five principles of document design

5 Principles

1) AlignmentRelated items should line up to aid in overall

coherence.

Bad Alignment Makes Documents Difficult to Read

Better Alignment

2) ConsistencyEnsure that each section of the document is visually

consistent with other sections. Examples include:

1. Switching font style or size, which can make a document look awkward for readers

Switching from bulleted lists to numbered lists without a reason

And inconsistent spacing or indenting

3) Proximity

The principle of proximity is fairly simple; it dictates that related items should be visually

arranged together

4) ContrastUsing different font sizes or styles can help

distinguish between elements in a document that are meant to be distinct from each other. Examples include:

Bolded or Underlined Subheads Use of italics for lists or titles Even things like bullets are used partly for contrast

5) White SpaceEverywhere there is not a text or visual

constitutes white space.

White space helps to separate your text into disparate, distinguishable parts.

White space also helps to emphasize key points/parts of your document