Accompanying a body of text with some kind of image or altered font can help to get the text’s point across- it can push the message further and help to provide depth to the text that was written. Not only can the use of different fonts and images highlight the importance of a text, but it can also appeal to a wider variety of people and help them to grasp the meaning and urgency behind certain bodies of text. Having people just read word after word with no type of alteration and variation can make it incredibly difficult for people to focus and understand the true meaning that an author is trying to convey.
In “Beyond Black on White: Document Design and Formatting in the Writing Classroom”, Michael J. Klein and Kristi L. Shackelford discuss the importance of document design and how it can impact a body of text and truly alter the meaning behind it and how important it becomes to some readers. They highlight different types of design elements and how vast the range is- it can be alignment, repetition, images, or even something like proximity.
I definitely appreciated learning the importance of incorporating some kind of design in or next to a body of text in order to enhance its message. There have definitely been times that I have struggled with incorporating some type of design in my writing due to the harsh restrictions that many professors place on varying assignments. As mentioned in Klein and Shackelford’s piece, different formatting styles, such as MLA, can be strict and have very specific requirements which makes it difficult to take the liberty to make it unique and incorporate varying types of design. I would say only half of my writing has any kind of variation due to the fear of getting a bad grade or being reprimanded by a teacher for making my writing too “kid like” for incorporating some type of design. Though it can be difficult, I will definitely try to incorporate more types of design into my writing so that it becomes more appealing and important to readers.
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