Business communication building critical skill 6th module005

Designing
Documents,
Slides, and
Screens

Module Five
©2014 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.  All rights reserved
McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Copyright © 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.


Learning Objectives
LO 5-1 Apply strategies for paper page design.
LO 5-2 Apply strategies for presentation slide design.
LO 5-3 Apply strategies for web page design.
LO 5-4 Apply strategies for design tests.
LO 5-5 Apply strategies for computer use in design.
LO 5-6 Recognize questions about design while
writing.

5-2


Good Document Design
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Saves time and money.
Reduces legal problems.
Builds goodwill.
Looks inviting, friendly, and easy-to-read.
Enhances your credibility.
Builds an image of you as professional and
competent.
5-3


How should I design paper pages?
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Use white space for separation and emphasis.
Use headings to group points.
Limit the use of words set in all CAPS.
Use no more than two fonts.
Decide whether to justify margins based on the
situation and the audience.

5-4


Use White Space
To create white space:

Use headings
Use a mix of paragraph lengths.
Use lists.

5-5


Use Headings
 Headings
 words or short
phrases that group
points and divide your
letter, memo, or
report into sections.

5-6


Use Headings
 Make headings specific.
 Make each heading cover all the material
until the next heading.
 Keep headings at any one level parallel: all
nouns, all complete sentences, or all
questions.

5-7


Examples of Different Fonts

Figure 5.4

5-8


Choice of Margins
 Use justified margins when you
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Can use proportional typefaces.
Want a more formal look.
Want to use as few pages as possible.
Write to skilled readers.

5-9


Choice of Margins
 Use ragged margins when you
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Do not have proportional typefaces.
Want a less formal look.
Want to revise one page without reprinting all.

Use very short line lengths.

5-10


How should I design
presentation slides?
 Use a big font.
 Use bullet-point phrases.
 Use clear, concise language and appropriate
clip art.
 Make only three to five points per slide.
 Customize your slides with the company logo,
charts, and scanned-in photos and drawings
5-11


Effective and Ineffective Colors for
Presentation Slides

5-12


How should I design Web pages?
 Provide an introductory statement on the first
screen.
 Offer an overview of the content of your page.
 Include information that will be most interesting
and useful to most readers.

 Use small graphics; keep animation to a
minimum.

5-13


To Design Web Pages continued
 Include a Skip Intro button if you have an
animated introduction page.
 Provide visual variety.
 Unify multiple pages.
 On each page, provide a link to the home page.

5-14


How do I know whether
my design works?
 To know whether your design is functional,
test it with your audience.
 Watch someone as he or she uses the
document to do a task.
 Ask the reader to describe the thought
process after completing the document and
the task.
5-15


How do I know whether
my design works?

 Test the document with the people who are
most likely to have trouble with it
 Ask readers to put a plus sign ( + ) in the
margins by any part of the document they
like or agree with and a minus sign ( - ) by
any part that seems confusing or wrong.

5-16


Using Computers to
Create Good Design
 Different versions of word processors handle
commands differently.
 Choose a businesslike font in 11- or 12-point
type.
 Times Roman, Palatino, Helvetica, and Arial are
the most commonly used business fonts.

 Use bold headings.
 Avoid having a heading all by itself at the bottom of
the page.
5-17


Using Computers to
Create Good Design
 Change your tab settings to create good
visual impact.
 To save paper, use print preview to see the

document’s final appearance.

5-18


When should I think about design?
 As you plan, think about your audience.
 As you write, incorporate lists and headings.
 Get feedback from people who will be using
your document.
 As you revise, check your draft against the
guidelines in this module.

5-19