DESIGNING PAGES

Unit#6
 OBJECTIVES
• After completing this unit, you will be able to:
• Understand the technicalities involved in designing the
pages;
• Comprehend the significance of visual features to reveal
content;
• Improve their knowledge of font styles, font sizes, headers,
footers, pagination, etc.;
• Grab the organization of visual features in a document; and
• Know the principles and rules of headings, heading levels,
and the functions of the headings.
 INTRODUCTION TO PAGE DESIGNING
• When authors get started publishing a book, their projects generally contain plans for
both print books and eBooks. This makes a lot of sense. The popularity of E-readers has
grown up now and, it is imperative to safeguard the book one has worked so hard on is
accessible to readers no matter which format they favour. Before making a discussion
of designing pages, it is pertinent to see the difference between print books and
eBooks. For example:
• • Print books can be manufactured in different sizes and proportions, while eBooks are
mostly just a text file.
• • Some fonts or layouts might work great in print books, but will mostly be lost in
eBooks.
• • The basis of the design of print books is quite different than the design for eBooks.
• However, our basic concern is to focus on print books and their page designing.
• According to Tyson P. (1988), a well-designed document is the one ‘from whichm
readers can quickly get accurate information’ (P. 27). Similarly, Karen Schriver (1997) is
a document design expert who describes that the book or design should disclose the
structure of the document; integrate the visual logic to make the structural relationship
clear. This unit includes the use of visual features to reveal content, use of typed
features to convey meaning and to develop a style sheet as well as the template.
USING VISUAL FEATURES TO REVEAL
CONTENT
 White Space and Chunks
• White space is the central feature of a
document which is any place where there is
no text. As we know that there is a space
between the lines and space between the
paragraphs as well. This white space is liable
to create chunks which are blocks of text.
These are chunks that reveal logical structure
to readers. It is significant to explicate that the
rule for creating chunks is quite simple
 Bullets
• In typography, a bullet is a symbol used to denote
items in a list. For instance:
• • Item 1
• • Item 2
• • Item 3
• The bullet symbol can take a diversity of shapes
including circular, square, diamond, or arrow. In
this respect, word processor software suggests
an extensive assortment of shapes and colors.
 Head Systems
• Head may be a word or a phrase which is used to denote the
contents of the section, which follows a heading system. The
head system can be called a pattern of heads/levels used to
indicate the content and the hierarchy of the sections present
in the document. Heads facilitate the readers to get
information as these heads are written in the table of
contents, list of illustrations, or on the index sections. There
are certain international standard styles to follow. In Pakistan,
APA writing style is mostly used which prescribes five heading
levels. APA style is used for formal thesis writing, formal report
writing, or writing a research article. However, for a teacher's
assignment, different styles may be demanded and vice versa.
 Functions of Headings
• Headings are the typical topographies of technical
documents and serve numerous imperative functions,
for example:
• • They deliver an organizational outline of the document.
• • They exhibit a logical expansion of ideas.
• • They indicate the hierarchical relationship of ideas
(headings and subheadings).
• • They permit the reader to scan and read selectively.
• • They enlarge the readability of the document by
providing breaks and white space.
General Principles for Designing Headings
• Designing the headings in the document, the designer should
keep in mind these general principles:
• • Classified Connexion of Ideas:
• The designer should use font size, boldness, typography, and
color to designate the comparative standing of ideas and how
they interconnect. In general, first-level headings are larger and
bolder than the second and subsequent level headings.
• • Consistency:
• It should be kept in mind that every section must have a
heading. It should be ensured that headings at each level are
consistent inm design (font, size, color and indentation, etc.)
Using consistent, parallel phrasing is appreciative.
• • Readability:
• The author should leave passive space above and below
headings. There should always be slightly more space
above the heading than below it. As a general guideline,
2-4 headings per page in short reports should be used.
Overuse of headings should be avoided.
• Specificity:
• The author should use descriptive headings that inform
the reader of the content of each section. Vague
headings should be avoided. Headings may use a
numeric system if there are many sub-sections.
 HEADERS OR FOOTERS, PAGINATION AND
RULES
• Headers or footers, pagination, and rules are the other three
features of visual layout. The first feature, headers or footers
appears in the upper or lower margin ofm the page. They are
generally used to name the section of the document for the help
of the reader. Page numbers are also used to facilitate the reader
who has access to these page numbers from the table of
contents section of the document. They may appear at the top
right, top left, center top of the page, or they may appear on the
bottom left, bottom right, bottom center of the page according to
the requirement or demand of the document format. Normally,
both headers and footers and page numbers are presented in
different type size or font as compared to the text body of the
document.
 MARGINS AND SPACING
• Margin is the space left above, below, on the right side and the
left side of the page, which not only beautifies the look of the
page, it also makes the text more vivid and easily
understandable. It is a normal practice to leave margins of at
least one inch on all sides of your paper, thesis, or research
article. However, for the documents, which need to be binded,
like that of books, should have been left their left side margin
with at least the space of 2-2.5 inches for the binding and to
avoid the text disappeared within the binding. Page numbers will
appear within the top margin, but no other text should extend
into the margins. Indent five to seven spaces to begin paragraphs.
Double-space the text of your paper or follow the guidelines of
the selected standard international format.
 DESIGNING TEXT FEATURES TO CONVEY
MEANING
• Highlighters are the text features that are used to convey
meaning. They include font, font size, leading, columns and line
length, and justification. Certain text may get a good personality,
if its features are highlighted with an emphasis on words or
group of words.
• Highlighters attract the attention of the reader by being bold and
eye-catching. They are of different types which are:
• • Boldface
• • Italics
• • ALL CAPITALS
• • Vertical lists
• • Quotation marks
Developing a Style Sheet and Template
• Select margins.
• • Decide how many levels of heads you will need.
• • Select a style for each level.
• • Select a location and format for your page numbers.
• • Determine the number of columns and amount of space between them.
• • Choose a font size and leading for the text.
• • Place the appropriate information in the header or footer areas.
• • Establish a method for handling vertical lists:
•  Determine how far you will indent the first line.
•  Use a bullet, number, letter, or some other character at the beginning of
• each item.
•  Determine how many spaces will follow the initial character.
•  Determine where the second and subsequent lines will start.
• • Choose a method for distinguishing visuals
from the text.
• Will you use them in a box or use a rule above or the below.
• Where will you place visuals within the texts?
• How will your present captions?
•Thanks for
listening