This document provides guidance on analyzing design choices for reader-centered documents in the workplace. It discusses five key concepts to consider: emphasis, contrast, balance/organization, alignment, and proximity. When analyzing a design, one should note elements emphasized, organization of elements, use of contrast to create feeling, alignment to guide the eye, and proximity of elements. Understanding design choices helps meet the demands of the rhetorical situation.

1. Critical Analysis
1. What is the Rhetorical Situation?
2. How will readers interact with the text?
3. What mode of communication is needed?
ACTIVITY: TTU Cowamongus& Red RaiderMeats
 Explore a university website to see how the design
meets (or doesn’t meet) a user’s needs
 Take note of design choices that stand out to you.
 Note how different design choices are used to meet
the demands of the rhetorical situation.
Link: www.depts.ttu.edu/cowamongus/westerncow
ANALYSIS (Writer/Designer p. 37)
1. What elements does the design emphasize?
2. Notice the organization of elements on the page.
What comes first? What comes last? Why do you
think the designer chose this order?
3. How is contrast used on this page? Does the use
of contrast create a certain feeling? (Consider how
certain colors can be used to encourage a certain
emotional response.)
4. What elements are aligned on the page? Does
this alignment help you navigate the page? Does
it cause your eye to travel in a certain direction on
the page? Why might the designer have made this
choice? How can it be improved?
5. How are elements positioned in relation to one
another? Why do you think the designers of this
page put certain elements in close proximity to
one another while placing others farther apart?
Rhetorical Situation:Set of circumstances
in which an author creates a text.
Concepts Learned
5-MODES OF COMMUNICATION
1. Linguistic(word choice, delivery of written text)
2. Visual (color, layout, style, size, perspective)
3. Aural (sound, voice)
4. Spatial (arrangement, organization, proximity
between people/objects)
5. Gestural (facial/hand/body expressions)
1. Emphasis Stressing a word or group of words
or visual content)
2. Contrast Difference between elements.
Comparing elements in a text e.g. color, size,
placement, shape, content. Plays large role in
emphasis.
3. Balance/OrganizationHow elements on a
page are arranged. Creates feeling of stability.
Use Grids or Page Layout strategies.
4. AlignmentHow things line up. Controls how
our eyes move across a text.
5. ProximityCloseness in space. Grouping of
elements. Grouping of things in a clear,
interesting way.
PRESENTATION HANDOUT
Analyzing DesignChoices:
Reader-CenteredDocuments for the Workplace
AUDIENCE
PURPOSE
CONTEXT
OF USE
GENRE
TEXT
RHETORICAL
SITUATION
5 KEY
DESIGN
CONCEPTS
REFERENCES
 Arola, K. L., Ball, C. E., & Sheppard, J.
(2014). Writer/Designer: A guide to making multimodal projects.
Macmillan Higher Education.
 Duarte, N. (2014) Slidedocs. Retrieved from:
http://www.duarte.com/slidedocs/
 Gurak, L. J., & Lannon, J. M. (2012). Strategies for Technical
Communication in the Workplace. Pearson Higher Ed.
 Johnson-Sheehan, R. (2005). Technical Communication Today.
Pearson/Longman.
 Wijaya, H. (2016) “20 Creative Invoice & Proposal
Template Designs.”Retrieved from:
http://bashooka.com/print-design
Presented by: Susan Rauch, Ph.D | Texas Tech University