that is thick enough so that text and graphics do not bleed through when you print on both sides
A paper with a slight gloss can look very professional
For binding, use coil, saddle stitch, or staples covered carefully by high quality tape
See course reader for specifics on paper and production of the guide