4) DESIGN (FORMATTING)

This group of sample documents demonstrated that considerable thought that had gone into formatting them for maximum readability. The following are the key design principles that affect a reader’s ability to easily find information and act on it appropriately.

• Body type
  The type for the body of the letters and documents was set at 12 points or higher, in a serif type such as Times New Roman. Type that is smaller than 12 points causes difficulties for older readers.
  Standard serif typefaces are most readable for information that will be sent on paper, because the letter shapes aid in word recognition.
• Headings
  The headings and sub-heading were set in a sans-serif type, such as Arial, in bold face. The “up and down” shape of this unornamented type style helps to lead the eye down into the body of the paragraph following. Placing the sub-heading closer to the paragraph that follows it rather than the one preceding it, also helps to visually associate the sub-heading with the content.
• White space
  Generous margins and space between paragraphs created “white space” in the documents. This is needed by readers to rest the eyes and for navigation. Too much information on one page can discourage readers before they begin.
• Justification
  All of the documents were justified (or lined up) on the left, and unjustified, or “ragged” on the right. This left justification creates a fixed point of return at the beginning of each line, while the ragged line endings create uneven white space in the right margin. The reading eye uses these uneven endings as a place marker so that it can return accurately to the next line.