Consider the way your writing looks. How does your document look? Open and spacious or crowded? Do you need to look for ways to add white space? Are the paragraphs too long? Can some information be set out in lists? If the document is long, should you break it up with heading? If you’ve composed a web page, is it easy to read and is the navigation clear? Consult Chapter 11 on document design for helpful advice about appearance.


Break up your text with graphics and illustrations when they’re appropriate. They can do a great deal to make your writing easier to read and to understand. Present statistics in charts and graphs when you can in color if possible. They add impact and can make the data easier to understand. You can also highlight special information in boxes or set it off with a light screen. Your computer manual has instructions on how to create these visuals and they can enhance your work.