Corbitt, Stacey. “Unit III: Attending to Design.” Mindful Technical Writing: An Introduction to the Fundamentals, TRAILS, Montana University System, 2021, pp. 126-146, drive.google.com/file/d/1GmxWSx6bMb_X3-3PSqwOG8uhRAXyEjqQ/view.

In this textbook chapter, Corbitt examines the various ways technical writers can alter the design of their documents to optimize readability. Corbitt uses a variety of explanations, examples, and exercises to explore what she calls the SCRAP design principles (i.e., size, contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity). Finally, Corbitt splits her chapter into two discrete sections: “Designing Documents” and “Integrating Graphic Elements.”

This compilation is intended as an active toolkit to support your design thinking practice. The guide is not just to read – go out in the world and try these tools yourself. In the following pages, we outline each mode of a human- centered design process, and then describe dozens of specific methods to do design work. These process modes and methods provide a tangible toolkit which support the seven mindsets — shown on the following page – that are vital attitudes for a design thinker to hold.

Last, Suzan. “3. Document Design.” Technical Writing Essentials: Introduction to Professional Communications in the Technical Fields, Pressbooks, University of Victoria, 1 January 2018, pressbooks.bccampus.ca/technicalwriting/part/documentdesign/.

“Document design is the “nuts and bolts” of technical writing. No matter how brilliant or important the content, if it is not formatted in way [sic] that enhances readability, it will likely not receive the attention it deserves. This section includes the information on how technical writers use formatting features to optimize readability.

“This chapter covers the following topics:

“3.1 Readability: Understand the importance of ‘readability’ to your technical audience, and what that looks like in technical documents.
“3.2  Headings […]: Understand how to use headings to organize information logically to enhance readers’ comprehension.
“3.3  Lists […]: Understand the rules for embedding various kinds of lists in your documents to emphasize key points and simplify text.
“3.4  Figures and Tables […]: Understand how to integrate various kinds of figures and tables into documents to effectively present visual data and images.
“3.5 Style Tips: Apply revision strategies to enhance clarity and readability.”

McMurrey, David, and Jonathan Arnett. “4.1 Report Design.” Open Technical Communication, 4^th ed., Affordable Learning Georgia, Kennesaw State University, alg.manifoldapp.org/read/open-technical-communication/section/967e506e-8d1e-4baf-bee2-8ace4ebf80f1.

In this textbook chapter, McMurrey and Arnett examine the effective design execution of the report genre, breaking down the form into several discrete sections, such as letters of transmittal, covers/labels, abstract/executive summaries, tables of contents/figures, and more. After reading this chapter, the readers should be able to do the following:

“Explain the importance of effective report design.”
“Explain the purpose of a letter of transmittal.”
“Define when covers and labels are appropriate for reports.”
“Explain the purposes of and write a descriptive abstract and executive summary for a report.”
“Apply design principles of tables of contents and figures.”
“Apply basic design considerations on the body of a report.”
“Define the appropriateness of a conclusion, appendix, and information sources.”

McMurrey, David. “Common Page Design: Make it Accessible, Professional” Online Technical Writing, McMurrey Associates, mcmassociates.io/textbook/page_design.html.

In this textbook chapter, McMurrey explores page design as it refers to “the use of typography and formatting such as you see in professionally designed documents.” McMurrey further focuses his analysis on “technical documentation, which implies modest, functional design.” Finally, McMurrey organizes his design suggestions into the following categories:

Headings
Lists
Notices
Figures
Tables
Highlighting
Margins, Indentation, and Alignment
Fonts and Color

Naas, Jodi. “11. Basic Design and Readability in Publications.” Technical Writing, Open Oregon, Open Oregon Educational Resources, openoregon.pressbooks.pub/technicalwriting/part/x-basic-design-and-readability-in-publications/.

In this textbook chapter, Naas explores basic principles of readability to evaluate and implement effective design in technical documents. Naas writes, “This is not a chapter on design per se; rather, it will familiarize you with a few basic truths and a way of thinking that all designers know well.” Naas guides readers through the concept of readability using elements like audience, purpose awareness, and the acronym “CRAP”: contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity.

Peterson, Katrina. “Chapter 5: Document Design.” Technical and Professional Writing Genres: A Study in Theory and Practice, Oklahoma State University Libraries, 1 January 2020, open.library.okstate.edu/technicalandprofessionalwriting/chapter/chapter-5/.

“This chapter briefly summarizes fundamental concepts to consider as you craft print and electronic texts. In this chapter you will read about basic principles of document design that allow writers to combine graphic elements with text to convey a message to audiences. Beginning with a discussion of standard conventions (of formatting, language, and style), the chapter then shares some basic guidelines for document design, moving forward to focus on integration of graphics, callouts and captions. Other topics include tables of contents, figures and tables, headings and the well-known CRAP test used by graphic designers. For additional resources, see the activities included at the chapter’s end.”

Pope, Adam Rex. “Chapter Four: Document Design in Technical Writing.” Open Technical Writing: An Open-Access Text for Instruction in Technical and Professional Writing, Open Educational Resources, University of Arkansas, 18 April 2019, pp. 88-125, scholarworks.uark.edu/oer/4/.

“In this chapter, we’re going to be looking at content in the vast arena of document design. Document design can be an entire course in and of itself […], but there are certain essential skills in document design that technical and professional writers simply must master to communicate effectively and with purpose. We will cover the essentials of document design, followed by layout in design work, followed by a discussion of typography, and finally a reflection on document design and the signposting we’ve discussed earlier in the text.”