Reading Response Week 6
Chapter 24 of the Thomson Handbook stresses visual design and layout. These factors are of great importance to the success of this brochure. First of all, pictures were used to improve the appeal of the brochure to the reader. The pictures used draw out an emotional response to the readers and urge them to adopt a pet, volunteer their time, or donate supplies. For example, next to the section about adopting a pet, a picture was inserted showing a happy couple with a newly adopted pet. They are smiling and showing all the joys of being a pet owner. Seeing an image such as this one tells the reader that if they adopt a pet, they will have a happy and playful addition to their family. Other pictures were used for similar situations in the brochure. They all pertained to the topic nearby their location. This chapter also emphasized the use of charts and graphs to make reading information clearer and easier. Although the brochure I worked on did not exactly call for a table or chart, I did use a pyramid figure to build the levels of sponsorship. It showed the lowest level at the base of the pyramid and the highest level at the top. I thought it was a good way to display this information in an appealing yet informative manner.
Chapter 37 of the Thomson Handbook dealt with the importance of variety in sentence structure. The brochure uses text that captures the audience’s attention. At times, it asks questions such as “who wants a cat that hides under the bed when your children try to pet her?” It keeps the reader involved with what the brochure is saying and makes it easier to relate to. Also, the sentence structures of the text vary so that it does not seem like a repetitive drone. This also helps to keep the reader’s attention.
Comments
Reading Response Comment
I think pictures are great for a brochure or any other type of informational document like a newspaper or a newsletter. Pictures attract audiences of all ages because they often "say" more than text would. I know when I look at the Exponent when I'm at school, the first thing I do is look at the pictures. I also like that the pictures you used also created an emotional response from the readers. Our group's brochure is for volunteering at the Christmas Day Dinner put on by the CFRC and I didn't see any information that could be presented in a graph or chart but I also like looking at information in that way. It is easy to read and see without reading text with a bunch of numbers or other information. I like that you used a question in your brochure. Our group didn't do that in the first draft but I hope to incorporate that into our second draft.
Comment
It is very important that we have our words and pictures compliment each other. I like how you are trying to tie to peoples emotions. This is a good idea because people will feel stronger towards adopting a pet. I like how you used the pyramid structure in your brochure. This is a good example of using a chart for a good visual design. I like how you have had different types of text structures so that the brochure is refreshing and keeps you intrigued. Over all I think this makes it more likely your audience will read the entire brochure. If you have a lot of boring text the audience isn’t going to spend the time to read it and is not going to find it very interesting.
Comment
The readings provided this week were both very suitable for the task of creating these brochures. I felt like chapter 24 addressed the importance of visual design while chapter 37 discussed sentence structure and length. The idea of using the pyramid was an excellent way to place information but make it more appealing and easier to read. Using questions in brochures gets readers thinking about how they may answer it and keep them reading on. I don’t know if your group struggled with the overall design of the brochure but that tended to be a bit difficult for me. It sounds like you have an excellent start to the last project!