How document design affects reader engagement and professional appearance

¶ … Clarity: Document Design

Format for Clarity: Document Design

The likeliness that a document will attract a readership is greatly dependent on the design of the document. Poorly designed memos, letters, and reports (among others) do not appeal to readers hence receive limited numbers of responses. The choice of words used in a document and the document's format is also important as aspects of effective writing.

Good Design: An illustration

An illustration is given by a document that has been designed differently in three ways. The first document displays a memo, which has not been divided into paragraphs. It does not use headings or any other feature that should be typical of a properly designed document. The second design of the memo has been divided into readable paragraphs, although no additional features (like headings) are used. However, the third design is a properly designed document often showing a paragraphed document and employs the use of headings and numbered lists to enhance readability (May & May, 2012).

Professional Appearance

Documents should be designed to conform to the employer's expectations. Most organizations have a letter and memo templates that can give a document a professional outlook when used. Students, alike, should strive to ensure that their documents give a professional touch. For both students and employees, effort should be made to ensure that documents are produced using high quality materials. For instance, documents should be printed on the best quality papers using high quality prints. Employees are must only use employer-approved types of paper: different companies prefer to produce their printed documents on precise papers bearing the organization's letterhead. In a similar manner, instructors often prefer students to submit assignments on 8.5 x 11-inch papers weighing 24 pounds (May & May, 2012).

At the same time, a document's appeal depends on the amount and distribution of white space (any part of the document that has no print) and the neatness of the document. Although most employers and student instructors prefer documents to have a one-inch all-round margin, the size of the margins are not as important in most cases as the space between sections contained in the document. On neatness, a document should be proofread adequately before printing: preferably, computers for typing documents should have working spell checkers installed.

Graphic Illustrations

The use of graphic illustrations like tables, charts, and graphs can also add value to a document. In most cases, numerical data are presented in graphs or charts heighten and for easy comparison. Graphs exist in two major types inclusive; bar graphs, line graphs. The choice of a given type is contingent on the effect to be achieved. The tables, graphs, and charts used in a document must be properly numbered and given descriptive titles for easy reference and convenience while reading (May & May, 2012).

Document Design on the Computer

Ideally, most of the document preparation techniques discussed above can easily be applied on a computer. Some software and applications can be used to add graphs, charts, and tables to a document with much ease. Besides, several graphic softwares can help in the production of quality illustrations.

Reference

May C.B. & May, G.S. (2012). Effective Writing: A Handbook for Accountants by 9th Edition,

2012, Pearson Prentice Hall