Chapter 4 Designing the Document: Format and Graphics

Tables are particularly appropriate for presenting numerical data, survey findings, or comparisons of various items a specific standard. When preparing a table, be sure to identify all the units you're using: dollars, per- centages, or whatever. All items in a column must be expressed in the same unit. Be careful, too, not to use more columns or rows than are readable on a page.

• The decision table (Figure 4.19) indicates reader choices. There are several types of decision tables, the most common being the then ..."

Figure

Then Decision Table

Operating the 780 Remote Data Manager

4. Press A window is displayed. Page Reviewing Plate Set-ups (Continued) . want to print

current plate set-up

you want to delete the current plate set-up and return all specimens

it to the

turn on the printer and verify that it is online. Select PRINT PLATE SET-UP from the window menu and press ENTER.

A copy of the plate set-up is printed.

select DELETE, from the window menu and press ENTER.

This plate set-up is and al) information is restored to the worklist. The specimens from plate set-up can then be included on other plate set-ups, held indefinitely, or deleted.

you want to delete the select DELETE, from the window menu and current plate set-up and press ENTER.

delete all the specimens

on it from the RDM and patient and specimen formation from this set-up is removed completely from the 780 RDM.

5. Press when you finish reviewing plate set-ups. A window menu offers two exit options:

• Select SPECIAL FUNCTIONS to return to the Special Functions menu. Press

ENTER.

The Special Functions menu is displayed.

• Select MENU to return to the Main Menu. Press ENTER. The Main Menu is displayed.

"

-

r

r

A table does

not need vertical lines. Stick to the numbers or other data you're presenting and

clutter an already-complicated table with "non-data ink." (See Figure 4.20 on p. 100.)

Choosing Appropriate Graphics 99

format: If you want to do X, then you should follow

Procedure Y. Other types of decision tables graph-

ically list all the information in a chart, allowing readers to determine the appropriate coordinates of specific situations. By collecting all of the options and placing them in an easy-to-read table, you can avoid lengthy prose explanations and unnecessary repetitions.

The Ethics of Graphics

As you develop graphics to help communicate information, remember that infor- mation displayed visually can be misleading. In the wrong hands, graphics, charts, and tables can be designed to convey false impressions. Edward a leading authority on designing visual information and author of The Visual Display of

Quantitative Information, gives a brief list of how graphics can "lie":

• Comparing full time periods with smaller time periods (for example: com- paring time periods wilh one 5-year period)

Using sizes of graphical elements that are not in proportion to the quantities they represent (for example, showing a large visual icon to represent small quantities, and a smaller icon to represent larger quantities)

• Failing to adjust for population growth or inflation in financial graphs • Exaggerating the vertical scale in graphs to make the data points seem closer

together and thus less dramatic

• Compressing the vertical scale by not starting at zero

• Showing only a part of a cycle so that data from other parts of the cycle can- not be used for proper comparison

To be sure you have presented your graphics ethically, take a minute to check that they show appropriate comparisons, contrasts, and short, that they tell the truth. (See Figure 4.21 and Figure 4.22 on p. 101.)

Placing Graphics in the Text

Once you have chosen graphics to convey your message, you need to decide how to fit them into the text. Even the best graphics won't do their job effectively if they are displayed poorly. There are several guidelines for positioning graphics in a document, but your approach to integrating graphics and text depends on the type of document you are writing. Different kinds of communication require different approaches to placing graphics. In glossy marketing material, graphics often dominate the page; in a technical report, they are closely tied to

Chapter 4 / Designing the Document: Format and Graphics Figure 4.20

Clarifying Tabular Data

A Excess lines and marks make the data hard to see State Number of agencies Full-time employees Full-time sworn officers All States Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut District of Florida 18,769 432 68 130 360 524 247 45 3 385 921,978 14,388 16,828 7,958 103,987 60,808 663,535 9,767 1,254 10,088 9,896 1,660 3,908 37,395

1

B Without the lines the data are the focus of the table State Number of agencies Full-time employees Full-time sworn officers All States Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida 18,769 432 68 360 524 247 45 3 385 921,978 14,388 1,884 16,828 7,958 103,987 14,002 10,319 4,651 60,808 663,535 9,767 1,254 10,088 5,819 9,896 8,525 1,660 3,908 37,395

Source: Marianne W. Bureau of Justice Office of Justice Programs. Department of Justice, "Data A Guide to Good Tables." Methodology Seminar presented lo the Washington Statistical Society. October

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Choosing Appropriate Graphics 101

Figure 4.21

No Zero Point on Vertical Axis

No Zero Point on Vertical Axis

Bad Presentation Monthly Expenses Good Presentation Monthly Expenses 45 42 39 36 0 F M A M J Graphing for the first six months of sales.

Source: Business A First Course Edition by Levine/Krehbiel/Berenson, © by permission of Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Figure 4.22

Exaggerating the Vertical Axis

Exaggerating the Vertical Axis Bad Presentation Quarterly Income Good Presentation Quarterly Income 50 0 Q 1 Q 2 Q 3 Q 4 Q 1 Q 2 Q 3 Q 4

Source: Business Statistics: A First Course Second Edition by © Reprinted by permission of Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River. NJ.

the written information they illustrate. Business reports sometimes present all the graphics (usually called "exhibits" in business documents) in an appendix. It's a good idea to check with your supervisor to learn whether particular documents observe special positioning formats. Guidelines: Integrating Graphics.)

102 Chapter 4 / Designing the Document: Format and Graphics

GUIDELINES Integrating Graphics

• Introduce each graphic before it appears in the Readers will not know the pur- pose of a particular graphic until you tell them. Always refer to the graphic in the text before your audience reaches it, and make sure to introduce its purpose clearly. Never include a graphic with- out mentioning it in the text. This is called a

• Place the graphic as close as possible to its discussion in the text. Make sure readers

don't have to flip pages forward or backward to see it while they are reading the material it illustrates.

• Present graphics professionally. Use the resources widely available to create your computer graphics, professional artists, or carefully hand-drawn illustrations that look profes- sional.

• Make sure graphics are large enough to see clearly. your graphics aren't 100 percent legi- ble, they are not useful.

• Make sure the level of detail in the graphic is compatible with the significance of its sub- ject. Stick to the idea you're illustrating, and present only enough information in the graphic to explain that concept.

• Position the graphic on the page so that it best the discussion it illustrates. Place each graphic so that readers focus on it naturally and conveniently as they read the discus- sion of it in the text. Placing graphics randomly on the page creates a scattered effect that hinders readers' ability to focus. Make sure that the page design guides readers' eyes to the important points.

• Use color only if it enhances your message. You want to be sure that your graphics are memo- rable, but not "trendy." Pay attention to color coordination and the effects that various colors have on audiences.

• Use sufficient white space within and around the graphic to increase impact and read- ability. Especially when you have many graphics to include in a document, leave enough space around each one so the overall effect is not cramped and cluttered. Graphics should be pleasing to the eye and easy to read, not squeezed together to save space.

• Avoid cluttering the document with unnecessary graphics. As with any good thing, too much can be a problem. Use graphics only to enhance understanding of the material.

Using Graphics on the World Wide Web

Graphics are an important part of pages. A graphic can explain a difficult concept or break up large amounts of text. It can help make a page more appeal- ing, too. The downside to using graphics on a page is that they often take a long time to download: users may not be willing to wait several minutes for a graphics-rich page to materialize. Chapter discusses designing Web pages in

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Choosing Appropriate Graphics 103

CHECKLIST Numbering and Labeling Graphics

• Is each figure and table numbered and captioned appropriately? You may number figures and tables sequentially throughout the document, or you may number them by chapters. If you number them sequentially, the number doesn't indicate the chapter or section. If you number them by chapters, begin each figure number with the chapter/section number followed by a period or hyphen and then the figure number (e.g., "Figure denotes the second graphic in Chapter 3).

• Does each caption make a point and allow the graphic to be self-explanatory? Read- ers who skim a document may not read all of the text surrounding a graphic. For these read-

for those who return to the text for quick reference after reading graphic needs to tell its story independent of the text. That means the captions usually should make a point and not be simply descriptive. For example, the caption "Figure 5.6: Map of Flint Pond" doesn't convey a message or help readers understand its significance, while the caption "Figure 5.6: Map of Flint Pond Showing Three Areas of Possible Contamination" sends a direct message to readers.

• Are all the important parts of the graphic labeled? Use "callouts" (labels placed on the out- side of the graphic with arrows pointing to the specific part), or write the labels directly on the parts of the graphic. Be sure the labels are legible.

• Are all labels horizontal? Don't expect readers to turn your sideways to read labels, captions, or callouts. Make graphics as convenient as possible for people to read.

detail, but following general guidelines may help you design graphics that work:

• Use graphics instead of text alone to define complex concepts. Make sure your graphics correspond clearly to the surrounding text. • Use graphics of a consistent size, if possible.

• Use audio or video to set a tone or explain a concept. • Use media that will load and download quickly.

• Use color consistently, especially if your Web site has several screens. • Flashing or blinking text is often annoying. Keep it to a minimum.

Using Graphics in Fliers, Brochures, and Newsletters

When you design graphics for pieces such as fliers, brochures, and newsletters, re- member that the graphical elements have one primary purpose: to facilitate inter- est in and comprehension of the accompanying printed word. In these documents, graphics and words must work together in a highly focused, small space and the

104 Chapter 4/ Designing the Document: Format and Graphics

result must be powerful and harmonious. Here are some things to consider as you think about designing these pieces:

• Design is linked to the message. The first step in the design process is to deter- mine that message and plan the graphics to support it.

• Typography and layout, as well as art, cannot be separated from the mes- sage they present.

Graphical elements set the mood. Readers usually notice (he graphics before the text, and their expectations are set by these elements.

• Type styles and art should have a proportional relationship. One should not overpower the other.

All graphical elements should work together: shape, type style and size, color. For more detailed information on how to use graphics in fliers, brochures, and newsletters, see Chapter