DESIGNING EFFECTIVE DOCUMENTS AND VISUALS

The physical layout of your business documents is the reader’s first impression of you. Make
yours a good one. Good design encourages people to pay attention to what you have to say.

Appearances count. Documents that get read are those that appear easy to read, interesting, brief,
and important. A message that has visual impact attracts attention, invites readership, and
establishes your credibility even before you state your case because:

 Visual impact organizes information. A good visual design breaks the message into
manageable, bite-size chunks, making it easy for the reader to find the key pieces of
information

 Visual impact emphasizes what’s important. You can create a hierarchy of information
so your readers can separate major points from supporting ones. Your reader will
appreciate your logical presentation of ideas

Sample Document

Imagine it's payday at work at Rosyner Co., and when you open your pay envelope, you see the
following notice with your paycheck:

Figure 1: Poorly Designed Notice to Employees (Bovee and Thill)

MONEY DEDUCTED FROM YOUR W AGES TO PAY CREDITORS

When you buy goods on credit. the store will sometimes ask you to sign a Wage
Assignment form allowing it to deduct money from your wages if you do not pay your
bill. When you buy on credit. you sign a contract agreeing to pay a certain amount each
week or month until you have paid all you owe. The Wage Assignment Form is separate.
It must contain the name of your present employer, your social security number, the
amount of money loaned, the rate of interest, the date when payments are due, and your
signature. The words "Wage Assignment" must be printed at the top of the form and also
near the line for your signature. Even if you have signed a Wage Assignment agreement,
Roysner will not withhold part of your wages unless all of the following conditions are
met: you have to be more than forty days late in payment to what you owe, Roysner has
to receive a correct statement of the among you are in default and a copy of the Wage
Assignment form, and you and Roysner must receive a notice from the creditor at least
twenty days in advance stating that the creditor plans to make a demand on your wages.
This twenty-day notice gives you a chance to correct the problems yourself. If these
conditions are all met, Roysner must withhold 15% of each paycheck until your bill is
paid and give this money to your creditor. If you think you are not late or that you do not
owe the amount stated, you can argue against it by filing a legal document called a
defense. If you are wrong. you have to pay not only what you owe but also all legal costs
for both yourself and the creditor. If you are right. the creditor has to pay all these costs.
 This poorly written document is confusing and hard to read. It was not designed with the reader in
mind.

Improved Sample: Now look at the same information but this time, in a form designed with the
audience in mind. Would you be able to understand what management wants you to do the first
time you read the notice?

Figure 2: Well-Designed Notice to Employees

title announces
topic
Money Deducted from Your Wages to Pay Creditors

When you buy goods on credit, the store will sometimes ask you to sign a Wage
Assignment form allowing it to deduct money from your wages if you do not pay your bill.

Have You Signed a Wage Assignment Form? headings lead the reader
from topic to the next
When you buy on credit, you sign a contract agreeing to pay a certain amount each week or
month until you have paid all you owe. The Wage Assignment Form is separate. It must contain:

 Name of your present employer,

 Your social security number, bulleted list serves as
 Amount of money loaned, easy-to-read checklist
 Rate of Interest
 Date when payments are due, and
 Your signature

The words "Wage Assignment" must be printed at the top of the form and also near the line
for your signature.
double and tripe spacing separates text and provides a rest for the eyes

When Would Money Be Deducted from Your Wages to Pay a Creditor?

Even if you have signed a Wage Assignment agreement, Roysner will not withhold part of
your wages unless all of the following conditions are met:

1. You have to be more than 40 days late in payment of what you owe,
numbered 2. Roysner has to receive a correct statement of the amount you are in default and a copy of
list implies the Wage Assignment form, and
order 3. Your and Roysner must receive a notice from the creditor at least 20 days in advance
hierarchy stating that the creditor plans to make a demand on your wages. This 20-day notice gives
you a chance to correct the problem yourself.

At a glance your eyes can tell:

 That the document consists at least two major sections.

 That the bold face headings quickly let readers know the topic of each paragraph.
 That the blank space organizes the paragraphs and provides a brief rest for the eyes.
  That numbered and bulleted lists will make it easy for employees to check off all the
details they're supposed to include on the form.

WHAT IS VISUALS?
A visual is something such as a picture, diagram, or piece of film that is used to show or explain
something

PURPOSE OF VISUALS
1. They arouse readers immediate interest. Visuals catch a readers eye by setting important information
apart and breaking up sentences and paragraphs.
2. They increase readers understanding by simplifying concepts. Visuals are especially helpful for
explaining technical information to a general audience.
3. They especially help ESL readers. Visuals speak a universal language and so can be readily understood
by a global audience.
4. They emphasize key relationships. Visuals quickly show contrasts, similarities, growth rates,
movements, and so on.
5. They condense and summarize lots of information succinctly. A visual can present data in much less
space than words alone.
6. They are highly persuasive. Readers are far more likely to recall a visual than a verbal description or
summary.

GUIDELINES FOR CHOOSING EFFECTIVE VISUALS

1. Use visuals only when they are relevant for your purpose and audience. A visual should contribute to
your text, not be redundant.
2. Use visuals in conjunction with your written work, not in place of it. Visuals are not a substitute for
written work.
3. Use a visual when it would be more difficult to rely on words alone. A verbal description is sometimes
more difficult to follow than a visual presentation.
4. Experiment with several visuals before you select one. The first visual you try may not always be the
best choice.
5. Be prepared to revise and edit your visuals. Just as you expect to draft and revise written work, you
must expect to create several versions of a visual before you achieve the best result.
6. Always use high-quality visuals. Make sure your visuals are clear and readable.
7. Consider how visuals will look on the page. Visuals should add to the overall appearance of your work,
not detract from it.

TWO CATEGORIES OF VISUALS

Visuals can be divided into two categories: tables and figures.

A table arranges information in columns or rows for easy reference. Any visual that is not a table is
categorized as a figure.

What types of visuals you should use depends on your audience.

Line graphs transform numbers into pictures. They vividly portray changes: cycles, trends, distributions.
They are widely used in business for describing past performance and forecasting trends.
Charts are preferable when communicating with a consumer audience.
Circle (pie) charts and bar charts are widely used for this purpose. Bar charts are more fluid and
dynamic than circle charts and can be used to show trends. Organizational charts picture the hierarchy in
an organization, such as a business. Flow charts illustrate the order of events in a process. They often flow
from left to right and back again, or else from top to bottom. A pictograph is similar to a bar chart but
uses series of small symbols to represent data, instead of bars. Photographs can show what an object
looks like, how to perform a certain procedure, before and after views, and relative sizes and shapes of
several different objects. Drawings can show where an object is located, how a tool or machine is put
together, or what signals or steps are taken in a particular situation. A cutaway drawing shows internal
parts normally concealed from view. An exploded drawing blows an object up and apart to show how the
internal parts are arranged

Well designed documents follow four principles: simplicity, contrast

and organization, and image
Simplicity

Uncluttered documents are easier to read and understand.

 Using white space to separate and emphasize points. White space makes the document
pleasing to the eye, creating an impression that the document is inviting and easy to read.
White space also provides a resting place for the eyes. Double space between paragraphs
and triple space between sections helps the reader see each paragraph and section clearly.

 Eliminating clutter. Shorter paragraphs; subheads and indentations; and indent lists of
items avoid the look of cramped, dense text.

 Choosing the right font style and size. The font, or typeface, displays words that
convey the message. Fonts can also create a visual impression that act upon the reader. At
best, fonts reinforce the message and add impact. At worst, they conflict with the
message and distract your reader from it. Printed documents often use Times New
Roman. Anything smaller than 10 becomes hard to read. Careful use of bold face, all
caps, or different fonts, and sizes are effective for emphasis.
o Avoiding aligning business documents. For example:
Poor: Right aligned
This paragraph is right aligned. Notice how this paragraph has a newspaper
column look. Margins stretch the spacing between letters and words toward the
right margin. Research suggests that right justified margins are more difficult to
read because of the boxy look to paragraphs.

Better: Not right aligned

This paragraph is not right aligned. Unlike right alignment, which has a boxy
look, unaligned paragraphs are easier to read for most audiences. The right edges
throughout this web page are ragged. Lines end in difference places because
words are of difference lengths. The eye uses the variation in line endings to
track down the page. Ragged right margins let the spacing between words and
letters stay regular.

o Limiting paragraph length. Short paragraphs – between five to seven line – are easier
to read for general audiences. However, a document full of short paragraphs is choppy
and harder for the reader to see the logical relationship between ideas. Conversely, long
paragraphs are intimidating and difficult to understand.
 o Using graphics and illustrations carefully. Graphics, when used correctly, can simplify
complicated ideas. Effective documents don’t have too many visual aids. The best
documents have visuals placed as close as possible to the text they refer to. Charts can be
hard for people with poor math skills to understand.

o Using color and decorative elements in moderation. Color, highlighting, and

decorative devices (like dingbats), if used too much, make the document busy and hard to
read. Color, in particular, should be used with caution. White letters on dark backgrounds
take longer to read. Shadow or outline fonts are also hard to read and are better them big
letters on signs or in ads.

o Using restraint. An unclutttered document (1) uses few lines and boxes, (2) keeps
underlining to a minimum, and (3) avoids too much use of tinted backgrounds and
reverse type.

Contrast

Contrast in a business document means making certain elements stand apart from body
paragraphs.

o Varying sentence length. Varied sentence length makes for interesting reading. Long
sentences are best for detailed explanations and short sentences for emphatic statements.
The ideal limit for sentences is no more than 25 words. One way to cut the length of a
sentence is to look for compound sentences – those separated by “and,” “but,” and other
conjunctions.

o Making headings stand out. Headings draw the reader's attention to the text. Larger
type, a different typeface, surrounding white space, or bold type help headings stand out.

o Using color for contrast (but with restraint!) Colored type or paper makes material
more attractive. Pale yellow or cream offers good contrast to black type without glare.
Green type works well on white or off-white paper. Bright colors are most effective in
headlines or graphics.

Organization

Effective business documents are designed so readers can follow one idea to the next.

o Using headings and subheadings. Headings (level 1) and subheadings (level 2 – 4)

serve as guideposts. Readers should be able to skim the message and be carried along by
the headings.

o Using bulleted or numbered lists. Parallel points are clear and easy to remember in
bulleted or numbered lists and draw reader attention and separate the items better than
dashes. Numbered lists suggest a hierarchy or order whereas bulleted lists don’t. Lists
must be introduced by a lead-in sentence so that readers know what they’re looking at.
Effective lists:
o form a logical group
o contain only one idea
 o work separately with the lead in to form a complete sentence
o begin with a lower case letter
o use commas or no punctuation except for a period after the last item if it is the
end of the sentence introduced with a lead in (in this list, the words "Effective
lists:")
o use parallel structure and a uniform style
o use words, phrases, or short sentences
o aren't overused. Overusing lists emphasizes everything so that nothing stands out
and weakens your point. Remember that less is more.
o use numbers to imply a hierarchy or order – to prioritize or rank the items or to
describe step-by-step procedures

Image

In addition to conveying information, business documents can also convey the writer’s
personality.

o Using typestyles to convey personality. Fonts can coney an image to the reader: casual,
formal, youthful, or somber. Some typestyles look contemporary or friendly. Others are
conservative or formal. Two general styles of type are.
 serifs (like this sentence in Times New Roman) have thin, ornamental strokes at
the ends of letters. They work well for bold type and for printed copies.
 sans-serif type (like this sentence in Trebuchet MS) is simpler and used
in web page design and for contrast in headings and subheadings.

o Use Color to Communicate without Words. Some reactions to color are innate; others
are learned. Some are international while others are cultural. Reds, oranges, and yellows
give a feeling of warmth while greens, blues and violets are cooler colors. Younger
audiences like warmer colors. Colors can affect the image the writer wants to project.
Different professions have learned responses to color. Red excites moviegoers but is
negative to accountants. Yellow represents happiness to moviegoers, importance to
financiers, jaundice to doctors, and caution for engineers. Green represents calm, subdued
repose. The best advice about colors is to test color choices on potential readers.

The ABCs of Print Document Design

The basic elements of effective document design are:

1. Page layout-including white space, margins, line length, and columns.

White space on the page attracts readers attention, assures readers that the information is presented
logically, and helps readers organize information visually.
Margins frame your document with white space. A comfortable line length10 to 14 words, or 50 to 70
charactersis essential for easy reading.
Multiple columns are useful for documents that intersperse visuals and text, such as newsletters.

2. Typography-including typeface, type styles, justification, heads and subheads, lists, and captions,
using color.

Select typeface that is attractive, functional, and appropriate for your message and complements
accompanying graphics. Sans serif fonts are recommended for heads and subheads but not for the main
text.
In general, use 10- or 12-point type with 2-point leading for the body of your document.
Subheads should be 2 to 4 points larger than the main text, and main heads 2 to 4 points larger than
subheads.
All headings should be concise and grammatically parallel and follow a hierarchy of points within the
text. Use lists to help readers divide, organize, and rank information. Lists can be numbered, lettered, or
bulleted. Use captions to explain or highlight visuals. Color can be used to tie important ideas together, set
moods, and cause reactions. Color helps sell ideas 85% more effectively than black and white
communications. Light colors make objects look darker; dark colors make objects look smaller. Keep it
simpleuse no more than two or three colors on a page. Too many bright colors overwhelm the eye, so use
them sparingly. Use cool colors for backgrounds. 3.Graphics of Visuals

In conclusion, effective business documents do not happen by accident. They are designed,
planned and created with the audience in mind. You know you have a successful document
when your readers act upon it correctly the very first time they read it. Planning and designing
may take a little more time, but your efforts will pay off big time because you will accomplish
your goal: to get your readers to do what you want them to do and to build goodwill.