A document should be readable and look meaningful with neat layout
A document should be readable and look meaningful with neat layout, format, structure and styles. In order to achieve this the document needs to be formatted. Good formatting gives a clear outline to anyone who views the document.
While formatting, make sure you set the margins to a desired standard, use correct tab positions, use headers and footers and footnotes where necessary. Apply styles wherever possible, like heading style, paragraph style, character styles, and check that the spacing between lines and paragraphs are acceptable. The text needs to be justi?ed according to the needs and standards of the document.
Choose appropriate font, font sizes and colour. For example, do not use stylish and funky looking fonts in a professional document but the reverse goes for information to younger generations etc. Design it for the audience it will be created for. Make best use of bold fonts, italics, underlines. You can highlight important text, use bullets and numbering to clearly list points for ease of readability.
Use tables, graphs and charts along with graphics to explain concepts, compare ?gures and to showcase certain information precisely. Borders, shading and backgrounds are not a must, but these can improve the looks of the document and make one want to read.
Align text depending on the type of document. For example, newspaper articles come in columns and not paragraphs. You need to design the document for purpose.
