Document Design

Document design is a vitally important field of study as we are experiencing a new social order, an order in which society is driven to a large extent by information. In this context, it becomes vitally important to understand what makes a good document design.

What then is document design? According to Schriver (1997, p.28), document design can be defined as the act of integrating word and image with an eye towards meeting an audience’s needs and expectations. Document design is the act of bringing together prose, graphics and typography for the purposes of instruction, information or persuasion. Good document design enables people to use documents in ways that serve their interests and needs. While documents must also meet the requirements of the clients, the reader’s needs should always drive the design activity (Schriver, 1997 p.10).

Putnis, Peter and Petelin, Roslyn (1996, p.254) assert that a good document helps readers read efficiently and emphasizes the most important contents. A good document must have recognisable pattern or flow of information and you have to consider the readers' expectations when you are using genre for your document. A good document comes with balance visual and text in it. Typefaces are also important for a good document. A good document should not have use too much typeface as that will confuse the audience. You should only have one typeface for heading and one typeface for text.

Accoding to Rothman (2005), good scientific and technical writing involves relaying specific information directly and literally. There should be no symbolic or associative interpretations. It is written for a direct and specified purpose that should remain unchanged and conveyed without information loss, regardless of its audience.

According to Wilson (2008), a good writing must be aimed at an audience and it is to be treated as intelligent but uninformed. A good wrting must always be linked to its writer, its audience. A Good writing has a clearly defined purpose; it makes a clear point and supports that point with specific information. The information is clearly connected and arranged. Use precise and accurate words. Simple and direct are important elements in good writing, it helps audience understand your piece of writing fast and quick.


References:

Nielson, Jakob. 1997, How Users Read on The Web, viewed 7 April 2009,
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html

Putnis, Peter & Petelin, Roslyn 1996, ‘Writing to communicate,’ in Professional communication.

Rothman, S. 2005, What makes good scientific technical writing?, viewed 7 April 2009, http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/9447/error

Schriver, K.A. 1997, Chapter 1 in Dynamics in document design.

Wilson,M.T. 2008, Priciples of Techinical Writing, viewed 7 April 2009, http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1122109/principles_of_technical_writing_.html?cat=59