<normal>The first step towards effective page design is a clear understanding of your audience. Some of the points you should consider before beginning your page design are listed below:
<normal>Where will my document be read?
<normal>Physical environment is an important consideration; e.g. natural or artificial lighting, in a factory, at a desk in front of a computer with limited space. These factors should influence your choice of page and print size, binding, and the use of matte or glossy paper.
<normal>Who is my reader?
<normal>Try to write in a style that is appropriate for your audience and be careful not to use words or pictures that may cause offense.
<normal>What is the age of my typical reader?
<normal>Small print is difficult for the young or elderly to read. You should avoid it when choosing the size of text intended for these audiences.
<normal>How motivated is my reader?
<normal>The less motivated your audience, the more visual appeal is necessary to capture their attention.
<normal>How easily can my reader pick out the relevant information?
<normal>What is the best way to structure the document and present the different levels of headings? Less important headings should be smaller than main headings.
<normal>What sort of image do I want to convey?
<normal>The image your document conveys, e.g. fun or serious, formal or casual, could make the difference between whether people read it or not.
<normal>Take a look at page design in books and magazines to see how the above factors have influenced the design of the different pages.
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<subhead>Considering practical issues
<normal>When designing a document, there are certain practical issues you should consider. Some of these are suggested below:
<normal>Is there a limit to the number of pages in my document?
<normal>The density of text on the page will affect the number of pages in a document. Density of text is in turn influenced by point size, leading, column width, the number of illustrations and the amount of white space on each page.
<normal>What kind of information will the document contain?
<normal>Will there be a lot of reference material, tables and diagrams? How will you produce any tables and diagrams that you require?
<normal>Does this document have to conform to a company style?
<normal>Will it be filed with other company literature and have to fit into a standard-sized folder?
<normal>How will my document be bound?
<normal>Will it be stapled in the corner, folded and stapled in the middle, spiral-bound, glued or bound in some other way? You need to allow sufficient margin space for binding.
<normal>Is the document to be printed on one or both sides of the paper?
<normal>If the document is to be printed on one side of the paper only, you should base your design around a single master page
<normal>If the document is to be printed on both sides of the paper, you will require left and right master pages, as the binding margin needs to be swapped around on alternate pages. You will need to bear in mind that the left and right hand pages are going to be seen at the same time so they should balance and complement each other.
<normal>What is my budget?
<normal>Your budget for the task will influence your decision on paper size and type, binding, the number of illustrations, the use of colour, and the time you can spend working on the document.
<normal>When you are aware of all the practical issues involved in the design of your document, you can begin to consider the details of its layout.
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<subhead>Deciding the number and width of columns
<normal>The number and width of columns is important to the overall look of the page. Professional designers usually start with a page grid, showing the number and width of columns, and the position of different features on the page. When deciding how many columns to have on the page, consider the following issues:
<normal>What is the page size, and what proportion of the page is devoted to text?
<normal>There is a physical limit to the number of columns you can fit into the available space. Unless your page is very wide, you probably do not want to have more than three columns on the page. A three column layout is most popular for newsletters.
<normal>Are all the columns to be equal in width?
<normal>Generally, make all the columns to be filled with the same piece of text equal in width.
<normal>How large is the body text?
<normal>The larger the body text, the wider the column should be. A line of body text should usually be no more than 65 characters long. The optimal line length for body text is considered to be between 40 and 60 characters.
