BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Building Critical Skills

First Canadian Edition

Kitty O. Locker Stephen Kyo Kaczmarek 2002 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved. Kathryn Braun

odule 5
Designing Documents, Slides, and Screens
Skills to
Assess visual literacy. Apply design principles to paper pages, presentation slides, and Web pages. Use computers to increase document readability.

2002 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved.

odule 5
Designing Documents, Slides, and Screens
Topics
How should I design paper pages? How should I design presentation slides? How should I design Web pages? How should I assess my design? When should I think about design?
2002 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved.

To Design Paper Pages

Use

white space for separation and emphasis. Use headings to group points. Limit the use of capital letters. Use no more than two fonts. Use justification appropriate to the audience.
2002 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved.

Good Document Design

Saves time and money. Reduces legal problems. Builds goodwill. Looks inviting, friendly, and easyto-read. Enhances your credibility. Builds an image of you as professional and competent.

2002 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved.

To Design Presentation Slides

Use Use Use

a big font. bullet-point phrases. clear, concise language.

Make

only three to five points per slide. slides.

Customize

2002 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved.

To Design Web Pages

Provide an introductory statement on the first screen. Offer an overview of the content of your page. Put interesting and useful information up front.

2002 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved.

To Design Web Pages

continued

Minimize large graphics and animation. Provide visual variety. Unify multiple pages. On each page, provide a link to the home page.

2002 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved.

To Incorporate Good Design

Follow These Guidelines

As you plan, think about your audience. As you write, incorporate lists and headings. Get feedback from people who will be using your document. As you revise, check your draft against the guidelines in this module.

2002 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. All rights reserved.