The Key Points of Good Page Layout
The Key Points of Good Page Layout
Unless you are an experienced graphic artist, the key words to
remember in page layout design are keep it simple! It is easy to
go overboard with multiple fonts, italics, shading, borders, and
other devices aimed at making your document look attractive.
The printed page serves only one purpose, to get a message
across effectively. Complicated presentation detracts from that
purpose by drawing attention to the medium rather than the
message.
Serif type-face, with tails on the top and bottom of each
letter, may look old-fashioned but is easier and faster to read
than san serif type face, such as Ariel. Italics should only be
used to add emphasis, it is slower to read than normal upright
type. Beware of the bold - much of this slows the reading and
shouts too much at the reader.
Use only one or two fonts for the text in any document, but make
judicious use of the bold and italic versions. You can use a
second type face, e.g. a sans-serif type face, for headings.
Ragged right hand margins may not look as attractive as
justified right hand margins, but the text is easier to read.
Only very sophisticated and expensive typesetting equipment is
capable of justifying right hand margins without decreasing text
readability.
Keep these points in mind when designing your documents, and
your audience will find them easy to read.
This article was written by Phil Dean of IRM Training and forms
part of IRM's Technical Writing Skills workshop.