Question

Effective writing is more than just choosing the right words. And it’s more than correct sentences organized in logical paragraphs. To be effective, your document must also look like it will be easy to read and easy to understand, and it must be accessible to all your readers regardless of their physical abilities”

1. Respond to the above excerpt by explaining why document design is so critical in professional and technical communication. You can discuss this in the context of your current or aspired profession and/or in the context of higher education (i.e., documents you work with on a regular basis in your major).

2. Identify five basics of document design. In your own words, describe why these five aspects are important to consider when designing documents.

Answer 1

Why document design is so critical in professional and technical communication.

Document design plays a key role in keeping readers attached & enchanted to the document. All the effort of a writer goes in waste, if the readers are not interested in reading the document because of its fuzzy design. Choosing & arranging of right words is a second thing, styling of document to make it visible & attractive is the first & foremost thing should be considered before designing the document. Document design is associated with the visibility & formatting of documents such as proper spacing, use of proper fonts, text color, document styling, paragraph spacing, alignments, use of image, use of background, etc.

Importance of document design in professional & technical communication;

• It helps to avoid miscommunication by communicating the idea behind the writing using a structured way.
• An effective document design helps to reduce the fatigue & monotony while reading the document.
• Document design plays a key role in keeping the reader's mind engaged with the document.
• The major role of a document is to inform, instruct, guide & persuade the reader, where simple, easy & understandable document design plays a vital role.
• It ensures the credibility & quality of documents' content.

For example: I am working as an HR Manager where daily I have to deal with formatting & styling the documents. It includes formal letters such as offer letter, warning letter, and many other letters or necessary documents to communicate organization's policy & rules to employees. While designing the document I have to ensure that it contains all the relevant information in an organized way as well as the design of the document should be simple & easy so that employees can understand it at one instance. I'll make sure that the important points are highlighted using text formatting or if images need to be inserted for communicating the method, then it should be inserted appropriately by using the correct coloring. I am also responsible for drafting the mails to various clients where document styling plays a key role in communicating the idea behind it. The mail should be simple, clear, precise, credible & authentic & highlight the key points by using text formatting styles.

Identify five basics of document design:

Five basics of document design are:

1. Balance & Proportion: Balance shows the arrangement of content in a document.

Proportion is associated with the ratio & use of scale while placing content.

2. Consistency: Consistency ensures that the content in the document should be associated with one another. Consistency makes a document structure to be appealing.

3. Contrast: Contrast refers to focusing or highlighting the main element of the document. Contrast is used to emphasize the important element of the document & helps to catch the attention of the reader toward key points by keeping them interested while reading the document. Contrasting is also used to inform the audience by using shapes, designing elements, different font shape & size, etc.

4. Order: Order is associated with placing the content in sequence that is placing content in chronological order or deciding which element of content should come first.

5. Unity & Repetition: Unity shows the association of a document's content. It shows how elements in a document tied or linked with one another & complement each other. Repetition is associated with use of repeated words, text, image or shapes.

Importance of this aspect while designing document:

All these elements play a major role while designing documents as it helps the writer to place the content in the right order i.e., sequencing the content using the correct formatting tool. It also helps the writer to choose, use & place the correct words. These aspects also act as a reminder for the writer to use a balanced structure while designing the document so that the main element or information is clearly visible to the reader & he can easily understand the document. The use of shapes & other contrasting elements makes the document clear, visible & understandable.

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