Personal notes taken from Unit 2 Technical document design, English Technical Writing, a MOOC course issued by Southeast University (东南大学), China.

Four Design principles

Principles	Definition	Notes
Proximity	Related items should be grouped together.
Alignment(对齐方式)	Consciously place text and graphics on a page.
Repetition	Treat the same kind of information in the same way > consistent style.	For example, always embolden the headings.
Contrast	It is a visual trick to add reading interest and help article organization.	large type <-> small type; Italic font <-> normal font...

❓Discussion

Compare the two posters with the four principles of designing technical documents to discuss which one is clearer and more sophisticated?

First poster	Second poster

My answer:

The second power is clearer and more sophisticated above all. The related matters are grouped together in terms of proximity, for example, the slogans started "Live the life" and "Be an Understander!" are placed together to illustrate the same theme. Likewise, the contacts are grouped together for readers' attention. Second, it meets the requirements of alignment, because the whole passage are left-aligned to form a better visual structure. Third, it does a good job in style repetition. The question-liked sentences that begin any statement are consistently bolded and red. Finally, two colors of fonts contrast with each other to highlight the information. And the image also contrasts with the text, serving as a straight line of visual alignment.

Designing visual information

Visual as a noun, it refers to:

A picture, chart, or other presentation that appeals to the sense of sight, used in promotion or for illustration or narration: an ad campaign with striking visuals; trying to capture a poem in a cinematic visual.

Why visuals matters

Make information easier to interpret

Type of visuals

Table

Table types	Functions	Table elements	Example
Numerical tables	Compare exact values	1. 数字对齐；2. 表末有统计
Prose tables1	organize verbal information	1. 表头引领表格内容（表头是句子的前半部分，表内信息补全句子） 2.文字表述格式、写法对齐 3. 数字增强文字信息？2 4. 表后加注，补充细节

Graph

• Bar graphs: to show comparison
• Line graphs: to show a trend over time

Essentials of graphs:

1. Title
2. Clearly labeled axes (axis)

Chart

Definition: Charts depict relationships via design elements.

• Pie charts
• Organization charts
• Flowcharts (流程图): to trace the steps
• Gannt charts (甘特提): to depict how the phases of a project relate
• Tree charts: to show how an idea relates
• Pictograms

Graphic Illustration

Rely on pictures rather than words or data.

How to choose the right visuals

Think of the following questions before making a choice:

1. What is the purpose for using this visual?

2. Who is the audience of the visual?

❓Discussion

My answer:

Designing documents

consistent style + navigation + highlighted contents

Shaping the page

• Provide page numbers, headers and footers
  • 题目页（title page）是第一页，但无需标页码。正文前的页数（front matter page）从第二页开始标，用小写罗马数字标注页码（ii, iii, iv ...）
  • 正文页（text page）用阿拉伯数字标注页码（1, 2, 3...）
  • 页眉和页脚用于放置出版信息，如作者名，标题等
• Use a grid
  • 网格排版（page grid）: Grids help readers make sense of the materials by subdivding a page into modules.
  • Vertical grid: two-or three-column grid for brochures or columns
  • Horizontal grid: for memos, letters and reports
  • Combinded grid: for webpages
  • 

• Use white space to create areas of emphasis
  • 留白会吸引读者的注意力，这里说的不只是“空格”，而是留出空白的空间。读者会把视线自然地放到空白附近的段落上。
• Make lists for east reading
  • Bulleted list
  • Numbered list
  • Checklist

Styling the words and letters

• Select an appropriate typeface or font
  • Serif font
    • it looks traditional
    • for newspaper and formal reports
  • Sans serif
    • it is clean-looking and more businesslike
    • IDEAL for:
      • technical materials in additional to the body text, such as numbers, equations, headings, examples, tables, captions, marginal comments
      • Projected environments
• Use full caps sparingly
  • Use full caps for 1) section headings or 2) to highlight a word or phrase

Adding emphasis

Whatever emphasis method is adopted, be consistent in the passage.

• Indention
• Lines
• Boldface
• Small or large type sizes
• Color

Using headings for access and orientation

Headings should be consistent in style. For the headings in the same level, they should be grammatically paralleled.

Appendix

Footnotes

1. 没有查到Prose table 这个表述，这里应该是指以文字为主的表格。这种表格应该怎么表述呢？ ↩

2. 不理解。 ↩