Word 2007: Document Design

Learning Guide

Designing Documents in Word 2007

While you may think that good document design isnt necessary for your
documents, think again! A well-designed document is much easier to read
and much more attractive than one thats poorly designed. Readability
and attractiveness give your document a much greater impact than it
otherwise might have even for an audience within your work group or
your department. This guide will help you learn to use Word 2007s
design tools so that all of your documents will be both attractive and
readable.

Design Concepts
The Goal
When creating any document, use page design and text styles to make the
document clean and readable by:
Enhancing and emphasizing your content
Creating contrast between the sections of your document: page titles,
body text, section headers, bulleted lists

The Tools
Well-chosen font combinations and font styles are the main tools used to
create contrast and emphasis in your documents. However, you should
use no more than two font families (like Times New Roman or Garamond)
in your document. If you want to create contrast within text of a single
font family, use text styles like bolding and italicizing.

The Rules
Dont use too many fonts, or too many styles.
Unless your audience demands radical design, be conservative.
Let your design assist your content, not overwhelm it.
Only create a design element that has a purpose. Dont simply
create one because it looks cool.
Know when to break the rules.

Font Basics
Most documents will use these two kinds of fonts in combination:
A serif font (like Times New Roman, shown below) can be used for
the various kinds of text in your document. Serif fonts have accents at
the edges of each character, and are highly readable over long blocks
of text. They can be overpowering at large sizes.

a
Common serif fonts are: Times New Roman, Garamond and

Georgia

A sans serif font (like Tahoma, shown below) are often used for your
titles and headers. Sans serif fonts have no accents at the edges of
each character, and are very readable at large sizes. They rapidly
become unreadable over long blocks of text.

Common sans serif fonts are: Tahoma, Arial, and Verdana

Changing Character Font, Scale and Spacing

Changing the Font
Select the text that you wish to format.
From the Home Ribbon, navigate to the section labeled Font.

To browse new fonts, click on the drop-down arrow of the first dropdown box (The default value should be Calibri).
To apply a new font, click on its name from the menu.
To change the size of your text, click on the text size you prefer in the
drop-down menu next to the Fonts menu (The default value should be
11).
o You can also click into the text size box and type in your
own preferred size.
To change the style of your text, choose from any of the buttons on the
second row of the Font tab. To see what each button does, place your
cursor on the button and a pop-up window will provide a description.

o In addition to providing different underling styles, the dropdown menu of the

button allows you to adjust the color
of the underline by choosing from the Underline color
submenu.

To change the color of your text, click on the down-facing arrow next to
the
prefer.

button. From the menu that appears, choose the text color you

If you prefer to see the Font preferences laid out in a more

conventional manner, click on the
button at the bottom-right
corner of the Font tab.

o This leads to the following window which summarizes the Font

preferences.

Changing character scale and spacing

Increasing the scale and spacing of your text can be useful when you are
creating headings for your document. Using scaled and spaced text can
set your heading apart from the rest of the text in its section. At the same
time, you can preserve the similarities that connect your header to the
content in its section.
Sample of text with a heading that has increased scale and spacing
between characters:
Heading
The heading of this paragraph has a scale of 115% and the
spacing between characters has been expanded by .7pts.

To change character scale and spacing:

Select the text you want to format.
From the Home Ribbon, click on the bottom-right icon of the Font
tab to bring up the Font window
At the top of the Font window, click on the Character Spacing tab.

To change the horizontal scale of your text, click on the downfacing arrow next to the box labeled Scale.

From this menu, select the scale that you wish to use. Alternatively, you
can type a custom value into the Scale box.

To change the spacing between letters in your text, click on the downfacing arrow next to the box labeled Spacing.
To expand the space between letters, first select Expanded from the
Spacing menu. Then, click in the By box and enter the amount of
space to be inserted between each pair of characters.
This value is measured in points, a typographical measurement unit.

To condense the space between letters, select Condensed from the

Spacing menu. Then, click in the By box and enter the amount of
space to be removed from between each pair of characters.

As you apply scale and spacing formatting, the Font area on the task pane
adjusts to reflect the changes you made.

Formatting paragraph indents

Indents in your document can be especially helpful when you need to
emphasize some of your content by setting it apart from the rest of your
text.
Sample of text with indenting:
This text does not contain any indenting. It is the introduction that
prefaces the text that is indented below:
This line is indented by 0.5 pt (points).
So is this line.
To change a paragraphs indentation:
Select the paragraph (or paragraphs) that you wish to indent.
From the Home Ribbon, click the
button in the bottom-right
corner of the Paragraph tab. This will bring up the Paragraph
window.
Left and Right Indents
To indent the left edge of a paragraph, click in the box labeled Left
and enter the distance (in inches) by which you want to indent your
paragraph.

Sample of text indented from the left by 0.25" (inches):

All the bulleted-text in this document has been indented from
the left by 0.25.

To indent the right edge of a paragraph, enter the indent distance in the
box labeled Right.
Sample of text indented from the right by 0.75":
Compared to the sample of text above, this sample
of text has a much larger right margin.
o You can also use the
buttons from the Paragraph tab
to increase or decrease your selection by 0.5.

First line indents

To mark the beginning of a new paragraph, you will often want to indent its first
line.
Sample of a paragraph whose first line is indented by 0.25":
This paragraph has its first line indented by .25. Notice that
the rest of the lines in this paragraph have no indentation.
To indent the first line of a paragraph:
From the Indentation section in the Paragraph window, click on the
down-facing arrow next to the box labeled Special and select First
Line from the drop-down menu that appears.
In the box labeled By, enter the indent distance for the paragraphs
first line.

o Alternatively, you can click at the beginning of your selection

and hit the Tab button to get a first-line indent of 0.5.
Hanging Indents
When you are creating a document which has terminology and definitions, or one
that contains bibliographic information, hanging indents can help make your content
more readable. When you apply a hanging indent to a paragraph, youll indent every
line of text in that paragraph but the first one.
Sample of a paragraph that has a hanging indent of 0.25":
This paragraph has a handing indent of 0.25. Notice that the first
line has no indent, but all the subsequent lines do.
To create a hanging indent:
From the Indentation section in the Paragraph window, click on the
down-facing arrow next to the box labeled Special and select Hanging
from the drop-down menu that appears.
In the box labeled By, enter the indent distance.

Saving the indentation formatting

Once you are finished making adjustments to the indentation of your
paragraph, click OK.
The Paragraph area of the task pane will reflect any changes you
made to the paragraphs indentation.

Formatting spacing between paragraphs

Although many people use the return character to create spaces between
their paragraphs, Words paragraph spacing controls make it easier to
consistently create white space between paragraphs.
Sample of a paragraph that has 12pt of white space after it:
This paragraph has 12 points of white space after it.
Remember when you want to create consistent white space, use
Words spacing controls.

Adding spacing
Select the paragraphs that will receive the new spacing.
From the Home Ribbon, click the
button in the bottom-right
corner of the Paragraph tab. This will bring up the Paragraph
window.
When the paragraph window appears, click on the Indents and
Spacing tab.
o To increase the spacing after each paragraph that you have
selected, click on the up-facing arrow next to the After box.
Each increment of 12 points represents one line of spacing after
your paragraph.

When you are finished, click OK to apply the new spacing to your
selected paragraphs.

Tip: To create consistent spacing between all of the paragraphs in your

document, choose Select all from the Edit menu before changing the
paragraph spacing.

Tip: Adding spacing before paragraphs

In some situations, youll want to add spacing before paragraphs instead
of after them. In those cases, use the up arrow next to the Before box to
add spacing before the paragraphs you selected.

Reducing spacing
Select the paragraphs that have too much white space between them.
Return to the Paragraph window and from the Spacing area, use the
down arrows next to the After box or the Before box to decrease the
amount of spacing for the paragraphs you selected.

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Creating Bulleted Lists

Word allows you to easily create a list of items. Bulleted lists are easy to
read, and can efficiently convey your content to your audience. Selecting
a custom bullet for your list items can make your list even more
distinctive.
Inserting standard bullets
To create a list using Words default bullets, first compose the lines of
text that youd like to bullet and highlight them.
From the Home Ribbon, look at the first group of buttons on the
Paragraph tab.

Click the first button

to automatically bullet your list using the
default bullet style. To change bullet style, click on the drop-down
arrow next to this button and select the desire style.

The
button allows you to format your bulleted list by using
numbers or letters. Clicking on this button defaults to using numbers,
but you can choose from different options by exploring the drop-down
menu.

The
button provides formatting options on how to address
subheadings of each item on your list.

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Inserting custom bullets

Sometimes, Words default bullets wont permit you to format your list
the way that youd like. In these situations, you can choose a character
from any font installed on your computer to serve as a bullet. To create &
insert custom bullets in your list:

Compose the lines of text that youd like to bullet and select your text.
From the Paragraph tab, click the drop-down menu on the first button
and click on Define New Bullet.

In the Define New Bullet Symbol window, you can choose from a list
of Symbols or Pictures.
o To use a symbol, click on the Symbol button.

From here you can choose which Font to take symbols.

Once youve made your selection, click OK and then
OK in the previous window to apply your custom
button
o To use a picture, click on the Picture button.

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o Word produces a menu of clip art to choose from. Click on the

desired selection and click OK.
If you wish to use a custom picture from a file on disk,
click on Import and browse to the file. This image
will now appear at the top of the clip art menu. Select
this image and click OK.
o Click OK from the previous window to apply your bullet.
Tip: Customizing existing bullets
If you already have bulleted text in your document, and you want to
customize or change the format of those bullets:
Select the bulleted text.
Follow the process above for customizing your bullets.
o You can also right-click on the selected bulleted text and the
first two buttons of the bulleting group will be available.

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Formatting borders and shading

Adding borders and shading to a document can be useful when you want
to draw a readers eye to an area of a document. Borders and shading can
be very effective when used with headers and footers. Shading can also be
used to draw attention to important content.
Sample of a paragraph that has black border and gray shading:
This paragraph uses borders and shading to set examples of
formatting changes apart from the rest of the text.

Sample of a heading that has shading, but no border:

Important
Text with shading makes the text stand out from the rest of the
document.
Add shading to your text

Select your text and click the drop-down arrow on the

the Paragraph tab to reveal the options for shading.

button of

o Click on the desired color to shade your text.

o To alter the style of your shading, click on the drop-down
arrow on the Border button
of the Paragraph tab. At
the bottom of the resulting menu, click the Borders and
Shading button
and from the Borders and Shading
window click on the Shading tab.

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o From the Style drop-down menu, you can alter the shade of
the color you are using.

Add a border to your text

Select the paragraph that will receive the new border.

From the Paragraph tab, click on the drop-down arrow of the

button to reveal the options for borders.
If none of the standard options appeal to you, click directly on the
button. This will bring up the Borders and Shading window.

To apply a predefined border, click on a sample border in the Setting

area that contains a border style you like.

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Click OK to apply the border to your text.

Creating custom borders

To apply a custom border, use the menus in the center of the window.
Begin by selecting the line style, weight and color for your border.

To select a line style for your border, use the list box labeled Style.
Use the scroll bar to scroll up and down in the Style box.
Click on the line style you want to apply.

To select the color of the border, click on the down-facing arrow next
to the box labeled Color.
Click on the color you want to apply.
Select the weight of the border by clicking on the down-facing arrow
in the box labeled Width.
Click on the line width you want to apply.

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Finally, you have to apply the border to the text.

In the Preview area, on the right side of the Borders and Shading
window, click on any edge of the sample paragraph to apply your
border to that edge.
o Once you have applied a border to an edge of the paragraph,
clicking again on that edge will remove the border from the
paragraph.
Click on each edge of the paragraph to which you wish to apply your
border.

Once youre happy with the border formatting that youve specified,
click OK to apply your border to your text.

Tip: To apply a border to a page or to multiple pages:

In the Borders and Shading window, click on the Page Borders tab.
Create a page border using the techniques for creating paragraph
borders.
Below the Preview pane, decide how this page border is applied in
your document

o The Options button allows you to specify details about

your page border like margin size. Most likely the default
settings are the most appropriate for your page border.
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Creating headers & footers

To create a header and footer, go to the Insert Ribbon by clicking on

Insert (located to the right of Home).
Click on Header in the Header & Footer tab.

Word will display a list of templates for your header. Choose a header
that suits your needs (most likely the first one will suffice) and click
on it.

Type your header in the provided space. You can also insert AutoText
such as the Page Number, Date & Time, and Pictures by using the
buttons on the Design Ribbon (Word defaults to this ribbon once you
begin editing text in a header or footer).

o To switch between the header box and the footer box, click
on the Go to Footer button on the Navigation tab. Go
through the same process to create a footer.
Creating different headers and footers in your document
Word allows you to create separate headers and footers for odd and even
pages of your document as well as a completely separate header and footer
for the first page of your document.
To create separate headers and footers for odd and even pages:
From the Design Ribbon, go to the Options tab. Check the Different
Odd & Even Pages checkbox.
To create a separate header and footer for the first page:
From the Design Ribbon, go to the Options tab. Check the Different
First Page checkbox.

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Inserting images

Click in your document at the location where you want to insert

your image.
From the Insert Ribbon, go to the Illustrations tab and click on
the Picture button.

From the Insert Picture window, navigate to the folder containing

your image. Click on the image, and click Insert.

Word will insert your image in your document at the location you
chose.

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Creating a multi-column layout

From the Page Layout Ribbon, go to the Page Setup tab and click on
the Columns button.

o From the drop-down menu, click on the number of column

you wish to have in your document.

To create a custom multi-column layout, click on the Columns button

and at the end of the drop-down menu click on More Columns.

From the Columns window, you can specify the number of columns in
the Presets box or in the textbox next to Number of columns:.

Enter the width for your columns in the first rows Width box. Enter
the distance between columns in the Spacing box.

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To create a layout with multiple columns of unequal width, uncheck

the Equal column width box. Next, enter the Width and Spacing for
each column.

Once you have configured your columns, look at the Preview area in
the windows lower right corner to see how the layout will look before
you apply it to your document. If necessary, make changes to your
column configuration.
When you are satisfied with layout, click OK to apply it to your
document.

Tip: Creating a multi-column layout for part of a document

To create multiple columns for part of a document, select the text to be
formatted in columns and click on the More Columns button at the
bottom of the Columns menu.
In the Columns window, the value of the Apply to: textbox should be
Selected text. Configure your multi-column layout using the
process noted above and click OK to apply to your selected text.

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