Chapter 4 Reading Reflection

In forms of written communication, it is essential to create visual appeal so that readers remains engaged and interested in what they are reading. We can follow the acronym HATS to remember four crucial elements of visual appeal: headings, art, typography, and spacing.
  

Headings. Proper headings allow readers to skim through a document and find parts they wish to read in detail. When writing a longer document, writers should also create a table of contents for the same purpose. Personally, I have found this helpful with magazines, where I can search the table of contents at the front for articles that are interesting to me. When using multiple headings in a hierarchy, the more important headings should include a larger font, bold font, or be centered on the page. This differentiates headings into a hierarchy, which makes for easier reading.

Art. Using art (such as tables, graphs, and pictures) in documents is a skill that comes with practice. On one hand, art can help readers to better understand the document. This is probably why we say that "a picture is worth a thousand words." But on the other hand, too much art distracts the reader. Therefore, when using any kind of art, keep it simple and easy to understand.

Typography. The word "typography" can be broken up into three different topics: font type, font size, and alignment. Font type should be easy to read and should be in harmony with the level of formality of the document. For example, wedding planners normally use fancy fonts to show that the wedding will be formal. Font size should generally be between 10-12 point font. As far as alignment, text should normally be left-aligned, as is the writing for this blog entry. This creates an aesthetically pleasing page for the reader.

Spacing. Probably the most underrated of the HATS elements is spacing. For some reason, readers are intimidated when they see a document without spacing, often before they even start reading. A line of space between paragraphs signals a break for the reader, which prevents fatigue and makes the document look more friendly and welcoming.

The HATS acronym is a simple way to remember how to enhance the visual appeal of a document. And the presentation of the document can be just as important as the content.