Quick overview - best practices for manipulating graphics before importing into documentation

1. GREAT GRAPHICS
Tricia Spayer
2015

2. Agenda
• Best practices
• What makes an effective graphic
• Best formats for each graphic destination
• Sizing and resolution
• Single-sourcing graphics for multiple devices
• What makes an effective callout, and considerations for
localization
• Enhancing illustrations and photos

3. Best Practices
• Create a drawing and photo template in your graphics
programs
• Max size for print, for web, for other devices
• Create a graphics style guide
• Fonts, colors, line weights, angles, callout styles
• Resize before you add to documentation
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4. Template example
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5. Effective graphics
• Add to the meaning of text
• Text and graphics are not redundant
• Readable and large enough to see
• Understandable
• Not overused
• Clean and clear
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6. Formats
• Vector vs. raster
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7. What is resolution?
• From Wikipedia: “Image resolution is the detail
an image holds. The term applies to raster digital images,
film images, and other types of images. Higher resolution
means more image detail.”
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8. Exporting to different resolutions
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9. Sizing and resolution
• Where will the graphic be seen?
• Consider the resolution, size BEFORE importing into your
documentation
• Figure out maximum size you can have on a printed page
• Max size for web or mobile – depends on user’s screen
size
• Single-sourcing for multiple devices
• Use relative pixel sizes for mobile
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10. Graphics – multiple outputs
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11. Effective callouts
• Easily seen – use halos
• For localization, use numbers or letters
• Use uniform angles and placement
• Use same font, size, line weight throughout
documentation
• Shade area of interest
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12. Callout examples
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13. Enhancing illustrations and photos
• Which is better? Line drawings or photos?
• Hardware documentation – get engineering drawings
• Photos – grayscale vs. color
• Contrast
• Focus on subject (remove background clutter)
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14. Photo vs. illustration
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15. Conclusion
• Know where your graphics are going
• Manipulate before adding to documentation
• Use graphics templates
• Be clear, consistent
• Have fun!
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16. Questions?
• www.linkedin.com/triciaspayer/
• email: tspayer@yahoo.com