Posted by Linda Coss | July 29, 2009
Formatting for Maximum Readability
Are your written materials easy to read? Sometimes people get so caught up in creating a certain image – or squeezing a lot of words into a limited space – that they completely lose sight of readability. Unless yours is a completely visual message, it’s important that people be able to read your words. Make sure your finished piece is formatted for maximum readability.
Make it Easy to Scan
People don’t want to wade through what appears to be a short novel. If the mere site of your written piece overwhelms the reader, you can bet he or she will quickly move on to something else.
- Recommendation: Put your headings and subheads in bold type, use bullet points, left justify your text (don’t center everything) and break things down into short, easy-to-manage paragraphs.
Avoid Giving Readers a Headache
Have you noticed that an increasing number of websites are composed of tiny little white letters set against a black background? Ugh! Instant eyestrain.
- Recommendation: For maximum readability of any written piece (not just websites) stick with dark type on a light background, and don’t use anything smaller than a 10-point font.
Think about Your Font Formats
Sometimes it works to use special formatting to call attention to particular words, but if you’re not careful you’ll end up making those important words difficult to read.
- Recommendation: Go easy on your use of ALL CAPS, italics, underlines, Initial Caps, and other special formats. These all work well on headlines and brief items, but should generally be avoided on longer passages.
Remember, if your letter, website, brochure, or other written piece isn’t formatted for maximum readability, there’s a good chance it won’t get read at all.
Similar Posts You Might Like
- Marketing Wednesdays: Proofreading 101
- Marketing Wednesdays: Don’t Forget to Ask for the Sale
- Marketing Wednesdays: Who’s Your Target?
- Commonly Confused Words
- What Sets You Apart From Your Competition?
Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed Both comments and pings are currently closed.
View Comments to “Formatting for Maximum Readability”
A Digital Outrigger / Library Usability Links 8/11/09 | August 10th, 2009 22:26
[...] Linda Coss has a few tips for improving readability [...]
Kevin Flatowicz-Farmer | August 14th, 2009 13:16
One metric often ignored in web design is line length. If a line of text gets too long, it can be difficult to find the beginning of the next line. (Think wikipedia with a maximized browser). It’s best to define a line length (usually by constraining the width of the container) that allows for comfortable reading.
Dr. Emmet Brown | October 9th, 2009 20:06
[Recommendation: For maximum readability of any written piece (not just websites) stick with dark type on a light background, and don’t use anything smaller than a 10-point font.]
Every researches I found tell me that light font on dark background is EASIER to read.
James | July 29th, 2009 11:29
Another thing to consider is contrast ratio. For example, the sidebar to the right has dark type on a fairly dark background.
Along the same lines is testing your color combinations for different types of color blindness. Blue text on a green background might meld together for some visitors.