desktop publishing 7

1. CREATING REPORTS

2. LESSON OUTCOMES
At the end of this lesson, we will be
able to:
• Create organized reports.
• Develop creative skills in data
presentation.

3. LESSON OUTLINE
• Guides to Effective Visual
Communication
• Creating a report

4. Creating Reports
Effective communication goes beyond simply relating an
idea or information. The idea or information must be conveyed
in a way that is easily understood. In Black Beauty, the horse
describes the manner of his "breaking in” in a clear and
straightforward manner.
The method of presentation has a key role in helping the
audience comprehend what they see and hear. Even information
that seems uncomplicated at first must be exhibited in a way
that makes its meaning readily apparent to the audience.
What this implies is that while many publications have been
created to relay information, some of them may not necessarily
communicate effectively. In this lesson, you will learn how to
arrange data in a meaningful way that others can recognize and
appreciate.

5. LESSON OUTCOMES
At the end of this lesson, the students I will
be able to :
● Create Organized Reports
● Develop creative skills in data presentation

6. Guides to Effective Visual Communication
(D.E.C.O.R.U.M.)
Directness. Make the message straightforward. As far
as reports and presentations go, their aim is to
communicate, so unlike art forms which are necessarily
creative and symbolic, they must be clear and direct.
Efficiency. Strive for efficiency in communicating an
idea. There is a danger that the point of any information
might be lost in a jumble of text effects, pictures, and
colors.

7. Contextualization. Introduce the reader to the context
through visuals. For example, serious information should
be given a formal, elegant treatment which should be
evident from the visual arrangement of elements. Such
an environment prepares the reader to receive the
information in a certain way.
Organization. Follow a structure whose logical
sequence boosts understanding. An example of a
structure for a report or presentation is introduction-
body-conclusion. A good structure aids readers in
finding specific details and getting a sense of what the
information says as a whole.

8. Relevancy. Use only relevant content. The guide for
determining whether a picture insert or text effect will be
useful is how meaningful the overall result becomes upon
adding it.
Underscoring. Create sub-elements under the main point
and use them to enhance the emphasis on a particular idea.
Maximizing. Incorporate graphics and data together with
text for the greatest impact. While reports are meant to be
obvious and exact, they should not be boring. In fact,
graphics, tables, and charts have positive effects in visual
communication

9. Creating a Report
Desktop publishing software can facilitate the task of creating a
report or any publication for that matter. But a template should
never be a substitute for a well thought-out design made to
communicate effectively. The key is choosing an organization
scheme for a report and using this scheme to present
information in a clear manner.
The first thing to consider in the design of the report is the
purpose. The report in itself has its own objectives. The design
that you will be creating should complement the report's
purpose. For example, if a report is on rainforests, then the
design should capture this theme, using, perhaps, green as a
dominant color.

10. Title Page
One of the most important parts of publishing a report is the
title page. You may have heard of the old saying "Do not
judge a book by its cover." There may be much wisdom in
this quote. However, when it comes to DTP, the cover of your
publication must be attractive. This is because the title page
contains summarizing information about the publication.
Different publications would contain different information on
their respective front pages, yet covers have basic information
such as the title and the author.
Since the title page is the first thing a reader would see, the
title page should have a strong impact on the viewer by
effectively giving the basic information and helping establish
the theme of the report.

12. What if you want
to create a title
page on your
own?
Take a look at
how you can
recreate the
same page using
design elements.
Take note of the
Word objects
used to create
the page.

13. Content Page
Having an attractive title page is one thing. Having equally
attractive content pages is another. One way to have a
consistent content page design is by using two features of
Word.
One of these is the Header and Footer option which allows
you to have consistent content at the top and bottom parts.
To access this feature, just click the Insert tab on the Ribbon.
You will find the and buttons in the Header and Footer
group. You may put text and design elements in
both sections.

14. Note that the Insert tab appears on the Ribbon
under Header and Footer Tools.

15. Clicking the Page Color
button opens a submenu
that allows you to apply color
and fill effect changes to the
document.

16. Clicking the Watermark button displays a gallery of ready-made
watermarks. To make your own, choose Custom Watermark. This
opens a dialog box which allows you to set the watermark
options.
Putting in your
desired content
will create a
common
background for
all of your pages.

17. If you like to add a border
around a page, click the Page
Borders button. It opens a
dialog box that lets you choose
your border settings.
One pointer when using
backgrounds is to make sure that
the color contrasts the color of
your text. One simple rule is that
you should have a dark
background with light text or a
light background with dark text.

18. Adding Images
Adding images such as pictures can help in the design of
the report. Balance is one thing you
should always consider. Usually in reports, images are
meant to complement the topic or a particular
area of discussion. It should always support the data and
it should never draw attention away from the topic at
hand.

19. However, there are
times when you need
to emphasize an
image. This could be
so in cases like a
report on a particular
object. This type of
report would probably
need a larger image
of the object
discussed.
Other supporting graphics may include the use of charts and
graphs. These would largely be useful in presenting statistical data.

20. SUMMARY
The aim of a desktop publishing project such as
a report is to communicate well. An organized
design helps to convey meaning effectively.
While templates exist to facilitate the task of
designing publications, it remains important for
any student of desktop publishing to
understand that effective communication is no
accident but a product of deliberate choices
made following a design plan.

21. WORD BANK
Emphasis - importance given to an area relative to the other
parts
Impact - impression or effect
Relevant Content - content which is directly related to the
subject at hand
Report - a document, usually written, that contains the findings
or investigative results of an individual or a group
Structure - the organization of a series of sections or parts

22. ACTIVITY
Answer SELF-CHECK, SKILLS WARM-UP, AND SKILLS WORKOUT
on page 47-48
PERFORMANCE TASK (five groups)
Page 49

23. END