ENG 204-002

I agree with the paragraph in the instructor’s blog that says, “Good design guides the eye.” From personal experience with working with a newspaper, design is almost as important as the quality of the written material. While trying to figure out the way a page should lay out, the audience is always on the forefront of my mind. The page cannot be cluttered or disorganized because readers do not need to work hard to understand where a story begins or ends. If there is a graphic for a certain story in the middle of a different story, a reader will be confused on which story they are actually reading.

All of the quality points given for good design of an instruction set parallel with the lay out design of a newspaper. The mention of effectively using white space is a topic that resonates with me because white space was looked at as a bad thing during lay out production. It makes sense for instructions to have more white space than other written works because the words given in instructions are the most important part. If there are too many items trying to fill space then the reader will have a hard time finding the necessary information on how to use the product.

Another quality that made sense to me was that design is persuasive. It goes along with how design guides the reader’s eye along the material. If the design of the instruction set is pleasing to the reader’s eye, then the audience is more likely to read the instructions thoroughly. If the design or structure of the instructions does not appear to be easily followed then the reader will bypass them all together and try to put together the product themselves.

All of the design qualities provided made perfect sense and were very familiar to me because of the experience I have had in design production.

The first reading mentions that visual content persuades and informs, and what you choose to present and how you present it matters. I have seen this first hand in my television production class in the control room. The control room exists to orchestrate the choosing of images and then presenting those images. In the control room you have the images of camera 1, 2, and 3. The switchboard gives you options of which shot to take, and how to present each shot by dissolving, fading, inserting graphics and so on. The director chooses a certain arrangement by what he/she thinks will be pleasing to the audience. The camera angles that the director chooses to use have to serve a specific purpose. For example, if the crew is filling a band’s performance and the director wants to showcase the talent of the lead singer, he would instruct the technical director to take a shot of a close up of the lead singer’s quick and detailed movements up and down the guitar during the guitar solo, and then a medium shot, followed by a close up shot of the singer once he beings to sing into the microphone. All of these shots were chosen for a specific purpose. Another commonality discussed in the reading that occurs in television production is citing visual content, copyrighted material cannot be used without permission.

I agree with the statement “design matters, because design is product interface” located in the Instructor Blog. Camera angles, lighting, talent placement, music, graphics, and setting are all part of the design process that I have learned about in my television aesthetics and techniques class. If the talent is lit incorrectly, it will be obvious to the viewers at home, because the talent will have a shadow on one side of their face. This example goes along with the requirement of careful attention when it comes to good design that is discussed in the instructor blog.

The reading was easy to relate to because I have experienced these same concepts in other classes.

The instructor blog post really helped me realize how important the design aspect of any work truly is, and also how easily looked over it is. I constantly look over the importance of design with my works. The four principles spell it out so clearly and will definitely be a huge factor in my final instruction sets. I totally agree with the article from BBC News about viewers judging a web site in a 20th of a second. Whenever I click a link, immediately I take in the color, the heading, the format of the information on the screen, and instantly I have a relationship with the site. This certainly correlates directly to the concept of guiding the eye. My instructions set will hopefully do just that. It should be something that draws the eye of readers to the top and then down the instructions in an appealing manner, based on the alignment of my text, the proximity of my word groups, the repetition of things like bullet points and spacing’s, and the contrast provided by the actual color of my instructions. I have gathered the idea that I truly need to change my perspective to one that is from the shoes of my readers. Similar to the article on White Space, my finished instruction set needs to incorporate the concept of, “breathing room for the eyes.” The paper needs to reflect the tone of my instructions. There is no need for distracting and unappealing clutter if I am trying to instruct one on how to efficiently accomplish any task. The one point I disagree with the blog about is the idea that we make a mistake of “thinking we can get something to work and then just make it pretty and useable later.” I am a firm believer that a paper or instruction set can be drafted first in a way that does work, then later near the deadline, details surrounding the finished products design will be incorporated. I actually think this is how most professional work is conducted. On that note, I am also a firm hater of Macintosh. But still, this whole discussion of design reignites my fear of not having enough technological skills or software on hand. I consider myself techno-savvy, but at the same time, this project seems to be asking for specifics that my basic Microsoft office won’t be able to comprehend. I understand the idea of a great design, but moving that idea from my mind to my finished product is something that I am dreading more and more.

Photographs, Illustrations, Charts, and Graphs are all visual elements that can be used to positively contribute to a written document. The example about the initial reactions to the formation of the website, as well as the reaction to the orange juice bottle prove that people make immediate judgements on the appearance and design of products, as well as making initial judgements towards other people. With the Instructions Project assignment that we as students are currently working on, I think that it is crucial for us to be knowledgeable about the five qualities of design, which are discussed in the Instructor Blog.

I agree with the design quality number three mostly: that good design guides the eye. A product is much more effective when it is easy to look at, aesthetically pleasing, and simple to follow or comprehend. "It helps the reader find the most important information effectively." This idea is key in the busy world in which we live and work in. People are concerned with getting as much accomplished on their "to-do lists" as possible, and these design efforts to get to the point directly are greatly appreciated by the consumers/readers. It is important to remember the fact that "design is noticed by the brain, but it happens more quickly than we can realize and articulate." This goes back to the idea of initial judgements and first impressions. Designs need to be logical and appealing to the brain, so that it will appeal to the audience.

I found the concept of white space to be very interesting. I have never really heard of this design technique, but it makes a lot of sense. The correct amount of white space helps align the text to once again make things simple and better for the reader's experience. This further helps the design or document's main point get across to the audience more effectively. Personally, when I read textbooks for classes, or novels in my free time, I find it even more difficult to ones that have smaller print crammed onto smaller pages. It is not that my vision is bad, I had just never realized that it was the lack of white space on the pages, and how important it really is.

The section, "Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade" in The Thomson Handbook talks about the importance of incorporating media and graphics into your methods of communication. The book says that visual content plays two roles. It presents information and arguments itself and it includes design elements that convey relationships between images and surrounding texts. I think that incorporating visuals into your method of communication is just as important as the text you include. Today’s communicative society relies heavily on images and media. Incorporating a video, audio, or graphics into your communication can help to better illustrate what you are talking about. Oftentimes, different types of media and imagery can help clear up any confusion found in the text. Instructions, media and graphics, when done correctly, can help the reader better understand. With the increased use of YouTube videos and online tutorials, including a video that shows what you are talking about can positively enhance your message. However, I think that media and graphics are something that has to be done appropriately otherwise it will only cause more confusion. When an image serves as the method of communication and is making an argument on its own (page 568), more effort has to be put into the appearance and presentation of the image and whether or not it is conveying the appropriate message to readers.

In the instructors’ blog, I thought it was interesting how “viewers make judgments about website design in about one 20th of a second. The frame established in this snap judgment, which is made before any kind of content transmission can occur, dictates the viewer's relationship to the document.” I never really thought about what occurs right when I visit a webpage, but when I think more about it, I definitely can decide if I like the page and if it looks easy to use right away. A well planned design sets the tone for the content to come. It is easy to quickly deduce whether something has a professional tone to it right away.

I also thought the part of the instructors’ blog on appropriately using the white space in design was interesting. “White space is not empty space to be filled with content, but part of the overall design. It is breathing room for the eye (kinda mixed metaphor there). It is the background that provides the contrast necessary for good design.” I definitely agree with this. Too much empty space can turn off an audience, but an extremely cluttered design can also produce the same effect. It is something that I hadn’t given much though to previously but is something I will take into consideration when doing my own designs and instructions.

The graphic design section of "Desktop Publishing and Graphic Design for Writers" provides important basic information that I could have most certainly used in the past, but luckily, its information that I will need in the future. Last school year, I worked for my apartment complex to pay rent. I was a Community Assistant; basically, I did assistant-type work, advertising, and trying to get people to sign leases. Anyway, it was up to my fellow C.A.'s and I to create monthly newsletters and flyers for community events. I hated doing this; usually, the final product would be riddled with errors, and overly-expanded and reaching clip-art because of our lack of experience with graphic design. It was embarrassing, but we did not know any other strategies.
The excerpt's basic do's and faux pas of graphic design in media, especially the narrow science of poster and flyer making, as well as creating brochures, would have been a life-saver. Each format includes necessary, yet easily-taken-for-granted details; for instance, in the brochures section, it briefly states what type of situation a brochure may be read, an attempt to understand this audience and the context they are in. An illustration is provided for a visual of what they would expect, and thus, what normal format the basis for a brochure is. Who knew so much went into something seen that trivial, and that to created that something its mandatory to know.
I do not consider myself that creative, especially when there are rules or limits that inhibit that creativity. Really, I just did not know the rules and how to work with the media. Even though the information provided is just the basics, there is at least a starting point established for designing these things.

All three readings gave a clear outlook on why design is so important. "Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade" explained how important images and illustrations actually are in contradiction to simply having text. However, the text and pictures have to go hand in hand and compliment eachother. This is where Proximity, Alignment, Repetition, and Contrast come into play. In using proximity (the closeness of an image in comparison with the text), the reader will not only be drawn to read what the message is saying, but be more visually drawn to it, if done correctly. The human mind is without a doubt drawn to illustration- why else do you think most peoples favorite part of the newspaper is the comics? Also, a picture can explain things words can't, but yet also give the mind space to wander and make its own assumptions without words telling them exactly what is happening. When it comes to Alignment, which "establishes pattern and a relationship with the text," it creates a certain kind of "consistancy." For example, when I look at a magazine, website, or newspaper, if the alignment is off- everything looks jumbled up and out of place...which makes that particular website, etc. look messy and unappealing. I would exit out immediately and search for a more effectively designed webpage. In using repetition, the meanings of words and illustrations come out. Just like if someone keeps telling you the same thing over and over again, like a broken record, you are bound to realize it's importance. This aspect of design would be major in a persuasive piece. Contrast, on the other hand, is how well everything goes together. This narrows it down to colors, font, even the proximity and alignment. If the contrast is off, even a little bit, the work will be judged and not taken seriously. For example, when I was in high school our softball teams website was done in our school colors, red and gray. However, with a bright red background and a silverish colored text, it hurt to even look at--let alone read. If I was a player on the softball team, and simply wanted to look at pictures, I would wait for another teammate to download them onto their computer and then look because it wasn't worth the torture of having a headache from the horrible color scheme chosen. If I felt that way and it was my own team, I can only imagine how the general public felt.

After reading "Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade" in the Thomson Handbook, I have come to the conclusion that visuals are equally as important, if not more important than the actual text. According to the reading, the purposes of visuals are to "Provide readers with concise visual evidence of something referred to in the text," to "Illustrate complex processes or sequences," and to "Summarize, explain and interpret data." Allow me to examine the first point. The key word in the first purpose is the word "evidence." Visuals help prove to the reader that the author is knowledgeable about the subject. Providing text states the claim of the author, but including a picture or video illustrates that the text can be accomplished. Visuals give the author increased ethos and the level of trust between the author and reader is much higher. The second purpose of visuals is to "Illustrate complex processes or sequences." This is crucial when designing instructions. Often, it is difficult to include vocabulary that is understood by everyone reading the instructions. If a word is used that people don't know, it could hinder their attempt to carry out the instructions. Also, if the instructions are too elementary you could offend a reader to who is more experienced with the material. Providing pictures eliminates this issue. Pictures and video allow the reader to use slightly more complex words while giving a visual demonstration to accompany it. However, the author now has a great responsibility to provide accurate and detailed visual instructions. The visual must be as specific as the text and leave the reader with no ambiguous thoughts about the instructions. The final purpose of visuals is to "summarize, explain, and interpret data." In a way, visuals serve as the secondary reader for the primary reader. The visuals are there to assist the reader and offer an explanation for the text. Visuals become extremely important in this aspect, as they are there to assure the reader he or she has accomplished the task correctly. Without visual confirmation on the finished project, the reader might not be sure if everything was done properly. Visuals give the reader peace of mind and the comfort to know the project was done right.

"Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade" showed me that visuals are equally as important at the text and should not be taken lightly. I realized that the author has a responsibility to present detailed and accurate visuals, whether that be pictures or video. It is important to present visuals that not only relay what the text says, but to show it in a form that is easy to view and understand. This passage has greatly helped me in designing my instruction set and I will be sure to use visuals effectively in my project.

After reading, I realized how much design factors into the choices I make with product selection. When you talked about apple in the instructor’s blog, it reminded me of the PC commercial where the guy looking at laptops and says something to the effect of “To me, Apple is more about aesthetics.” I know very little about which is better but I do know that, to me, Apple is more visually appealing than PC. It seems to me that design affects most aspects of everyday life. I know as someone who has done construction on a lot of houses and buildings that design is a huge factor in the construction process. A bad floor plan will ruin the livability of a house no matter how expensive the hardwood floors were. Similarly (kind of), in the instructor’s blog, the encountering a bear instructions had a cool picture and useful information but it wasn’t laid out right. I also liked the article on whitespace. It is something else to take into consideration when it comes to choosing font sizes and styles as well as line spacing. I feel like some of the stuff it said on white space I already would have known to an extent, like making something that you want to stand out bold and spaces differently. But this gave a much more clear explanation on when and how to use those techniques. It also reminds me of the design of a house in a lot of ways. A visually appealing exterior wall on a house isn’t going to be a big blank wall of siding. It will have a lot of windows, different sized plants, trim, shed roofs and other architectural features filling in the blankness in aesthetically pleasing amounts.

According to chapter 24 of the text, visual content has a dialectical relationship with the text around it. Often, our perception of a text is informed by the meaning we glean from images. Consider a magazine article that introduces a new model from Ferrari. The beginning of the piece seeks to capture the reader's eye by the insertion of a two page photo spread that shows the Ferrari winding down a Tuscan road at high speeds. Perhaps the car leans to one side and the wheels are a blur. The intention is to show fun and adrenaline-induced excitement that only a Ferrari can inspire. The reader then flips the page and begins reading, already persuaded by the preceding images. Of course, even for Ferrari, not all Ferraris are created equally. Some models retain their value better over time (or even gain value, though rarely), and some models aim for the sheer ostentation and performance that Ferrari offers, while others offer smooth, touring elegance with subdued edges and color. The point is, the magazine article is not necessarily for the Ferrari aficionado or ther first-time buyer; rather, the intention is to introduce and persuade about this one particular model in such a way that two things may happen: one, you feel the article may be good enough to purchase the magazine; or two, that the article contains enough information and photos to persuade you to renew your subscription.

Visual elements can also affect the severity of a text. On a politically tendentious subject, consider a text that persuades against abortion. Consider that the text says some rather damning things about abortion but also includes sections on adoption as an alternative. The photos chosen will directly influence the type of reader who chooses to read the article/manifesto/etc. Photos of adoptive parents and adopted children will probably attract a more general readership; photos of late-term aborted fetuses, however, will tend to detract and alienate. Visual choices clearly matter, especially when the subject creates sensitivities.

Captioning visual elements helps to direct the reader to the intention of the author, defining the intended relationship between the visual element and the written text. Consider a photo of a GM SUV hybrid. If the article is about fuel efficiency standards in the US, then a caption describing the horsepower, cost, and other performance specs will not be relevant. A more pertinent caption may cover EPA MPG on the highway and in the city. Additionally, if the photo is of one particular model, then we should itemize consumption for this particular model only and avoid industry trends, or performance of similar models. If we intend to persuade or inform through our visual elements, then they need to be precise, relevant, captioned appropriately, and inserted in the text at the place where the visual element most clarifies or exemplifies the text.

In chapter 25 on page 577 of The Thomson Handbook, it talks about the attributes of type, and using typography effectively. I found this section of the reading particularly insightful. Normally when I think of font, all I really think about is making for certain that it is legible and in an acceptable size. It surprised me to read that "Serif fonts are useful for body text on a printed page, and sans serif fonts are often used for headers." After reading into this a little more, it occurred to me that it makes sense that serif fonts would be used in body text, because the small strokes at the end of some lines make it much easier for the reader to flow with the text. Additionally, the text hits on considering your audience for the size and font type. I'd never thought that if my audience would be a bit older that I would need to make the font a bit larger, but it makes perfect sense.

A portion of the instructor's blog within the section describing the qualities of design stuck out to me. It states that the third quality of design is that "good design guides the eye." When I read this, I remembered when I worked closely with graphic designers on making fliers for shows that my band played. There were a plethora of designers that attempted to make fliers for shows, but only a couple of them were successful at all at getting business from promoters and venues. After reading about how good design guides the eye, I decided to look back at many of the fliers from shows I have played in the past and the one main thing I noticed was that the most successful designers had the fliers for the most successful shows, and I easily read them and knew exactly who was playing and in what order. There was no struggle in looking for information, my eyes were guided by the design of the flier! It was obvious to me at this time that I had never noticed how successful these works had been, the great design had been invisible to me, which is the first quality of good design as stated in the instructor's blog. I agree completely and totally with all five qualities of design in the blog, but these two seemed to stick out like a sore thumb to me.

One interesting point that the instructor blog revealed to me that I did not realize before was that good design incorporates white space effectively. After I read this, I paid closer attention to websites I was browsing and looked to see how their designers utilized blank space to help guide the reader. Now, it is apparent that almost sites use this technique. Take the Facebook login page for example. It is not filled with much text, and there are lots of spaces between everything, as well as a large portion of white space located at the bottom of the page, in which some lesser menu items appear such as language tools and business links.
The “A List Apart” article on whitespace further enlightened me about some technical details regarding its use. Particularly striking is the example they present under the “Brand positioning” heading. The comparison of two advertisements, one with minimal whitespace and large text, and one with plenty of space and smaller text, is very profound in its message. Clearly, the one with more space and smaller text comes out classier and much more upscale. Again, I had never thought about this before, but now that I do I can see that the authors words hold very true. “Less whitespace = cheap; more whitespace = luxury.”
The part of the blog I agree with most is definitely the tip about photos. The consistency of lighting in photos is so important visually. There are countless times I have watched local commercials or picked up a company’s advertisement and thought, “Wow, why could they have not at least hired a semi-competent photographer to do this?” Since most people these days are used to high definition and lots of megapixels, poor photography really stands out more and more. Maybe I notice it more so than others because I am a film major who studies lighting techniques in school, but none the less, if I think its bad, I am not even a professional yet. What would a professional photographer have to say about it? The quality of images reflects directly on the quality of the commercial or advertisement.

I completely agree with the statement in the instructor’s blog about the importance of design. There are an innumerable amount of times that I am sure I brought something strictly because of how it looked. This is typical for an American consumer because of the magnitude that we buy and because many of us by on impulse. Much like consumer goods, this is important in any form of design; particularly our instructions project. How the reader initially perceives are instructions could dramatically shape how effective they are and how much time the reader wants to put into understanding them.

The example of the first bear instructions is a prime example of a poor design. There has been many times where I have disregarded a set of instructions or other forms of informative literature just because it was wordy and not broken up. The second example is properly aligned, bulleted, and has proper font sizes that do not contrast and is much more effective. This portion of the instructions blog reinforced how important it is to consider all the aspects of how you are presenting your material. I found the portion of the article about the BBC study on the quickness of your brain to process information very interesting. This is something that I have underestimated in the past and exemplifies how important it is to have a persuasive design. .

The excerpt in “Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade” was also very informative. Particularly in our instructions project, visuals are critical to obtain the readers understanding. The example of a matchmaking service in the article is perhaps the strongest example of the need for a visual to compliment the text. In a set of instructions a visual is almost required because some things are so difficult to describe in words and a visual depiction can provide complete understanding in a short time making the instructions very effective.

Chapter 25 in the handbook talks about 4 major points in design. These points are proximity, alignment, repetition and contrast. Proximity simply means closeness. Readers expect for images to be directly related to text that it is close to. It is important to consider proximity when making a document such as a website or a set of instructions. If there is a graphic inside a set of instructions, the text around that graphic should be explaining its' relevance. If something is made with alignment in consideration, then it will appear to be presented in a logical order. It is important for a document to be consistent in alignment. Otherwise what you end up with is just a big mess that might be difficult to read. However you can draw attention to important details by specifically misaligning those details from the rest of the document. This draws the readers' attention to that area. This trick could be used to make sure the reader of a set of instructions to looks at a particularly important step more closely. "Repetition of design elements conveys important structural information to a reader and thus can assist the writer in communicating information unobtrusively." So when making a document with bold headings, it would be important to have those headings be the same size and font. If that document was separated into chapters, you could choose to make the bold headings look different according to the chapter number.

The instructor's blog had a very interesting point about the idea that "good design is invisible." I can't remember the last time I looked at a newspaper and considered its' design. Also we have companies like Apple that define themselves with a completely unique design structure. However when I'm operating my mac, as with the newspaper, I do not think about the design. I enjoy operating it and do so with ease, but I do not consider the design that went into its' interface. I do agree that good designing is something that we don't notice as much as bad designing.

I found a plethora of information in the section of the Thomson Handbook entitled, "Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade." In this section, it stresses the importance of placing media into any sort of communication you use. The reason for this is the basic idea of the entire chapter, media increases the attractiveness of your design, it grabs the eye and it holds interest longer than any other tactic. The chapter states two roles for the media, one being that it presents information and arguments itself and the second that it includes design elements that convey relationships between images and surrounding texts. I believe, though its possible to overuse them, graphics and media are almost as, if not JUST as important as the text you include. It can get a point across just as easily as text and its much more attractive to the viewer. Graphics and media can also solve confusion caused by misleading words in the text. Todays communicative society relies heavily on media, from radio, to television to newspapers media and graphics are everywhere. With this in mind, its impossible to overstate the importance of incorporating them into your design. With this in mind, its important we incorporate graphics into our instructions. We want to attract our readers, to keep them interested.

I also found alot of good information in the instructors blog on the importance of design. We as a society are guilty of buying things based on the way they look. If you think about anytime you've been in a store, if something is packaged well, and it attracts your eye, you're far more likely to buy it than something that looks bland and boring. This could be considered an impulse buy, many times we're not even looking for a particular thing, but seeing something packaged in a particular way triggers a need to buy it. Colors, graphics, text all of this is incorporated into the design. So its for this reason that the design of our instructions is so vital. We must keep the reader hooked and interested in our instructions, if we plan on having them be successful.

I completely agree with the Instructor’s Blog in that good design should be effortless. People hardly notice good work. We always comment on the negative. This is something I need tot take in consideration. I often design things for a reaction, not for a document that is clear and concise. I also agree with the Instructor’s Blog opinion on pictures. I CANT stand when photos (even on networking sites: facebook etc) are blurry. They are there for a reason! They should be clear and meaningful.
"Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade" in The Thomson Handbook had the most helpful information to me. The section on visual content serving as different functions served as a great resource. I love how it breaks it down in to the visual form, shows you the proper function, and then shows you how to produce such works.
In both "Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade" in The Thomson Handbook and "Desktop Publishing and Graphic Design for Writers they give a project checklist. I like this because it helps summarize what has been read; and if you accidentally missed a key point it’s on the list.
I also enjoy the specifics in "Desktop Publishing and Graphic Design for Writers.” Margin and Alleys, Justification, Line length and leading are just a few of the detailed point in this excerpt. I also love how it gives a detailed example of a tri-fold brochure on page 583. Not only does it give an in depth visual of a tri-fold brochure but it gives a brief synopsis of what a brochure’s purpose is and how effective it can be if done correctly.
All in all I think all the articles were fairly helpful. They each gave specific details and made the passages easy to understand. I enjoyed the Instructors Blog.