1.

Find an ineffectively designed print document—a form, a set of instructions,

a brochure, a section of a manual, a catalog, a newsletter—and assume that
you are a document design consultant. Write a sales letter (see “Sales
Letters,” pages 192–198) to the com- pany or agency that prepared and
distributed the document, offering to redesign it and any other documents
they have. Stress your qualifications, and include a sample of your work. You
will have to be convincing and diplomatic; precisely and professionally per-
suade your readers that they need your services to improve their corporate
image, cus- tomer relations, and sales or services.

Dear McDonald's Marketing Team,

I'm writing to offer my services to help improve the design of your salad brochure. As a
document design consultant with over 4 years of experience working with major food
brands, I was excited to see your fresh approach to promoting nutritious menu options.
However, I believe the current brochure design could be refined to better showcase your
salads and attract health-conscious customers.

The all-green color scheme unfortunately makes the brochure look amateurish compared
to McDonald's usual vibrant, appetizing promotional materials. And with very small text
and photos, customers can't easily see how fresh and delicious the salads appear. The
logo also fails to stand out on the green background. With some simple design tweaks,
this brochure could much more effectively convey the McDonald's brand.
As an example of my work, I've attached a sample brochure designed for a salad
restaurant chain. Note how I use contrasting colors, large appetizing photos, ample white
space, and a clear logo to highlight the fresh ingredients and create an inviting look and
feel.

I would love to have a call to discuss your goals for this brochure and other promotional
materials. With my expertise, I can create cost-effective design solutions that align with
your brand vision and attract health-conscious customers. Please let me know if you
would be interested in scheduling a free consultation. I'm confident I can help
McDonald's make salads a more prominent part of your brand through strategic document
design.

I look forward to helping McDonald’s continue to be an innovator in the fast food

industry. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Donald Le

Junior Software Developer

phat.lepowertrans@hcmut.edu.vn

2. Provide two or three poorly designed print documents or websites. Working

with a team of three or four students, determine which of the documents
and/or websites the group provided is the hardest to follow, the most
unappealing, and the least logically arranged. After selecting that document
or website, collaboratively write a memo to your instruc- tor on what is
wrong with the design and what you would do to improve its appearance and
organization.
Dear Professor Jung,

Our group of 2 has reviewed the My Bách Khoa website and found it to have several
design issues that make it unappealing and difficult to use. Here is our assessment:

Problems with the My Bách Khoa website:

 Small, blurry icons in the top menu bar make it hard to navigate the site. Users
cannot easily identify the functions.
 Default font size is too small and difficult to read on many pages.
 Dark blue background washes out text layered on top, reducing legibility.
 Very plain design with no graphical elements to liven up pages. Lacks visual
interest.
 Layout and color scheme seem outdated compared to modern school sites.

Recommendations for improvement:

 Enlarge top menu icons and make them higher resolution for clarity.
 Use larger default font size and sufficient contrast between text and background.
  Incorporate engaging graphics, photos, videos to add visual appeal.
 Use a more modern, vibrant color scheme. Avoid dark backgrounds that reduce
readability.
 Update page layouts to current web design standards. Use white space effectively.
 Ensure logical information hierarchy and structure on pages. Group related
content.

We believe addressing these issues would greatly improve the My B√°ch Khoa website's
appearance, usability, and ability to engage visitors. Please let us know if you would like
us to elaborate on any part of our analysis. We're happy to provide more details on our
collaborative process.

Sincerely,

Donald Le

Lucy Ho

3. As a group, redesign the document or website your group selected for

Exercise 2. (Reformat it; add headings, spacing, and visual clues; include
relevant visuals; and so on.) Submit both the original and the redesigned
document or website to your instructor.

Original:

Redesigned:
4. Redesign the document in Figure 11.9 to make it conform to the guidelines
specified in this chapter.
5. Redesign the document in Figure 11.10 to make it conform to the guidelines
specified in this chapter. Reformat it; add headings, spacing, and visual clues;
and provide a short introduction.
6. The home page of Stanley’s Accounting Temps in Figure 11.11 violates the
guidelines for web designs given in this chapter. Write a one-page memo to
your instructor specifying how Stanley’s Accounting Temps might better
address its online customers. Group your recommendations under the
headings of content, design, and navigation. As a supporting document for
your memo, design a new home page for the company by creating a
storyboard for it.
Re: Recommendations for Improving Stanley's Accounting Temps Website

Dear Professor Jung,

I have reviewed the home page design for Stanley's Accounting Temps and have
several recommendations for improving the content, design, and navigation to better
address their customers' needs online.

Content Recommendations:
  Add a headline and brief paragraph describing services offered. Many visitors
will be first-time users unfamiliar with the business.
 Remove lengthy blocks of text. Replace with bulleted lists of key information.
 Highlight most important information higher up on the page.
 Include testimonials from happy clients to build credibility.

Design Recommendations:

 Use a more modern, professional font. Avoid cursive script which is hard to
read.
 Increase font size for headings and body text.
 Improve contrast between text and background colors. Dark pink text on
magenta is difficult to read.
 Align page elements thoughtfully using white space. Content looks cluttered.
 Incorporate relevant photos to engage visitors.

Navigation Recommendations:

 Ensure navigation links are clearly visible. Purple links on pink background get
lost.
 Add descriptive page titles to navigation links. E.g. "About Us" instead of just
"About."
 Check that navigation links work properly. Some links appear inactive.

To demonstrate these recommendations, I have included a storyboard sketching a

new, cleaner home page design for Stanley's Accounting Temps focused on engaging
visitors. Please let me know if you would like me to elaborate on any part of my
analysis. I'm happy to provide more details on improving the site's usability and
appeal.

Sincerely,

Donald Le

7. Locate two websites that advertise a similar product, service, orindustry.

Analyze some of the webpage elements each one uses, comparing the
strengths and weaknesses of each site. Write a one-page memo to your
instructor explaining which is the more effective site and why.

Dear Professor Jung,

Please find below my analysis comparing the website effectiveness of AraiHelmet.eu and
HJCHelmets.eu for selling motorcycle helmets:

Overall, I found AraiHelmet.eu to be the more effective website due to its focus on
product details, effective visuals, and clear navigation.

Some key strengths of AraiHelmet.eu compared to HJCHelmets.eu:

 Provides extensive product details and sizing guidance for each helmet model.
This helps customers understand the features and fit.
 Uses large, high-quality product photos that showcase helmet aesthetics.
 Clean, uncluttered homepage with clear paths to helmet models and info.
 Simple navigation menu structure that is consistent across all pages.
 Effective use of negative space and quality typography for enhanced readability.

Some weaknesses of HJCHelmets.eu compared to AraiHelmet.eu:

 Product pages lack detailed descriptions and sizing info compared to Arai.
 Smaller product images that don't highlight styling. Reliance on lifestyle photos
rather than product-focused.
 Homepage and product pages feel visually busier with multiple menus, images,
replicating content.
 Site-wide navigation is more complex with many drop-down options.

Overall, AraiHelmet.eu creates more confidence in the products through detailed

specifications, premium visuals, and a straightforward site experience. The focus stays on
the helmets. In contrast, HJCHelmets.eu seems to lack some product details and the
busier pages are less effective at highlighting the gear.

Please let me know if you need any clarification or have additional observations on these
websites! I'm happy to provide more analysis on specific site elements.

Regards,

Donald Le

8. Find a website that you believe is ineffective. Using “The Four Keys to
Effective Writing” (pages 11–20), as well as your knowledge of webpage
elements, write a one- page assessment of the site, discussing three or four
changes you think would make it more effective. Attach a printed hard copy
of the website’s home page with your assessment.
Assessment of https://www.bensound.com

Audience

The audience for this website seems to be aspiring music and video creators looking
for royalty-free music to use in their projects. However, the site does not make this
clear. There are no descriptions of who the site is for or what problem it solves for its
audience. Adding an "About" page that outlines the audience, as well as testimonials
from happy customers, would help strengthen the site's appeal.

Purpose

The purpose of offering royalty-free music is not explicitly stated. A tagline on the
home page, such as "Royalty-Free Music for Your Next Video or Audio Project"
would establish the purpose immediately.

Message

The overall message that this music can be used for free in creative projects needs
more emphasis. I would add a header or banner at the top with a prominent message
like "Download Royalty-Free Music." Descriptions of how the music can be used
legally without fees should be added to each music track page.

Style/Design

The home page looks amateur, with a low-quality logo, cluttered and inconsistent
text, and a random photo of a guitarist. The site needs a redesign with a professional
logo, consistent font scheme, better photography, and more white space. The left-hand
menu navigation is ineffective. I would put the main sections (Music, About, Contact)
in a horizontal nav bar across the top of the page.

In summary, defining the audience, being explicit about the purpose of offering free
music, strengthening the core message, and improving the visual design would help
this website be more effective in attracting and retaining users. Adding an "About"
page, testimonials, explanatory text, and simplifying the navigation would also aid
site usability.