What is a good document?

A good document is assumed to have complete, easy-to-find information and attractive style of documentation (Devonia.com)

However, to define a good document is a subjective matter. Putnis & Petelin (1996, p. 236) said it simply, that the effectiveness of a document depends on the given situation and the readership. Before designing the document, one should find out the audience's level of knowledge in the subject (Sherrod 2008).

Nonetheless, a generally ‘good’ document will, at its best, apply the principles of design.

One of these principles is proportion. Proportion refers to the size and placement of text, graphic aids and format elements on a design page (Reep 2006, p. 135). Take for instance, the screenshot slide below from my group’s presentation.

(Figure 1)

The slide is meant to provide further elaboration on the meaning of ‘text-driven’. Although the word ‘text-driven’ is in red to show distinction, the size of it is the same as the elaboration. It would have been better if its size was slightly larger to show a relationship with the information. This need to consistently and properly integrate words and their graphic form is emphasized by MacKenzie in order to create information that is accessible and usable for the readers (cited in Putnis & Petelin 1996, p. 241).

Another design principle that is not followed was consistency. According to Reep (2006, p. 136), consistency is to present similar features in similar style, such as typeface.

(Figure 2)

Compared to Figure 1, the heading in this slide has a different font, colour and size. Headings do not just chunk information together but also help control readers' access to it (Kostelnick & Roberts 1998, p. 183). Therefore, either the slide in Figure 1 changes its typeface to be consistent with the one in Figure 2 or vice versa.

Besides that, the slide in Figure 2 has failed in terms of the balance principle. The last sentence looks quite cramp at the bottom compared to the top. To improve on this, it would be better to firstly get rid of the unnecessary happy face and secondly have the example in a smaller font to show a difference in the type of information (Reep 2006, p. 136).

To sum up, applying the principles of design when planning will assist in creating a 'good' document.

Reference List:

Kostelnick C & Roberts DD 1998, Designing visual language: Strategies for professional communicators, Allyn & Bacon, United States of America.

Putnis, P & Petelin, R 1996, ‘Writing to communicate’, in Professional communication: principles and application, Prentice Hall, Sydney, pp. 223-263.

Reep, DC 2006, 'Document Design', in Technical Writing, Pearson/Longman, New York, pp. 133-172.

Sherrod, L 2008, Developing Good Documentation, viewed 10 September 2009, <http://www.slideshare.net/larrysherrod/developing-good-documentation-presentation>.

What Is Good Documentation, Deviona.com, viewed 10 September 2009, <http://www.devonia.com/text-documents.htm>.

This blog's objective

The creation of this blog is purposefully to be a medium to learn, understand and inform other people about the principles and vocabulary of document designs as well as discuss the current issues of the media world.

Thus, it is catered especially for media students and those interested in the issues of media communication.