7 – Design

Introduction

Suzan Last and Kalani Pattison

Document design is the “nuts and bolts” of technical writing. No matter how brilliant or important the content, if it is not formatted in a way that enhances readability, it will likely not receive the attention it deserves. This chapter provides information on how technical writers use formatting features to optimize readability.

In addition, you may wish to consider the design choices within this textbook. While you may not have consciously noticed them previously, as you read through this chapter think about how the principles discussed have been applied to Howdy or Hello? and how such design elements have made it easier to follow the book’s organization and content.