Design

Design in Digital Writing

Design is an important aspect when writing for the screen. In digital writing, design pertains to the overall look of the website and arrangement of the text, graphics, and other objects that make up the site. There are three main components to understanding and implementing design: consistency, usability, and navigability.

Consistency

• The repetition of elements (colors, graphics, headlines, typography, section divisions, and text placement) gives a site a consistent identity (Carrol, 62).

• Full contact information on every page (Carrol, 28).

• Provide logical links that pertain to the text (Carrol, 79).

• Adhere to an audience-specific style guide throughout the site, which refers to the HTML codes used and the grammatical format of text (Carrol, 97, 111).

Usability

• Keep text scan-able. Highlight key words, use links, vary typeface, use colors, include subheadings, add bulleted lists, use paragraphs with one idea each, and practice brevity (Carrol, 32).

• Keep it simple and user-friendly. Break pages into clearly defined areas and minimize distractions (Carrol, 28, 69).

• Include a visual hierarchy for information and navigation on each page (Carrol, 123).

References

1. Carrol, Brian. (2010). "Writing for Digital Media". New York: Routledge. Retrieved 2 Nov. 2012.