Document Design Basics

Designing Reader-Centered Pages and Documents

You build your communications out of visual elements: the dark marks of your words,
sentences, and paragraphs against the light background of the page, as well as your drawings
and graphs and tables. Your readers see the visual design of these elements before they read
and understand your message. And what they see has a powerful effect on the success of your
communications, on its usability and persuasiveness.

Here are ways that good design enhances usability:

 Good design helps readers understand your information.

 Good page design helps readers locate information quickly.
 Good design helps readers notice highly important content.

Here are some ways good design affects readers’ attitudes, thereby increasing a
communication’s persuasiveness:

 Good design encourages readers to feel good about the communication itself.
 Good design encourages readers to feel good about the communication’s subject matter.

A Reader-Centered Approach to Design

Because page design can have such a significant impact on your communication’s usability
and persuasiveness, you should approach design in the same reader-centered manner that you
use when drafting text and graphics. Think continuously about your readers, including who
they are, what they want from your communication, and the context in which they will be
reading.

Design Elements of a Communication

It is helpful to think about the building blocks of a page design in the way that professional
graphic designers do. When they look at a page, they see six basic elements:

 Text: Paragraphs and sentences.

 Headings and titles: Labels for sections of your communication.
 Graphics: Drawings, tables, photographs, and so on — including their captions.
 White space: Blank areas.
 Headers and footers: The items, such as page numbers, that occur at the top or bottom of
each page in a multipage document.
 Physical features: These include paper, which may take many shapes and sizes, and
bindings, which come in many forms.

In Figure 4.1 below, notice how your eye is drawn to the blue header and the boxed
elements. In these spaces, you can highlight the important parts of your message:
 

Figure 4.1

Document Formatting

Most academic and workplace documents are created using Microsoft Office products (Word,
Excel, Power Point) or Google Docs (G-Suite). These are generally considered industry
standards, so it is important that you learn to use them effectively to create professional
workplace documents.

Table 4.1 provides some general specifications for many types of technical writing
documents:

TABLE 4.1 Document Formatting

MARGINS Use 1″ margins on all sides (use 2″ when binding)

Justify your left margin only; don’t fully justify your

 
paragraphs, as this can result in odd spacing
FONTS Headings: Sans serif, such as Arial or Calibri

Body text: Serif font, such as Times New Roman or Cambria

FONT SIZE Headings: 12-20 point sans serif font

Body text: 11-12

Single-spacing is used for most letters, memos, and emails; 1.5

SPACING
or double spacing to allow for comments.

LENGTH Paragraphs tend to be no longer than 10 lines

  Sentences are usually 15-20 words

Basic Components of Document Design: Trends & Examples

Increase Your Credibility

Believe it or not, a well-designed document will increase its credibility. A poorly designed
document leaves people wondering if the information is accurate. Creating a well-designed
document is easy with just a few clicks in a word processing program. Good document design
starts with typography.

Typography
Typography is using the actual typeface or font to make the document easy to read. There is
a lot to consider when choosing a font, and here are some current trends as you choose your
typeface (Examples are shown at the end of this section.):

 Monospaced vs. proportional: With monospaced typefaces, every letter gets the same

amount of space. This was all that was available in the early days of typewriting, so
these typefaces appear dated. To make a document look professional and modern, use
fonts that are proportionately spaced, meaning, each letter gets only as much space as
it needs.
 Serif or sans serif fonts: Serifs are the little extensions on a letter that help the eyes
move quickly through a text, so use a font with a serif for large blocks of text. Sans
serif means without the serif and can be used for emphasis.
 Readability: While Chiller and Edwardian Script are interesting, they are difficult to
read. Times New Roman is a good readable font.
 Font Size: The size of fonts are based on one inch equaling 72 points. So, a 12-point
font is basically just under ¼ of an inch (36 points = ½ inch; 18 points = ¼ inch). This
is the best size to use because it's easy for most readers to see.
 Attributes: Bold, all caps, and italics are attributes that emphasize text in a document.
However, use them sparingly and avoid them altogether for large blocks of text
because they can be difficult to read.
The Overall Look
Once a document is typed, a good document designer will take a step back, view it as a
whole, and ask the questions: How does it look? Does it look good when all put together? Is
there anything that attracts the eye in a negative way? Here are some things to consider for
the overall look of a document:

Arrangement
Arrangement or alignment is where information appears on the page in relation to the
margins. Text can be left aligned, right aligned, centered, or justified. In properly formatted
documents, text should always be left aligned with a ½-inch indent at the beginning of each
paragraph. Right aligned and centered text is actually harder to read and looks more
whimsical, which makes it less professional. In terms of justified alignment, unless you are
publishing a book using a publisher's advanced printing capabilities, stick to a ragged, right
margin. Let's see what the difference is:
Notice how the justified margin adds spaces between words in order to expand the text to
reach from one side to another. This looks awkward and distracts readers.

10 rules of document design

The Importance of Good Colour Choices.
When it comes to colour the world really is your oyster! However, there are a lot of necessary
“rules” for lack of a better word, to keep in mind. “Rules” like …
 Less is more (4 or fewer whenever possible);
 Use colour psychology to capture emotions and experiences;
 Use emotion-saturated colours as they grab attention;
 White is nice – treat it like a colour; and
 Use a colour wheel to create matching themes.
 
“Mere colour, unspoiled by the meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the
soul in a thousand different ways.” – Oscar Wilde, Poet and Playwright
The End Goal = Your Audience.
Your end goal is always going to be to share the information at hand effectively with your
audience so it’s very, very important to keep in mind who they are, what they do, where they
are from and why there are here (meaning reading your document).

Choosing Typography Carefully.

One of your first big decisions on any document should be which typeface you’re going to
use. If you have a brand style guide in place you already have your answer. But if for some
reason you don’t, here are a few rules of thumb in mind …
 
 1. Serif fonts are easier to read in printed documents whereas sans-serif fonts are easier
on the eyes when reading digitally.
2. Never use more than 3 fonts in one document. Two is preferred. However, you can
use the entire font family of each (re: one for headings, titles and pull-quotes and one
for body copy).
3. Avoid default system fonts such as Helvetica.
4. Increase readability by increasing your line-spacing, shortening your line lengths and
using legible font choices.
5. Align all paragraphs to the left. You may often be tempted to use justified alignment
because that’s what your normally see on printed documents such as novels,
magazines and newspapers but it is the wrong choice for business documents. Yes,
those straight edges call to you and sometimes even look cleaner but truthfully, it kills
readability.
 
A Picture is Worth Everything.
You’ve heard this a million times … “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Well it’s true.
Visual aids can help express the ideas you are trying to communicate more effectively as
people tend to remember communications with images up to 70% more than ones without.
But of course, not just any ‘ol image …
If you are not using the appropriate resolution for your medium of choice your images will
result in pixelation and distortion and your document with automatically lose credibility.
 
NOTE: 72dpi for digital and 300dpi for print.
 
Ratios and directions are also important with the photography you choose. For example (re:
ratio): when using photos of people, try to increase the size of the face area and remove
bodily features to communicate personality. Unless of course your content is heavily
speaking about body positioning and/or movement or the specific photo speaks clearly. And
this also works just the opposite … to communicate vitality and sensuality, decrease the
facial areas and include more of the body. And when it comes to the importance of direction
placement, avoid having images of people looking in the direction that takes the audience off
the page.
And most importantly … Make sure your photography style is consistent with lighting,
colours and positioning. Especially when using multiple photos.
 

Icons are Important Too.

Icons are small, simple images traditionally used for displaying trends or variations of some
type of variable. We use them to make reading quicker and more engaging. They are the
universal way to say “Hey, this is important!” If you think about it, they are another pathway-
creating visual tool to guide the audience’s eyes (and mind) to specific, intentional and
important directions. Just remember to use them smartly and sparingly.
 
Layout is Everything:
The driving force behind any good layout is to keep it simple because less is more. You want
to give purpose and show that everything on the page has a special relationship. Try to avoid
those “floating object” that don’t visually connect with anything else. From a design
perspective, every single gosh darn thing on your page, within your entire document on every
page actually, should be aligned with something else. Strategy is everything including
thoughtful placement.
And yes, of course your content should be the main focus. However, formatting exists to
make that content – your main message – easier to read and digest. Eliminate that temptation
to fill the page and introduce eye-catching elements only with good reason and relevance.
Maximize that white space.
Which brings me to my next point …
 
Negative Space = Good.
It’s simple really … Like 1 + 1 = 3 (yes, this is actually correct and not just bad math, LOL).
Negative space is all about paying attention to not only the shapes you are placing on your
document but more importantly the space you are creating between certain object. It’s good
to start recognizing that every time you place objects together in your design, a third shape
has formed between the two. Thus creating 1 + 1 = 3.
You also want to observe that “empty space” with purpose and think of it as a peacekeeper
between all elements on your document. If it seems to create unintentional visual noise then it
will reduce your credibility. If you think it “feels off”, you are probably right so at the very
least … remove it or adjust it until that noise simply floats away and things seem peaceful on
your page.
 
“Negative space is the audible silence of the visual world. Never diminish the importance of
white space.” – Unknown
 

Being Crazy Organized.

Organizing your content effectively within your document is crucial to delivering your
message clearly and in a concise manner. You can do this effectively with what is known as
the “Five Hat Racks” (LATCH).
The “Five Hat Racks” is organizing your content by location, by alphabet, chronologically,
by category or by hierarchy. By using this method of organization your audience will be
guided through your most important information first right down to your least important
sections of information.
 
Using Positive Repetition.
Repeat different visual elements within your document but within reason (e.g. sizes, colours,
shapes, etc.). You don’t want cluttered chaos. You want clarity and continuity. And of course,
your brand to shine (re: your personality). So, I’m going to go back, once more, to remind
you of the importance of having a business brand style guide. This will help you make clear
and consistent decisions with things like colour, layout, typography, logo use, paper weight,
digital images, and so on.
 
The “Why” Behind it All.
By now, your audience probably has an expectation of what they see from you. That’s a good
thing. That means you’ve gotten yourself out there and embedded in their minds by using
branding, document genres, colours, font choices, tone of voice, splashes of imagery and so
forth which aligns you and your business with what your audience expects and also hopes to
see more of. You now want to heighten your credibility through simple yet sophisticated
documents but in an in-depth way by reaching them through emotion, logic and timing. It’s
all about the timing.
So, what’s the “why”?
Having consistent visual language and establishing that instant connection to your main
message, product or service. Gaining the trust of your audience. Making a good impression to
keep them coming back for more, whatever that “more” may be.
 
The statistics are in … GOOD DESIGN SELLS!
Strong Designs = Trust
Which also equals being memorable to the world in which you showcase it.
Here’s a good example …

If you have a designer, they aren’t just going to make your letterhead look awesome all the
while being digitally functional, they are going to consider every single aspect of who YOU
are, who YOUR COMPANY is, who YOUR AUDIENCE is, what will go on your letterhead
(content-wise), what display information is most important as well as least important, what
your competitors are up to with this document type (and medium), and the list goes on. Your
graphic designer is going to literally pull apart all your content and reassemble it in a puzzle-
like way that HELPS YOU communicate to your audience in the best possible way.
 
“Good design is a matter of principle. It starts by looking at the problem and collecting all the
available information about it. If you understand the problem, you have the solution. It’s
really more about logic than imagination.” – Massimo Vignelli, Designer and Co-founder of
Vignelli Associates
To end on a fun not and dig a bit deeper into the design thinking process it’s really all about
having a problem-solving mindset with emphasis on human interaction (and of course
applying the principles – re: the “rules” mentioned in this post). It’s all about left and right
brain thinking …