This week’s readings, from chapters 24 and 25 of the Thompson Handbook, cover the basics of document visuals and graphical design. In the initial reading, the author notes that good visuals serve “to inform and persuade readers” and to “add visual interest”. In some instances, these visuals can serve as standalone arguments, such as the featured illustration entitled Computer Age Ending Literature. In this example, an image of a CD slicing through a stack of books serves to persuade the reader, while the illustration title makes the message even clearer. Chapter 24 goes on to point out the importance and power of such standalone representations of visual information, and the caution that must be taken to make sure that this information is not at all misleading, or possibly misinterpreted. I plan to keep this in mind while developing my instructions, and will use the help of editing software (possibly MSPaint) to make sure that the screenshots I am using are beneficial and straight forward. This chapter concludes by addressing the various types of visuals that writers have to choose from, namely photographs, illustrations, charts and graphs, and document design and layout.
In chapter 25, the reading focuses on product graphical design. This is often termed “packaging”, as the author notes, with the ultimate goal of presenting content that works in harmony. Such content is characterized by its ease of flow, namely in its visual, design, and textural content. The text notes that this is accomplished via the principles of proximity, alignment, repetition, and contrast. Also of significant importance is the effective usage of color. Here, a color wheel serves helpful in establishing complementary colors for visuals that contrast and print well, as opposed to analogous colors. This is something I’d not considered previously, but the sample illustrations in the text really point out the significance of using such contrasted colors. I will definitely take advantage of this color wheel when selecting the shades that I’ll use to highlight screenshot images within my instructions.
In this week’s instructor’s blog, these above topics are farther emphasized and good, real-world examples are highlighted to support arguments. I thought the article concerning Apple (MAC) was very informative, and really emphasized the importance of understanding design and interfacing. The BBC news story referenced was also very informative, and really stressed to me the importance of the overall encompassing design. I think this week’s readings have really driven home to me the importance and significance of design, in all documents, and how this goes far beyond simply thumbnails and screenshots. Of all the aspects related to the instructional project, I think design will certainly be the most important and thus will require the most attention.
Writing Reading Responses
While this is a concise summary of the readings for this week, there is little in terms of application. As the "Principles of Reading Responses" indicates, these reading responses are not supposed to be summaries. Take these opportunities to make specific and concrete connections between the readings and work you are doing. For instance, start a reading response with the assertion "I think this week’s readings have really driven home to me the importance and significance of design, in all documents, and how this goes far beyond simply thumbnails and screenshots. Of all the aspects related to the instructional project, I think design will certainly be the most important and thus will require the most attention." You can then develop the reading response discussing specific ways you will incorporate or apply the readings.
You can also connect the readings with the readings from another week or to a previous experience. You are to use these reading responses to produce knowledge for yourself rather than only summarize the knowledge of others.
Our Summaries
After reading all of the other students' responses for this week’s readings, it is interesting to note how many individuals seemed to have simply summarized the chapter, myself included. I think that, at least for my response, this is the case because it is still so early in the project’s life that I am not very able to anticipate how I will apply these tips and techniques yet. This is why many have responded like you and I; reviewing the aspects of the chapter that could potentially be incorporated, but not a direct correlation to our project. Still, we could both improve our responses by following the pointers that Nathaniel provides. For instance, you could begin your writing with the statement Nathaniel quoted you on and then proceed to relate the readings to the project, and offer specific examples of real world application. The same applies to me as well.