Visual Hierarchy
Engage audiences who glance, scan, or read by using visual hierarchy to guide the viewer.
Bite, Snack, or Meal
The amount of time we spend on a document does not equal how much time an individual spends reading it. In an increasingly busy world filled with noise, the audience may only have enough time for a "bite" or "snack" of information before they consume the full "meal" of information later.
Bite
A "bite" is a quick, easy-to-digest piece of information, like a headline.
Snack
A "snack" provides a bit more detail, such as a social media post or a bulleted list.
Meal
A "meal" is the full content, giving in-depth information and details for those who want to know everything.
Negative Space
Less is more.
Instead of including as much information as possible in a small space, use negative space to set content apart. Guide the reader toward what is essential and provide a place to go to learn more.
Add Visual Interest
Avoid large chunks of text and highlight important information with photography, icons, and clear visuals. Consider using ordered lists for procedures and bullets for lists in place of long sentences or paragraphs.
Group Content with Headings
Use descriptive, accessible headings to group similar information to make content easier to understand.
Formatting Considerations
- Keep sentences less than 20 words.
- Keep paragraphs to 2-3 sentences.
- Do not justify text. Avoid centering multiple lines of text.
- Use a single space after a sentence.
- Keep line height at least 1.5 times the font size.
- Maintain spacing between paragraphs at least 2 times the font size.