Designing effective documents that engage readers and get your message across requires understanding the nature of the page and screen, as well as the abilities and limitations of readers to process information. In addition, you must learn to harness the power of your word processing and graphics programs and use the potential of the World Wide Web to represent yourself effectively.

Designing effective documents requires understanding certain key principles.

Presentation matters

The way you present your information can have as much, if not more, of an effect on the readers as the information itself. If your document is crowded or difficult to understand, readers will simply not take the time to read it. On the other hand, if your document is easy to understand due to effective headings, graphics, and other design elements, readers will respond positively.

First impressions are critical

Often the first impression you make is based on a document you create. This principle is certainly true when you're applying for a job, writing a proposal for a client, turning in your first essay in a class, or sending a letter to a local governmental official. In each case, your document represents you to the readers.

Documents are visual

All too often people forget that their texts are also pictures, and that visual elements include the letters and numbers on the page as well as any visual aid (such as a photo or chart). Texts - both traditional paper documents and Web pages - depend upon the organization of graphics and text on the page and screen to engage the reader, direct attention, prioritize information, and make reading more enjoyable and more efficient.

To design effective documents, you must learn to use the various elements of design (layout; highlighting devices such as color, bold type, headings; typography; and visual aids) to create unified pages that will catch your reader’s attention and achieve your intended effect.

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