Formatting – the final touch

 

Formatting your document is like dressing it before it goes out (or published).

Formatting is creative design and is much overlooked. But it will say heaps about your business, your branding and your committment to your product.

The resources are right there at your finger tips. All you need is time and knowing what your computer can do.

Some quick formatting tips:

• If your document is a business document use business fonts.
• Use a font size that can be easily read, e.g. 11 pt or 12 pt.
• Check the space inbetween each line. If you are using a 11 pt, make your line spacing 14 pt or 15 pt.
• Make sure your letters don’t run into each other.
• The length of your lines should be about 40 – 70 characters.
• Avoid block bold or block italic. Either one used individually is fine for highlighting a word or phrase, but never both together.
• If using dot points, try and get some logic or hierarchy into them.
• Don’t let your text go over images. This can be successful in the hands of a professional, but often it hides the text and looks sloppy.
• Keep the alignment to the left and unjustified is best for business document. Some businesses choose to have right and left alignments with your computer program adjusting the space inbetween letters and this can create a clean look.  However, do not use central alignment in business documents. It is hard to read and looks messy.
• Keep your headings relevant to your body text and use a heading format, not just bold.
• White space is always nice, but use it wisely to create an overall feeling of calm.

Your document must be pleasant to the eye, be easy to read and give the reader your information without it feeling like a hard task just to read it.

 

Good formatting – great creative design