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Next, their eyes travel toward right, then move down page diagonally to lower left hand corner. Good document design will help readers' eyes travel page easily and naturally. Finally, they read last line of page and end in lower right corner, and z- pattern is complete. From there, your design should direct reader to flip to next page, if there is one, for most visually attractive impact.
3. Use graphics to enhance message, not detract from it.
Regarding above z-pattern, don't place your graphic elements in upper right or lower left corners of page. Use them to direct readers into your document instead. You don't want your readers to look at your photos or graphs without reading words! Too many graphics and poorly placed graphics will both scatter your readers' attention, taking it away from text. You'll simply lose them if your graphics detract from your document. When it's so easy to place them properly, why risk it?
4. Create visual partitions with typography.
Combined with white space, graphics and z-pattern, your choice of font can also help readers scan your document and focus their attention. White space begins to create distinction; you can create even more distinction by adjusting size and weight of your font. Remember to use bold and italics sparingly, preferably only in headings and not in your text. You can also vary actual font or text style you choose for headings. But stick to one serif font (like Times or Courier) and one sans serif font (like Arial or Helvetica). Mixing too many font faces and styles looks garish and amateur.
Today, those who write documents must also design them. Just because you're not a designer doesn't mean you have an excuse for poorly designed documents. So follow above advice and create eye-catching designs that make it easier for your reader to understand your message.
Linda Alexander publishes Write to the Point, a FR^E biweekly ezine for business people who want to be better writers. Subscribe now! mailto:write2thepoint-subscribe@topica.com http://www.write2thepointcom.com