Torn in the World of Design

Today’s document designers are torn in the world of design as modern technologies have a dramatic influence on document design practice in the media and design industry. The interplay of image and words are important in the modern context and designers are required to be well equipped in both writing and creative skill to capture the reader’s attention (Schriver,1997). 

Hereby we will be discussing on how print document design principle distinguishes from webpage design principle. I have chosen the same theme for both print based and multimodal text in order to have a more objective comparison in terms of design and layout.

The Battle of Publication Design

Print Based Text: SPOT, Houston Center for Photography Magazine

(image source: http://www.janefultonalt.com/Text_page.cfm?pID=496)

Multimodal Text: Nature's Best Photpgraphy Magazine

(image source: http://www.naturesbestmagazine.com/)

Walsh (2006) has mentioned an important element in publication for print document and web document when engagement level in reading process for both texts will be varied. 

Internet users are prompt to view a website using F-shaped pattern, minimizing their eyes movement because people are scanning instead of reading word by word to search for information in a website (Nielsen,2006). Unlike print based text, Z-shape pattern are adopted in the reading habits of users, making it a crucial for document designers to remember when content of a print based text is significant whereby readers will be more engaged in the text.

Therefore, web designer are advised to have vertical rectangle orientation because it is easy to move your heads to have a full view of the web page. Shape arrangements and grids has to be well organised in order to allow readers to have a comfortable eye flow when searching for information (Nielsen, 2006). On the other hand, print design differs in the sense that the main concern will be the equal distribution of visual weight and symmetry balance to match the readers’ habit (Reep, 2006).

We can see an evolution is going on when people have different expectations when they meet with different types of text. The introduction of new media has imposed a challenge towards document designer to work in an ever changing media atmosphere. Last but not least, a friendly reminder for document designers to avoid the mistake of “romancing the hypertext” with too much emphasis on design because at the end of the day information is what it matters (Reep, 2006).




Reference:

Nielsen, J 2006, F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content, Useit.com, viewed 5th November 2008, <http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html>.

Reep, Diana C 2006, ‘Chapter 6: Document design’ in Technical writing: Principles, strategies and readings, 6th ed., Pearson-Longman, New York, pp.134-136

Schriver, KA 1997, Dynamics in document design: creating texts for readers, Wiley Computer Publisher, NY.

Walsh, M 2006, ‘”Textual shift”: examining the reading process with print, visual and multimodal texts’, Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 24-37.