CollegeWriting.Org

Summary: Understand the fundamentals of typography, page, and Web design; use visual language to convey meaning; use design to assert authority and organize work for readers.

We live in a culture where images and document design are used aggressively to convey meaning. Today's writers use images to do more than enrich their texts: Page design, layout, font choices, photographs, clip art, screenshots, animations, and video convey meaning.

People use the term design in two major ways:

1. When some people use the term design, they mean ornamentation--a few baubles you might add to a text once it's completed. For these people, design is an afterthought. Content can be separate from form.
2. In contrast, others view design from a rhetorical perspective. Instead of considering design to be ornamentation, they view design as a way to convey meaning--as a form of visual language.

This section emphasizes the latter use of the term, exploring how you can use design elements to tell a story, explain a process, or illustrate an analysis. The term design elements may refer to:

• Words shaped in visual ways (columns, tables, paragraphs).
• Fonts (font families, sizes, and styles).
• Graphical elements (photographs, artwork, colored backgrounds, video, animation).

Design matters. Even the font you display your documents in can have powerful consequences. Use a fuzzy, hard-to-read font and you will lack readers. Use quirky images that detract from your message and your readers will go away puzzled.

"Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works."  —Steve Jobs

Thanks to changes in how people read documents, design is more important now than ever before. In the past, discussions regarding the use of visuals, white space, fonts, and charts occurred primarily in technical writing classes. But today's easy-to-use word processors and Web editors enable writers to have unprecedented control over the look and feel of their documents. Graphic editors, images freely available on the Web, animation tools, streaming multimedia--these resources are transforming writing in interesting and powerful ways.

This doesn't mean that your teachers expect you to compete with the Web designers at CNN.com. And this doesn't mean your teachers will privilege substance over style. In fact, college teachers are chiefly concerned with your use of words and ideas. They have an ear for carefully crafted sentences and passages. The higher grades will go to those who develop worthwhile ideas.

Even so, writing is taking a visual turn. As modern-day readers become overwhelmed with information, writing is becoming "chunked" into deductive columns, bullets, and lists. Increasingly, people are using charts, graphics, and pictures to tell significant parts of their story. Ultimately, your writing will gain authority when it is designed well. Your professors and prospective employers are likely to be impressed by sound document design.