Format Design For Readability
Link & Learn
Contents
- Apply Visual Rhetoric
- Choose Fonts
- Write Headings
- Use White Space
- Insert Graphics
- Example Bank: Standard Document Formats
Grab Attention
Well-formatted messages are more attractive and accessible to your readers, inviting them to engage. The very act of formatting also helps you clarify in your own mind what you want to say.
When you
- select fonts
- write headings
- use white space
- insert graphics
you signal to the audience that they matter. Basic formatting makes your document more “brain friendly”: easier to understand and remember.
Your audience will scan your message before deciding whether to read it. That’s just human nature. So what do you want them to notice first?
This chapter covers documents that people read: emails, letters, reports, and infographics. Chapter 9: VISUALIZE covers documents that accompany an oral presentation: slide decks and data visualizations.
Well-formatted messages are more attractive and accessible to your readers, inviting them to engage. The very act of formatting also helps you clarify in your own mind what you want to say.
When you
- select fonts
- write headings
- use white space
- insert graphics
you make decisions about your message priorities, and you guide your audience—and yourself—toward clearer structure.
Your audience will scan your message before deciding whether to read it. That’s just human nature. So what do you want them to notice first?
This chapter covers documents that people read: emails, letters, reports, and infographics. Chapter 9: SHOW covers documents that accompany an oral presentation: slide decks and data visualizations.
Section OneApply Visual Rhetoric
Quick question: What’s your first language?
No matter what you answer—English, Spanish, Chinese, and so on—you're wrong. Your first language is visual. The minute we’re born, our brains begin processing visual images. Spoken language comes much later, and written language later still. When you create a visually effective document, you’re connecting with your audience’s first language.
The rules for making visually effective documents are called visual rhetoric, where “visual” means “not text-based" and “rhetoric” means the way we get our point across. Often, we communicate visually without realizing it. A long block of uninterrupted text, for example, communicates the unintended message, “Don’t read this. It’s boring.”
The basic tools of visual rhetoric include fonts, headings, white space, and graphics. Even colors send messages to our audience. In Southeast Asia in the 1950s, Pepsi changed the color of its vending machines from royal blue to a lighter shade called “ice blue.”
Marketers at the beverage company thought the change would make its product stand out. They were right, for all the wrong reasons. Light blue symbolizes death in some Southeast Asian cultures. Pepsi learned the power of visual rhetoric as it lost market share to its archrival, Coca-Cola.
Section TwoChoose Fonts
Unless you’re a typography geek, you probably haven’t given much thought to the fonts you use. Start thinking about them. Fonts combine artistry and science to convey information far beyond the words they render. Fonts communicate not just your personality, but your credibility as a writer.
Activity 5.1
Go to the resume section of practicaltypography.com. Scroll down to see the two sample resumes. After a two-second glance, decide which person you would want to interview, Violet or Trixie. Why?
Read the explanation below the resumes. The resumes contain identical information. Your choice was determined solely by the font!
This section covers some basics you should know about fonts and typography.
Typography Basics
Serif vs. Sans Serif
Fonts are generally classed as either “serif” or “sans serif.” Serifs are the widened feet at the end of font strokes. Sans serifs don’t have those widened ends.
Stroke
Typography Anatomy
How to Choose Fonts
Readers scan for titles and headings first, so those elements need to stand out.
Generally, choose two different fonts: one for title/headings, and one for body text. A rule of thumb is to choose a serif font for one and a sans serif font for the other. Some reliable pairings are shown in the accompanying box; many more are available at fontpair.co.
If you are sharing your document in editable form, your recipient’s device may not display unusual fonts. If you save and share your work in PDF, your fonts will be consistent.
Choose fonts that
- Convey professionalism—sorry, no Comic Sans
- Look good on multiple screen sizes
- Are large and dark enough for your audience to read easily
Remember, the population is aging. Choose a font size that will be easily readable by your audience.
Safe-Bet Font Pairings
Fonts for Headings
Choose fonts for 3-4 levels of text: headings, subheadings, body text & annotations.
Section ThreeWrite Headings
Our brains are attuned to information hierarchy. “What should I pay attention to first? What can I ignore until later?” Give your reader some help by using headings in messages longer than three or four paragraphs.
Because you’ve spent time planning and organizing your document, writing headings won’t be hard. Refer to Chapter 2 where we introduced the SMART outline:
- STORY
- MAIN IDEA
- AGENDA
- REASONS
- TASK
Your agenda items become your document’s headings.
The stylized document to the right shows a title and headings that coordinate in color and size. Make sure your headings are also parallel grammatically and that they indicate useful content. For instance: “Why buy from us?” is a clearer heading than simply “Why we rock.”
Remove the extra line after a paragraph heading to keep it close and related visually.
Be Consistent
Write and format headings consistently throughout your document, and make same-level headings grammatically and structurally parallel. Grammatical parallelism means all headings start with the same part of speech: the first words in the headings are all nouns, or all verbs, etc. Structural parallelism means the headings are either all statements or all questions.
Write Grammatically Parallel Headings
Save time by learning and using “styles formatting” tools for titles, headings, and body text. Apply styles to your headings to easily generate an outline or change the style or color of all your headings with one click. Here’s how it’s done in Google Docs: Working with Heading Styles. (Word, Canva, various Adobe products, and other text editors have similar capabilities.)
Place Emphasis
When you need to emphasize part of your text, do it properly. Avoid all caps and underlining. Use bolding, italics, or a contrasting color. Note: If you’re using a sans serif font, italics don’t stand out. Use bolding instead.
Place Emphasis Skillfully
Format Email
In an email, use bolded paragraph headings for scanability. Bolded headings force you to be organized, which readers appreciate.
Yes
Hi, Hannah.
Jackie asked us to emphasize three goals to the team at our meeting tomorrow.
Update Cards Daily
We need to update our assignment cards on Trello each day by 5 p.m. Jackie needs to do a company-wide review of project status in the evenings.
Make Seamless Hand-offs
A few projects were accidentally dropped during the staff change last month. We need each project sheet updated before any handoffs.
Harvest Customer Feedback
Treat customer complaints as valuable feedback. Be sure to record the complaint and the resolution in the appropriate log. If you see trends, bring them to Jackie’s attention.
See you at 2:30.
Arianna
What Font Voice Is Your Email Speaking In?
Activity 5.2
Change your default font in Gmail by going to “settings.” Choose a font that represents your voice.
Section FourWhite Space
Left-Align or Justify
Keep Lines Short
Columns and Margins
Columns make lines short.
Use wide margins for visual relief.
Consider Additional Line Spacing
Some people and organizations prefer documents with a bit of breathing room between lines. Single spacing can appear too dense and uninviting. Some of the most popular email and word processing programs use 1.15 or 1.08 as their default line spacing. Check what your organization recommends for internal and client-facing documents.
Single spacing is acceptable, but do not double space your text for any business document unless your boss is a retired high school English teacher. It looks unfinished, undesigned, and unprofessional.
Don’t indent. Indenting the first line of each paragraph by five spaces is another typewriter holdover. Instead, leave an extra line between paragraphs and make all paragraphs begin flush with the left margin.
Write Short Paragraphs
Paragraph breaks are the breath of reading. Don’t force your reader to plow through your text without a refreshing break. Paragraph length can be a formatting as well as a content decision. When writing text in columns, your paragraphs can be longer vertically, but remember: Don’t make your paragraphs so long that they’re uninviting to read.
To keep your paragraphs shorter, use links liberally.
Section FiveGraphics
Choosing a Graphic
After you’ve created a graphic, ask someone else, “What does this graphic say to you?” The curse of knowledge can render graphics just as confusing as text.
Infographic resource: Canva. Database of icons: The Noun Project.
Anchor Your Graphics
"Don't assume that two different people looking at the same data visualization will draw the same conclusion. If there is a conclusion you want your audience to reach, state it in words"
- Cole Knaflic, Author of Storytelling with Data
Anchoring graphics is a three-step process.
Introduce
Anchor graphics to the text by writing a clear reference in the body of your document. Give readers a context for what they are about to see and a reason to care about it.
Position
Next, strategically position graphics so the reader’s eye can quickly identify and locate the information. When you insert a graphic, give it an “action” title—one that describes the “So what?” of the data. Always cite the graphic’s source. Citations are usually written in a smaller font than the one used in the graphic itself. Place the citation at the bottom right and if possible, include a hyperlink to the original data.
Interpret
Finally, inserting a graphic is not enough. Interpret the meaning for your readers. Help them see how your graphic adds to your argument. Move them from “What?” through “So What?” to “Now What?”
The following example demonstrates how to do all three:
The Surface of the Earth is Getting Hotter
Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration strongly suggest that global warming is a reality. Figure 1 shows the difference, in celsius, of how much each year’s average global surface temperature deviated from the 20th century’s overall average. Since 1977, the average global temperature has never been below the 20th-century average. In fact, the positive deviation from the average has only grown with time.
These data support the premise that our planet’s temperature is rising. For the first 60 years of the study (1880-1940), global average temperatures were cooler than the 20th-century average. Since 1977, however, average surface temperatures have remained above the 20th-century average every single year. Despite an increased focus on green energy in many Western countries, these data show that the earth continues to get hotter.
Figure 1
Source: www.climate.gov/media/12885, June 2022
Example BankStandard Document Formats
Business relies heavily on email, but printed business letters and reports are still used. In fact, as more communication becomes digital, the power and durability of a printed document makes it stand out.
Click through the following links to see examples of standard formatting and get some design ideas.
Reports and White Papers
Proposals
Emails
Traditional Letters
In Conclusion
Formatting a great-looking document takes time and practice, but the payoffs are increased reader access and a more polished professional image.
The next time you write a paper or create a handout, practice choosing fonts, writing headings, using white space, and inserting graphics.
To access the previous PDF version of the online textbook, click here. Note: The PDF version will not reflect any updates or changes.
Learn More
Please let us know.
Bold citations are referenced in the chapter text.
Articles
Abela, A. “Chart Suggestions—A Thought-Starter.” The Extreme Presentation Method, September 6, 2006. Accessed June 2022.
Gaertner-Johnston, Lynn. “Write Better Executive Summaries.” Business Writing Blog, May 29, 2013. Accessed June 2022.
Kapterev, Alexei. “Which typeface should I use?” LinkedIn SlideShare, February 8, 2016. Accessed June 2022.
“Nation Shudders At Large Block Of Uninterrupted Text.” The Onion, March 9, 2010. Accessed June 2022.
Poole, Alex. “Which Are More Legible: Serif or Sans Serif Typefaces?” Alex Poole Blog, February 17, 2008. Accessed June 2022.
Strizver, Ilene. “Pull Quotes.” Fonts.com. Accessed June 2022.
Tschabitscher, Heinz. "How to Add an Email Signature in Gmail." Lifewire December 9, 2020. Accessed August 2022.
Books
Hagen, Rebecca, and Kim Golombisky. White Space is Not Your Enemy: A Beginner’s Guide to Communicating Visually through Graphic, Web, & Multimedia Design. Burlington: Focal Press, 2013.
Knaflic, Cole Nussbaumer. Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals. 1st ed. (2015) Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Kosslyn, Stephen M. Graph Design for the Eye and Mind. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Tufte, Edward R. Envisioning Information. Graphics Press, 1990.
Websites
"Why Does Typography Matter?" Butterwick's Practical Typography. Accessed August 2022
Canva. “Choosing the Right Font.” Accessed August 2022.
Corporate Ipsum. “Home.” Accessed August 2022.
Google Support. “Add a title, heading, or table of contents in a document.” Accessed August 2022.
JuiceBox. “Chart Chooser.” Accessed August 2022.
NOAA. www.climate.gov/media/12885. Accessed August 2022.
The Noun Project. “Home.” Accessed August 2022.
practicaltypography.com Accessed August 2022.
Purdue Online Writing Lab. “Introduction to Grant Writing.” August 2022.
Purdue Online Writing Lab. “White Paper: Purpose and Audience.” August 2022.
Purdue Online Writing Lab. “Writing the Basic Business Letter.” August 2022.
Svaiko, Gert. "Font Psychology: Here's Everything You Need to Know About Fonts." designmodo.com. April 12, 2021. Accessed August 2022.
Typeconnection. “Home.” Accessed August 2022.
Videos
Brown University Computer Education. “Google Docs: Working with Heading Styles,” YouTube, published February 9, 2012. Accessed October 2017.