Note: this page has terrible design architecture...

Document architecture refers to making visual-rhetorical choices about the placement and layout of information on a page. Document architecture is influenced by aesthetic and functional choices. In workplace writing, documents are primarily designed to be functional, and the various design elements assist the document in achieving this goal. In larger, more elaborate documents, functional elements like titles, headers, tabbed pages, page numbers, and tables of contents, for example, help readers locate information quickly; and they also help readers find their places in a document if they return to it later. Aesthetic elements are parts of a document that make it look pleasing to the eye.

Choices that make a document aesthetically pleasing are not as crucial as those that lead to function. However, you should still think about the overall aesthetic quality of your document since these qualities often demonstrate a kind of "professional refinement" and help make documents more interesting and comfortable for readers. Despite the need for functional documents, readers react more positively to aesthetically pleasing documents. Functional and aesthetically pleasing documents, it should be noted, will not supersede a document's content. A good-looking document cannot mask poorly written or inaccurate information.

The aesthetic principles that should concern you in designing a document include:

• balance
• connection
• duplication
• variation
• flow

balance

Balance in a document refers to how elements are arranged and aligned to create a unified whole. Effective documents should have an overall sense of symmetry between text and graphics. In many documents, you'll want to place important elements in the optical center of your document, which emphasizes them and provides balance with less important elements. However, the optical center of a document is not the physical center, but is approximately 1/3 from the top. Readers are naturally drawn to the optical center of a document, so you'll want to carefully consider what they will see first.

Although balance is an important concept in document architecture, you don't necessarily have to place everything important in the optical center. In fact, you'll want to consider whether to balance elements symmetrically (centered) or asymmetrically (off-centered). Either choice can have a profound effect on how your document is read.

connection

Connection is simple: if elements in your document are closely related to one another, emphasize this relationship by grouping them together. Readers easily interpret a relationship between closely grouped elements, and they assume that elements are unrelated if they are placed far apart. The principle of connection is particularly important when creating a document with a complex architecture; readers become confused when captions, headings, or descriptions are far away from the text to which they correspond. Connect related items together by placing them in close proximity.

Notice how the alignment of the visuals and the textual information are visually connected through alignment to show readers which information is connected to which visual.

Duplication

Duplication suggests that elements of the same type, importance, or magnitude should use the same basic format, layout, and design. Repeating design elements from page to page lets readers quickly determine the type of information they are reading, allowing them to "learn" the architecture of your document. Readers instinctively ascribe greater importance to elements that are larger, darker, or are set off with additional white space, so coordinate elements of equal importance for consistency and clarity. For example, all section headings of the same "weight" or importance should duplicate the same font, font size, capitalization, spacing above and below, and so forth. Building architects often duplicate the size, shape, and style of doors or windows in a home to create a sense of harmony and coordination; you should apply this principle to your document architecture as well.

Notice how the information below the visuals is repeated in the same format/design and how the buttons to purchase the monitors are duplicated in the same relative position to each visual and each piece of textual information.

Variation

Variation allows you to show contrasts or differences between elements. Variation has a variety of purposes: it can be used to show a hierarchy of different elements, focus a reader's attention on a particular point, or signal a change or break in the topic. Variation can be achieved by 1) varying sizes to show an organizational hierarchy, making more important elements larger and less important elements smaller. This can be done by increasing the sizes of images, increasing the font size of text, or using capitalization. 2) Varying weights of elements by changing their appearance, such as adding italics, boldface, or different fonts to text. This usually signals an important piece of information, but does not always signal a new section of the document. 3) Varying color to emphasize some items.

Typically, this is achieved by using a color opposite or nearly opposite the standard color of the document, such as using red text rather than black. 4) Varying position to set one or more elements apart from other similar elements. If most elements are centered, you may wish to align it to the left or right margin to emphasize it. Similarly, positioning an element with more whitespace surrounding it than other similar elements can provide contrast.

Notice how adjusting the placement of items in a document shifts the weight and emphasis of those items in the document.

Notice how this document varies text color, text size, text placement, placement of white space, and box color to emphasize various parts of the document.

Flow

Like balance, the flow of a document has to do with the reader's overall visual experience. Flow refers to the movement of the reader's eye from one part of a document to another. In an effectively designed document, the reader will get a clear and logical sense of movement from one section, idea, or image to the next. Flow is more subjective than the other principles of document architecture, largely because it depends so much on the others. To develop flow in your documents, carefully place text and images in a way that leads the reader's eye from one point to another, making ample use of white space and avoiding the overuse of borders and horizontal lines.