Basics of Document Design Reading (9/21/20)

 Mizrahi: The Basics of Document Design

    On from the document used to acquire a job, now comes the lesson on how to design written documents for the job you just got. Mizrahi explains conventions on reading documents to better understand why document design must adhere to certain rules. Each page must be laid out to attract and keep the attention of the reader, through things like placing images and the most important lines within their line of sight, as well as making those lines easy to scan and read. Readability is one of the aspects of document design that Mizrahi stresses the most in this chapter; take for example type justification, we often take for granted that left justified is the norm because that is how our minds have been trained to read. The ease with which we return from the ragged right side of the page text to the neat beginning of a sentence or continuation thereof on the left side is one reason why it is very nearly the only justification style used in most styles of writing. Whereas something like center or right justified is only used rare such as with headings or some short phrases, respectively. Which fonts to use depending on whether your publishing to paper or screen, the different colors you would use with the same format, are all topics which Mizrahi matter-of-factly states which is right and which is unprofessional. In the end, the "chore" of reading is a feeling which Mizrahi wants the reader to quell in their potential readers by being smart with document design.


It surprised and disappointed me how much of a shock it was that most companies and entertainment outlets use single-spacing and that double-spacing is hardly used after college. However, I did find interesting the specifics of which fonts look better on the page versus on the screen.


If I am converting a page document to a digital PDF, because of how people scan versus really take a look at the digital document, should their be edits made to the content to allow for an easier read? Or would that be a more of an issue of converting to another format?

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