Text almost never appears unformatted and alone. Headlines, illustrations, and font choices all affect how readers receive a message. In this video, learn how layout decisions change perceptions, both online and on the printed page. By using them to change what you emphasize, learn how to dramatically improve your message's delivery.
- When you tell people you're a writer,…they imagine you working on one long string of text…until you've finished your novel or screenplay or article,…but in my experience, most writing…is just a series of little sprints, rather than a marathon.…For example, let's count the elements on this hotel website.…There's a headline and a 70-word description,…and then scrolling down a bit,…there are six bits of about 20 words each…and about 30 bullet points.…Then there are two more headlines…with two more description and so on and so on.…
Altogether, I count over 20 bits of writing,…aside from the bullet points and headlines…and all of these are under 100 words each.…In total, it's about 1,200 words,…and that's twice as many as in this page…of a technical article and yet,…it's much easier to read.…One reason is that the hotel's webpage…is broken into small bites.…But there are also text elements that make it easier,…some of which are also in this article.…For example, we have these headlines, a graphic,…and these numbered points.…
Released
11/8/2018- Paraphrase the goals of “write short, write clear, and write right.”
- Recall the strategy used to make long paragraphs easier to read.
- Identify the most-often portion of the page neglected by English-language readers.
- Determine which words to omit from writing.
- Explain why short paragraphs are easy to skim.
- Name two strategies to write more effectively.
- Identify examples of assonance.
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Video: Directing the eye with page elements