Index

A

AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), 98–99

absorbency, of paper, 127

accuracy

of remembered information, 29

in wayfinding, 221

active voice, 144

aerial views of buildings, 219

airplane tickets, 5

airport signage, 228–29

alignment

in display type, 131

principle of, 17

for similarity, 18–19

in text type, 116–18

all caps

for display type, 131

for text type, 113–15

Allfirst Investment Advisors, 80

alphabetical organization, 27

Amazon.com, 163–64

American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), 98–99

American Federation of the Blind, 98

America Online e-mail windows, 94

Anderson, Renee, 238

appearance

of clarity, 92

of equal elements, 17–19

of forms, 210

Arditi, Aries

on legibility of serifs, 108

legible typefaces by, 7

on vision-impaired audiences, 99

asides (in writing), 145

Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, 84

audience(s)

approach to your design by, 62

conflicting needs of, 73

confusing personal perspective with, 83

editing experience of, 218–19

elements for comprehension by, 2

first impressions of, 92

for forms, 215–16

gathering information from, 40–41

insulting intelligence of, 2

interviews with, 61

involving, 85–86

observation of, 61–63

preparing, for redesign, 84–87

research techniques for analyzing, 38–41, 61–63

as “users,” 38 (see also usability)

writing for, 141–43

yourself as member of, 2

audience intuition skills, 82

authority, in wayfinding, 221

awareness building, 6, 8

B

backgrounds

and appearance of colors, 154

for contrast, 20

on graphs, 188

making content stand out from, 19–21

shifting, 21

strong, 99–100

Bagin, Carolyn Boccella

on audience's perspective, 82

and car manual redesign, 67

on designing forms, 209

and IRS Form 941 redesign, 210–15

Baja Fresh, 162

balance

of content and graphics, 86–87

for figure/ground perception, 21

instilling sense of, 21–24

of page, 133

principle of, 17

use of grid for, 118

in wayfinding designs, 230–31

banner blindness, 26

Barber, Ellie, 83, 86

bar charts (bar graphs), 182

appearance of dimension in, 187

case study, 192

colors for, 153

general familiarity with, 29

“Basic Principles of Wayfinding” (Wayne Hunt), 163, 217

BBP (Bureau of Business Practice), 85–86

Belser, Burkey

on brochure graphs/tables, 192–93

on color codes, 162

on drug label redesign, 63–65

on legible typefaces, 102n

on line length, 108

on observing audience, 61–63

research used by, 81

on value of information design, 4, 5

Bertin, Jacques, 17

Bhatia, Sudhir, 68, 73

Birren, Faber, 31

blue

inherent meaning of, 157

perception of, 31

boldness, for figure/ground perception, 21

bold type

as emphasis, 18

and legibility, 113

books, instructions for using, 239–41

bottom margins, 120

bright colors, 159

Bringhurst, Robert, 102, 129

brochures

colors for, 153–54

how consumers read, 62, 63

Bucher, Stefan, 115

buildings

aerial views of, 219

orientation of, for wayfinding, 223

bulleted lists, 145

Bureau Mijksenaar, 33, 226, 231

Bureau of Business Practice (BBP), 85–86

busy backgrounds, 99–100

C

calendars

attention to, 190, 191

colors for, 202, 204–5

calendering, 127, 128

caps

in all-caps text, 113–15

in display text, 131

and word-shape theory, 114

captions

for photos, 175

placement of, 133

proximity of, 19

size and weight of, 129

writing, 150–51

Carla Hall Design Group, 80, 194

car manuals redesign case study, 66–67

Cartier-Bresson, Henri, 173

case, in display type, 131

category, information organized by, 27

centered alignments, 117–18

centered display type, 131

characters per line count, 109–12

charts, 179

bar (see bar charts (bar graphs))

case studies of, 198–202

flow, 180

headings for, 200

nonverbal messages in, 196–98

organizational, 180

pie (see pie charts (pie graphs))

Chesman, Michael, 215, 216

city guidebooks, 28

clarity

active voice for, 144

appearance of, 92

of context, 29

factors contributing to, 102, 103

in how-to graphics, 69

of numbers on graphs, 186

of photos, 171–72

principle of, 17

of text type, 98

use of term, 10

of word choice, 149

in writing, 144

Clear Language and Design Reading Effectiveness Tool, 147

clients

education of, 39

interviews with, 38–39

closure principle, 25–26

“clothesline effect,” 120

clutter, 2

color(s), 153–67

for calendar, 202, 204–5

choosing, 196

codes, color (see color codes)

on color wheel, 154

combining, 31–32

consistent use of, 153

for contrast, 20

to convey meaning, 157–58

cultural meanings of, 157–58

as density of page, 126

in diagrams, 176

to emphasize, 155–56

for forms, 210

to help recall information, 156

to locate elements, 155

magnitude of, 156

to move through information, 155

nameable, 163

of paper, 128

patterns of, 18

perception of, 31–32

to play things down, 156–57

and retention/recall of information, 29

shimmering effect with, 32

to show differences, 153–54

to show similarities, 154–55

symbolizing data, 187

temperatures of, 31

treatment of first or second color, 158–60

in wayfinding, 221, 225, 228

color blindness, 32

color codes, 160–67

for airport signage, 229

equal strength of colors in, 163

for graphs, 154

guidelines for, 162–67

redundancy in, 163–66

for Web sites, 154–55, 238

Color for Impact (Jan V. White), 158

Color Perception in Art (Faber Birren), 31

color wheel, 154

columns

“clothesline effect” with, 120

determining width of, 107–9

different lengths of, 120

justification of, 7, 116–18

for structure, 120–21

of tables, 189, 190

width and importance ranking of, 102

common fate principle, 25, 177

complementary colors, shimmering effect from, 31–32

complete sentences, 146

compound sentences, 145

compression, characters per line count and, 111

compromise, 214, 221

condensed typefaces, 111

conflicting audiences’ needs case study, 73

conjunctions, 145

consistency

principle of, 17

in use of color, 153

in use of terms, 149–50

value of, 94

in wayfinding design, 225–26

constraints, 214

content

“art” vs., 86–87

design principles for, 16–17

of forms, 210

separated from background, 19–21

supported by design, 92

writing of (see writing)

context

clarity of, 29

familiarity of, 29

supplying, 25

for wayfinding, 229–30

continuation of visual gaps, 25–26

continuum. See hierarchy

contrast

achieving, 20–21

with display text, 129, 130

in emphasizing with color, 155

of figure and ground, 20

importance ranking for, 101

and retention/recall of information, 29

cookbook case study, 67–68

corporate informational kiosks, 3

Coté, Allen, 137

courteous tone, 151

cropping photos, 173

cultural meanings of color, 157–58

curiosity, 241

D

Dale-Chall formula, 147

dark colors, 159

data, logical increments for, 184

Dautrich, Kate, 194

DDC. See Document Design Center

decision points (wayfinding), 225

decisive moment, 173

demographic information, 39

density of page, 126

description, in writing, 144–45

“Designing Dubai,” 219–20

“Designing Usable Forms” (Caroline Jarrett), 210

design style sheet

grid on, 118–26

use of, 93–94

diagrams, 179–205

avoiding distortion with, 185–88

balance of familiar and less conventional in, 230–31

bar graph case study, 192

bar graphs, 182

challenging chart case study, 202

chart freedom case study, 198–201

flow charts, 180

functions of, 179–80

geometric shapes for, 194–98

graphic table case study, 193–94

graphs, 179–83, 185–88

investment firm diagrams case study, 194–98

labeling of, 176

line graphs, 182

logical increments for data, 184

maps, 180

organizational charts, 180

pie charts/graphs, 182, 188–90

process diagrams, 180

specific purposes of, 180–82

table of contents case study, 202–5

tables, 189–91

unclear diagrams case study, 192–93

value to creator of, 180

differences

color to show, 153–54

emphasizing, 17

in size and placement, 18

direction

importance ranking for, 102

perception of, 25

of typefaces, 106

Dirken, J. M., 101

Discovery Channel TV, 73

display type, 129–33

alignment in, 131

case in, 131

placement of, 132–33

pull quotes, 129–30

size and weight of, 129

space between letters, 132

space between lines, 132–33

style in, 130

typefaces for, 130

distance, showing (wayfinding), 228–29

distortion

in diagrams, 184–88

to make legitimate points, 231

“Distressed Messages” appointment calendar, 235

Document Design Center (DDC), 66–67, 144n

Don't Make Me Think (Steve Krug), 41, 163–64

dot gain (paper), 127

downstyle, 131

drama, 100, 198

Dreyfuss, Henry, 32

drop initial caps, 131

drug label design case study, 63–65

Dulles Airport, Washington, 162

Dutch Airways, 228

Dynamics of Document Design (Karen Schriver), 107

E

ease of learning, usability and, 37

Editing by Design (Jan V. White), 118

editing viewer's experience, 218

effectiveness, usability and, 37

efficiency, usability and, 37

elements

equal, 17–19

importance ranking for, 101–2

relationships among, 31

using color to locate, 155

The Elements of Style (Strunk and White), 144n

Elements of Typographic Style (Robert Bringhurst), 102, 129

elevator door symbols, 4–5

emphasis

color for, 155–56

exclamation marks for, 152

for figure/ground perception, 21

in how-to graphics, 69

principle of, 17

and strength of colors, 163

in tables, 181–82

Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return, 210–15

empty space, 121. See also white space

engagement, usability and, 37

equal elements, equal appearance of, 17–19

Erickson, Bob, 214, 215

error tolerance, usability and, 37

Escher, M. C., 20

evaluating forms, 214–15

exclamation marks, 152

expanded typefaces, 111

eye/brain perception, 30

of color, 31–32

of symbols, 32–36

of words, 30–31

eye flow, 26, 30

with white space, 122

and word recognition, 114

F

failures of information design, 2–3

familiarity

of context, 29

and use of material, 103

use of style sheet for, 94

FDA (Food and Drug Administration), 63–65

Fibonacci sequence, 23

figure/ground principle, 17, 19–21

finding tasks in Web site case study, 65–66

first impressions, 92

first position, perception of, 25–26

“five E's of usability,” 37–38

fixations, eye, 30

Flesch-Kincaid Formula, 147

flexibility (of paper), 128

flopping graphics, 177–78

flow charts, 180

focus

on foreground vs. background, 20

of information design, 5

of photos, 172–73

focus groups, for redesign of car manuals, 66–67

Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 63–65

Forcast, 147

Ford Motor Company, 66

foreground, separation of background and, 19–21

form(s), 207–16

analyzing design needs for, 208–9

audiences for, 215–16

common problems with, 207–8

evaluating, 214–15

matrix for, 209

questions on, 210

tax case study, 210–15

three-layer model for, 210

form, function vs., 21

formulas, readability, 147

fovea, 30

Fry Readability Graph, 147

Fundamentals of Psychology (Stephen Kosslyn and Robin Rosenberg), 31

G

Gestalt principles of perception

closure and good continuation, 25–26

common fate, 25

figure/ground, 19–21

prägnanz, 25

proximity, 19

similarity, 17–19

Ginger, E. M., 102

on alignment, 117

on italics, 112

Giudice, Maria

on cookbook design, 67, 68

on personas, 81

on satisfying audience, 79

golden mean, 22

good continuation principle, 25–26, 177

grammar rules, 152

graphs, 180–83, 185–88

avoiding distortion with, 185–88

axes of, 181

bar (see bar charts (bar graphs))

color-coded, 154

distortion in, 185–86

line, 181, 182

pie (see pie charts (pie graphs))

as quantitative displays, 180

Graph Design for the Eye and Mind (Stephen Kosslyn), 15, 179

graphics, 171–78

balance of content and, 86–87

diagrams, 176, 179–205

flopping, 177–78

focus of photos, 172–73

forms, 207–16

guiding principles for, 219–20

LATCH organization for, 28

location relative to text, 177

meaning conveyed by, 174–75

photos, 171–78

placement of, 177

principles for wayfinding, 219–20

purpose of, 171

universal, case study of, 68–73

wayfinding, 217–42

graphic table case study, 193–94

“graspable” shapes, 114

green

inherent meaning of, 157

with red, 32

Greenfield Belser Ltd., 4

grid, 19, 118–26

columns, 120–21

empty space, 121

making, 118

margins, 118–20

space between letters in text, 126

space between lines of text, 124–25

space between paragraphs, 122, 124

space between sentences, 124

value of, 19

white-space placements, 121–22

grid lines (on graphs), 188

Grimwade, John

on audience's perceptions, 82

on backgrounds, 99, 100

on wayfinding graphics, 218–21

grouping

of information, 16–17

of related things, 19

of similar elements, 17

Guidelines for Document Designers (Document Design Center), 144n

Gunning FOG Test, 147

H

Haertling, Linda, 238

Hall, Carla, 194, 196

Harmsen, Lars, 198, 200

headings and headlines

of charts, 200

for forms, 210

placement of, 19, 133

punctuation in, 152

size and weight of, 129

for tables, 190

two-line, 132

typefaces for, 103–5

writing, 150–51

“heads-up” orientation, 223, 224

health and nutrition book case study, 79–81

health care book case study, 241–42

heart diagram case study, 230–31

Hemispheres magazine, 85

hierarchy

for figure/ground perception, 21

information organized by, 27

of photos, 18

principle of, 17

in wayfinding design, 226

of weights in wayfinding, 231–32

Hoeffler, Jonathan, 102n

Hoeft, Gordon, 137

hole-punched publications, 85n

Holmes, Nigel, 102n

Hot Studio, 79, 238

Houston International Airport, 163

how-to graphics, case study of, 68–73

“how to use this book” instructions, 239–41

Hunt, Wayne, 163, 217

I

icons

size of, 187

in wayfinding, 227

importance

of first position, 25–26

of items in lists, 27

and placement of photos, 18

and size of elements, 17–18

incomplete sentences, 146

increments (for diagrams), 184

indents (for paragraphs), 122

information

color for moving through, 155

crimes against motivation in, 92–39

demographic, 39

psychographic, 39–40

too much of, 174–75

informational kiosks, 3

Information Anxiety (Richard Saul Wurman), 27

Information Anxiety 2 (Richard Saul Wurman), 27

Information design, 1–11

applications of, 2

asking the right questions for, 3–4

defined, 1

failures of, 2–3

focus of, 5

research studies for, 7

value of, 4–5

working with samples of, 8–11

inherent meanings, 157

Internal Revenue Service (IRS), 210, 215

International 14 World Association, 198

interviews

with audience, 61

with clients/colleagues, 38–39

investment firm diagrams case study, 194–98

IRS. See Internal Revenue Service

italic type, 112

J

JAL Newsletter, 94–97

Japan Airlines, 94

jargon, 142, 149

Jarrett, Carline, 210

Joel Katz Design Associates (JKDA), 221–26

Johnson, Keith, 147

Julien, Tony, 140

jumps, 124

justification

of columns, 7

of text, 116–18

K

Katz, Joel, 82, 230

keeping audience in touch case study, 74–79

kerning, 132

keys (graphs), 154, 186

Kim, Sammy, 158

kiosks, informational, 3

Kosslyn, Stephen

on distortion in graphs, 185

on graphs, 179

on labels for graphs, 186

on the mind, 15

on perception of wavelengths, 32

on vision, 31

Koyani, Sanjay

on educating team members, 39

on finding tasks in Web sites, 65, 66

on perspective of audience, 83

on research-based design, 238

Krug, Steve, 41, 163–64

L

labels

for diagrams, 176

of drug facts, 63–65

for graphs, 185, 186

laundry-care, 3–4

for photos, 175

placement of, 100

landmarks, for wayfinding, 223

language

learning of, 33

and meanings of colors, 157

preferred by audience, 142

Larson, Kevin, 30, 114

LATCH organization, 27–28

laundry-care labels, 3–4

layout

consistency of object placement in, 94

design style sheet for, 93–94

Fibonacci sequence for, 23

golden mean for, 22

line length in, 107–12

page numbers in, 134

paper qualities and text legibility in, 127–28

and perceived importance by placement, 18

of recurring features, 134

rule of thirds in, 23–24

rules (lines) and ruled boxes in, 133–34

sensibility of styles in, 94–97

spacing and placement in, 118–26

and strong backgrounds, 99–100

leading, 124, 125, 133

Le Corbusier, 22

legends (graphs), 154, 186

Legg, Kathy, 160

legibility

with columns, 120

paper qualities and, 127–28

serif vs. sans serif for, 106

of small caps, 116

and stroke-ends, 108

of typefaces, 107

and underlining, 73

use of term, 10

Legibility of Print (Miles A. Tinker), 10, 91

legible-type rule, exceptions to, 135–40

letters, space between, 126, 132

Levin, Dan, 84

lines

length of, 107–12

space between, 124–25, 132–33

line graphs, 181, 182

listings

beginnings for, 26–27

recall of items from, 27

location

of graphics relative to text, 177

information organized by, 27

lowercase numbers, 116

Lund, Ole, 7

M

magazines, how consumers read, 62, 63

“Making Text Legible” (Aries Arditi), 99

manuals

car, redesign case study of, 66–67

unclear, 5

maps, 179, 180

balance of familiar and less conventional in, 230–31

and heart diagram case study, 230–31

for MIT redesign project, 223

as quantitative displays, 180

symbols on, 226, 227

vertical projections for, 219

“you are here” notations on, 225

margins, 109, 118–20

matrix, for forms, 209

meaning

conveyed by color, 157–58

conveyed by graphics, 174–75

in photos, 175

memory

color to aid, 156

of items in lists, 27

with nameable colors, 163

retention and accuracy of, 29

short-term, 29

mental grouping, 15–16

mental modeling, 82

menus, 124n

Mijksenaar, Paul

on airport signs, 228

on backup for nonverbal symbols, 228

on importance of elements, 101–2

on inherent meaning of color, 157

on line length, 109

on symbols, 32–34

on testing designs, 39

minimalism, 233

MIT—A Framework for Campus Development (Joel Katz Design Associates), 221–26

Mizrahi, Isaac, 115

model numbers, words vs., 73

modifiers, 151–52

“moduler” measurement system, 22

motivation, 61, 92–39

mug shots, 18

N

nameable colors, 163

navigation. See wayfinding

Neurath, Otto, 32, 102n

nominalization, 151

nonlining numbers, 116

nonverbal clues, 2

nonverbal messages, 175, 196–98

nouns, 151

numbers

bringing into focus, 179

in diagrams, 176

in graphs, 186

lowercase, 116

page, 134

in wayfinding, 228

numerical listings, beginnings for, 26–27

O

observation, learning about audience through, 61–63

old-style numbers, 116

one-jump rule, 124

opacity, of paper, 127–28

order

importance ranking for, 101

lack of, 15

organizing information by (see hierarchy)

organization

approaches to, 27

LATCH methods of, 27–28

to show what organization does, 238

organizational charts, 180

orientation

aerial views, 219

“heads-up,” 223, 224

outline type, 116

P

pace of reading, 7

page, “color” (density) of, 126

page numbers, 134

paper qualities, legibility and, 127–28

paragraphs

endings of, 124

length of, 146

space between, 122, 124

parallel construction, 150

for similar information, 150

for table of contents, 202

parking machine case study, 231–32

parts-as-a-whole principle, 15–16

passive voice, 144

patterns

ability to perceive, 17

Fibonacci sequence, 23

golden mean, 22

of paper, 128

perception of, 15

rule of thirds, 23–24

symbolizing data, 187, 188

use of columns for, 120

perception, 15–36

of color, 31–32

designing content for, 16–17

by eye/brain connection, 30

and Gestalt principle of common fate, 25

and Gestalt principle of figure/ground, 19–21

and Gestalt principle of prägnanz, 25

and Gestalt principle of proximity, 19

and Gestalt principle of similarity, 17–19

and Gestalt principles of closure and good continuation, 25–26

and “golden” layout tips, 22–24

levels of, 196

parts-as-a-whole principle in, 15–16

and retention/accuracy of information, 29

sequential exceptions in, 26–27

of symbols, 32–36

and ways information can be organized, 27–28

of words, 30–31

personas

building, 74–77

example of, 77–79

using, 79–81

Personal Indoor Navigator (PIN), 229

personal pronouns, 150

phone words (in phone numbers), 152

photos, 171–78

flopping, 177–78

focus of, 172–73

legibility of, 127

location relative to text, 177

meaning conveyed by, 174–75

on printed pages vs. Web sites, 26

proximity of, 19

similarity in sizes of, 18

in wayfinding, 228

on Web sites, 175n

photographic tables, 232–33

Photoshop, 126

phototypesetting, 7

physiology of perception, 30

picture design. See graphics

pie charts (pie graphs), 182, 188–90

appropriate use of, 188

conventions for, 188

general familiarity with, 29

inappropriate use of, 181

as quantitative displays, 180

PIN (Personal Indoor Navigator), 229

placement

consistency in, 94

and differences in importance, 18, 26

of display type, 132–33

importance ranking for, 101

of labels, 100

of modifiers, 151–52

of photos, 177

proximity of, 19

of white-space, 121–22

See also layout

playing things down, 156–57

pleasing, principle of, 22

point size, 101, 112

positive tone, 151

Powers-Sumner-Kearl formula, 147

Prägnanz principle, 25

preexisting knowledge, linking new information to, 2

preferred language, 142

preparing audience for redesign case studies, 84–87

primacy effect, 27

process diagrams, 180

process drawings, 179

professional jargon, 142

pronouns, personal, 150

proofreading, 16

proportion

instilling sense of, 21–24

use of grid for, 118

proximity principle, 16–17, 19

psychographic information

building personas from, 74–77

learning from, 39–40

pull quotes, 129–30, 133

punctuation, 152

Q

qualitative displays, 180

quantitative displays, 180

Quesenbery, Whitney, 37

questions

asking correct, 3–4

on forms, 210

as foundation of diagrams, 181

in planning forms, 209–10

R

ragged right/left columns, 117–18

rank, organizing information by. See hierarchy

readability (as term), 10

readability formulas, 10, 147

reading aloud, as test of writing, 145

recall. See memory

recency effect, 27

recurring features, 134

recycled papers case study, 74–79

red

for accent elements, 159

cultural meanings of, 157–58

with green, 32

inherent meaning of, 157

perception of, 31

for symbols, 34

redesign

preparing audience for, 84–87

presenting audience with, 83–84

of wayfinding, 221–23

Redish, Janice

on banner blindness, 26

on designing forms, 208–10

on testing, 41

on zero-friction test, 7

redundancies

in color codes, 163–66

with words, 149

reflectance, of paper, 127

regressions, eye, 30

“regularizing,” 230

remembering. See memory

repetition principle, 17

research (on audience), 38–41, 61–63

with audience itself, 40–41

and education of clients, 39

information needed in, 39–40

interviewing guidelines for, 61

by interviews with clients/colleagues, 38–39

observation for, 61–63

for personas, 79

testing tips/limits for, 41

research (on information design), 7

Research-Based Web Design Guidelines (Sanjay Koyani), 238

restraint principle, 16

retention of information, 29

retina, 30, 31

Rodman's grocery store, 140

Roman type, 112

Rosenberg, Robin, 31

Rubin, Edgar, 20

rules (lines), 133–34

ruled boxes, 133–34

rule of thirds, 23–24

S

saccades, 30

samples of design, analyzing, 8–11

audience for, 8–9

evaluation as viewer/reader, 9

physical inventory of product, 8

redesign, 9–11

sans serif typefaces, 104

research on, 7

serif vs., 106–7

for wayfinding, 220

satisfaction with design, 37

scale (for graphs), 185

Schattman, Steve, 140

Schipohl Airport, 228

scholar's margin, 109

Schriver, Karen, 107, 216

“The Science of Word Recognition” (Kevin Larson), 30, 114

Seidman, Eric, 98–99

selectivity, 218–19

self-service parking machine case study, 231–32

Semiology of Graphics (Jacques Bertin), 17

sensibility of styles, 94–97

sentences

complete, 146

compound, 145

length of, 145

simple, 145

space between, 124

types of, 145–46

sequence(s)

beginnings for, 26–27

organizing information by (see hierarchy)

principle of, 17

series items, 145

serif typefaces, 104

research on, 7

sans serif vs., 106–7

shadowed type, 116

shapes, geometric, 194–98

Shedroff, Nathan

on appreciation for people, 82

on informational kiosks, 3

on interviewing, 61

on personas, 75–77

shifting backgrounds, 21

shimmering effect, avoiding, 32

short-term memory, 29

side margins, 120

The Signage Sourcebook, 115

silhouetting, 173

similarity

color to show, 154–55

principle of, 17–19

Simmons, Bill, 137

Simple Measure of Gobbledegook (SMOG) formula, 147

simple sentences, 145

simplicity, 2

simplification, 25, 225

size

for contrast, 20

of display type, 129

for figure/ground perception, 21

of icons, 187

importance ranking for, 101

of paragraphs, 122

and perceived importance, 17–18, 29

of symbols, 34–35

of text type, 98–99

of type, 93–94, 98–99, 101

of word spaces, changing, 126

small caps, 116

SMOG (Simple Measure of Gobbledegook) formula, 147

Snider, Jerry, 137, 138

Snider's Supermarket, 135–38

space

closeness in, 19

empty, 121

and figure/ground perception, 21

for form responses, 210

between letters, 132

between letters in text, 126

between lines, 132–33

between lines of text, 124–25

between paragraphs, 122, 124

and retention/recall of information, 29

between sentences, 124

with typefaces, 106

in wayfinding, 217

white-space placements, 121–22

See also layout

Spache formula, 147

Spiekermann, Erik, 102, 112, 117

split infinitives, 152

stacked type, 115

starting point (wayfinding), 219

Stile, Lynne, 67

stops, eye, 30

Stop Stealing Sheep and Find Out How Type Works (Erik Spiekermann and E. M. Ginger), 102, 112, 117

stretched type, 130

stroke-ends, 108

stroke weight (typefaces), 107

structure, organizing information by. See hierarchy

style(s)

in display type, 130

sensibility of, 94–97

of type, 112–16

style sheet

grid on, 118–26

use of, 93–94

subheadings

placement of, 19

size and weight of, 129

two-line, 132

subtlety, 196

surveys, to evaluate redesign, 86

swim schedule redesign case study, 42–60

analyzing test results, 46, 48

building context into materials, 52, 56

collecting test results, 46

guidelines for redesign, 48

interviews with audience, 45–46

interviews with staff members, 44–45

redesign process, 48–52

usability testing, 42–44

Sylvester, Mark D., 69, 72–73

symbols

borrowing vs. creating, 33–34

for order, 35

perception of, 32–36

small, 34–35

in wayfinding, 226–28

The Symbol Sourcebook (Henry Dreyfuss), 32

Symbol Technologies, Inc., 68–73

T

tables, 189–91

appropriate use of, 181–82

graphic table case study, 193–94

guidelines for, 189–91

photographic, 232–33

proximity of information in, 188

for Web sites, 193–94

table of contents, 124n

table of contents case study, 202–5

taglines, 239

task-based focus groups, for redesign of car manuals, 66–67

task structure, of forms, 210

tasks in Web sites, finding, 65–66

tax forms case study, 210–15

Taylor, Conrad, 7n

testing

recipes, 67

teaching clients about, 39

tips/limits for, 41

of wayfinding design, 219

text, physiological perception of, 30

text type

alignment, 116–18

choosing, 100–106

clarity of, 98

serif vs. sans serif for, 106–7

setting, 98

size of, 98–99

texture, of paper, 128

text wraps, and characters per line count, 111–12

Teylers Museum guide, 228

thickness, of paper, 127

Thinking in Type (Alex W. White), 102

thirds, rule of, 23–24

Thomas, Gregory, 160

Three-Layer Model of the Form, 210

ticket information (airplanes), 5

time

in how-to graphics, 69

information organized by, 27

showing, in wayfinding, 228–29

Tinkel, Kathleen, 7

Tinker, Miles A., 10, 91, 109

titles

for photos, 175

placement of, 19

tone (in writing), 151

top margins, 120

Toronto East End Literacy Project, 147

tracking, 126, 190

Tscherny, George, 235

Tufte, Edward, 38

type, 91–140

alignment in text type, 116–18

black vs. color, for memory, 29

bold, 18

choosing typeface, 100–106

on design style sheet, 93–94

display, setting, 129–33

for drug facts labels, 64

exceptions to legible-type rule, 135–40

measuring, 101

over changing backgrounds, 99–100

point size of, 101

research on, 7

resources on, 102

sensibility of styles, 94–97

serif vs. sans serif typefaces, 106–7

setting clear text type, 98

setting display type, 129–33

size of, 98–99

style of, 112–16

text, clear setting of, 98

unclear, 92

variables in, 95

in wayfinding design, 225

type distortion, 130

typefaces

choosing, 100–106

for display type, 130

for forms, 210

for graphs, 185, 186

importance ranking for, 102

“personality” of, 100, 101

sans serif, 104

serif, 104

serif vs. sans serif, 106–7

stroke-ends of, 108

for weight, 20

x-heights of, 105–6

Type & Layout (Colin Wheildon), 7

typesetting

clear text type, 98

display type, 129–33

with personal computers, 7

phototypesetting, 7

typographical errors, 16

U

UCLA brochure, 160–62

unclear diagrams case study, 192–93

underlining, 73, 115

understanding (as term), 10

Understanding Healthcare (Richard Saul Wurman), 164

uniformity of typefaces, 107

United Airlines, 85

United Nations Habitat Web site, 164, 234, 238

United States Department of Health and Human Services, 65–66, 239

unity principle, 17

universal symbols, 32–33

in how-to case study, 68–73

in wayfinding, 219

usability, 37–87

audience research techniques for, 38–41, 61–63

conflicting audiences’ needs case study, 73

cookbook case study, 67–68

defined, 37

drug label design case study, 63–65

finding tasks in Web site case study, 65–66

“five E's” of, 37–38

keeping audience in touch case study, 74–79

mental modeling and audience intuition for, 82–83

preparing audience for redesign case studies, 84–87

redesign of car manuals case study, 66–67

research-supported conventions for, 239

swim schedule example of, 42–60

of typefaces, 106–7

universal how-to graphics case study, 68–73

use of personas case study, 79–81

usability.gov Web site, 238

users, 38

V

V&A Museum. See Victoria and Albert Museum

verbs, 151

in headings, 150

and nominalization, 151

vertical projections, 219

vertical spacing, importance ranking for, 102

Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum, 218, 220

visual editing, 173

visual flow, 26

visual gaps, 25–26

W

Washington Metro Area Transit Authority Web site, 234

Washington Post, 137

wavelength, 31

wayfinding, 217–42

accuracy and authority in, 221

balance of familiar and less conventional in, 230–31

color in, 221, 228

constraints in redesign, 221–23

defined, 217

dependence on, 233–37

determining appropriate design for, 217–18

editing viewer's experience in, 218

environmental context for, 229–30

graphics principles for, 219–20

“heads-up” orientation in, 223, 224

health care book case study, 241–42

heart diagram case study, 230–31

hierarchy of weights in, 231–32

MIT redesign project, 221–26

numbers in, 228

photographic table, 232–33

photos in, 228

questions answered in, 220

selective design for, 218–19

self-service parking machine case study, 231–32

self-testing of, 219

showing time and distance in, 228–29

starting point in, 219

symbols in, 226–28

on the Web, 226, 234, 238–41

weight in, 221, 231–32

Web sites

all-cap text on, 115

banner blindness with, 26

color-coded, 154–55

design guidelines for, 238–41

finding tasks in, case study, 65–66

graphic tables for, 193–94

italic type on, 112

menus on, 124n

photos on, 175n

placement of content on, 26

size of icons on, 34, 35

testing tips for, 41

use of color on, 156

wayfinding for, 226, 234

See also specific sites

weight

for contrast, 20

of display type, 129

of graph lines, 187

of table lines, 190

in text, 112–13

in wayfinding, 221, 231–32

Wheildon, Colin, 7

White, Alex W., 101–3, 109

White, Jan V., 61, 118, 158

white space

trapped, 126

use of placements, 121–22

words

choice of, 146, 148–49

often-confused, 148–49

perceiving, 30–31

precision of, 146, 148

redundant, 149

word design

and clarity of writing, 141–52

color in, 153–67

design style sheet for, 93–94

deterrents to reading motivation, 92–93

impact of, 95

and readers’ first impressions, 92

type and layout, 91–140

word-shape theory, 114

writing, 141–52

active voice in, 144

for audiences in general, 143–44

consistently use of terms in, 149–50

crimes against motivation in, 92–39

description in, 144–45

and grammar rules, 152

heading and captions, 150–51

modifiers in, 151–52

nouns and verbs in, 151

paragraph length in, 146

parallel construction in, 150

passive voice in, 144

personal pronouns in, 150

phone words in, 152

punctuation, 152

readability formulas, 147

sentence length in, 145

sentence types in, 145–46

tone in, 151

word choice in, 146, 148–49

for your specific audience, 141–43

Wurman, Richard Saul

on color coding, 164

on finding questions for project, 241

on hues and magnitude, 156

on LATCH organizations, 27, 28

on pictures extending words, 177

on testing clarity, 82

X

x-height, 105–6, 109–11

Y

yellow

as best-projecting background, 20

disappearance of, 159–60

red in, 31

“you are here” notations, 225

Young, Jeff, 173

Z

zero-friction test, 7