In page design and layout, we can do many things right, but we can do a lot of things wrong. The viewer will either not notice the layout (we did our job well), or they will feel something is not right. This often results in less comprehension when reading the information or an uncomfortable feeling as they know something’s wrong but can’t put their finger on it.
The First Big Issue
All pages should be laid out in a consistent manner unless the subject demands specific treatment.
To help achieve consistency, avoid too much information on one page. Additionally, horizontal scrolling to view content not in the window is undesirable. Vertical scrolling is fine. Remember the ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’ (KISS) theory of design. Some of the items to think about as you’re laying out your study include the following.
Header and Footer Placement
Ensure the viewer knows where they are in the document by including header/footer information. Headers, footers as well as the information (ie. page number) in them, will be located in the same place on every page.
Headers should appear at the top of the page and footers at the bottom. (I realize that might sound strange, but you never know how inventive someone might be in this new medium.) Lastly, allow for margins and white space around text in the header and footer.
Backgrounds
Overall illustrated backgrounds are often used in PowerPoint presentations. Using them can be useful under certain circumstances, but in the main, it’s simply a distraction for the reader. The same logic applies to using textured background patterns.
Therefore, overall illustrated or textured backgrounds should be approached with caution and we highly recommend thinking twice before incorporating them into your study. Maintain the same background (color or graphic) on all pages within sections.
Clean and Simple Layout
Color Schemes
Something to think about when determining a color scheme for your study is coordinating the color with the subject. All subjects have an associated color, so here’s an opportunity to be creative.
Harmony between text, graphics and page colors is a good thing. Subject schemes should match throughout the document and not change from page to page. PowerPoint has a series of built in color schemes we can use.
Black letters on a white sheet of paper are typically what we see in the print world. On a computer screen, black on white is also very common, but it’s quite harsh on the eyes if it’s read for any period of time. One of our goals is we’d like our viewers to view our study comfortably.
One way to minimize glare and retain contrast is to change the shades of the black text and/or white screen slightly. Muting the background color is the quickest way to reduce glare. Rather than pure white, use a light base color. We’ll use a very light gray color for our background.
The same idea goes for type, although that’s a little more difficult to define properly.
We’ll leave the text pure black for this exercise. Black on gray will not tire the eyes as quickly. We may also use red text, but it will be used very sparingly to point out a warning, caution or perhaps rarity information. Otherwise, only one additional color, red, will be used for text.
The Bottom Line
Visualizing what you want your study to look like – and documenting the details before assembling it, will allow you to build it with confidence and ease. Making sure your study is clean and presents your materials and information clearly is a key to ensuring viewers enjoy your work and get the most out of it.
Classic style, formatting and reference publications may be of assistance when building or publishing your digital philatelic reference or study. Three of the best, the The Chicago Manual of Style
Digital Philately 