This document summarizes visual design principles that teachers need to know when designing materials for L2 learners. It discusses how typefaces, line length and spacing, white space, lines and shapes, and graphics can affect learner motivation, comprehension, and recall. The document presents theories from research on each principle and provides guidelines for applying them, such as using serif typefaces, limiting line length, leaving white space, and only including graphics that facilitate instruction. The overall message is that visual design significantly impacts L2 learners' reading experience.

1. Visual design principles and L2 learners:
What teachers need to know
Cameron Romney
Center for Foreign Language Education
Momoyama Gakuin University
Asian Conference on Language Learning
June 11, 2011

2. Connecting
Theory and Practice

3. Why should you care?

4. Visual design effects
on readers
• Motivation
Smiley (2004); Misanchuk (1992); Bell & Sullivan (1981)
• Comprehension
Gasser, Boeke, Haffernan, & Tan (2005); Romney (2004); Smiley (2004); Walker (2001), Hoener, Salend & Kay (1997); Garofalo
(1988), Lewis & Walker (1989)
• Recall
Gasser, Boeke, Haffernan, & Tan (2005); Smiley (2004); Lewis & Walker (1989)
• Efficiency/Speed
Smiley (2004); Hoener, Salend & Kay (1997)

5. “...more easily perceiving ... text on a
page ... less attentional resources are
required for the process of reading. More
attentional resources can then be
devoted to attending to the message in
the text, which results in deeper
processing and an easier recall of the
information presented.” (p. 185)
Gasser, Boek, Haffernan & Tan (2005)

6. Agenda
• Typefaces, i.e. fonts
• Line Length & Spacing
• White Space
• Lines & Shapes
• Graphics, i.e. clip art and photographs

7. Typefaces

8. Theory
“people most easily read material
printed in the typefaces with
which they are most familiar.” (p. 32)
Hoener, Salend & Kay (1997)

9. Copyright page

10. Identifont & WhatTheFont
www.identifont.com http://new.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont
(includes an iPhone app)

11. Theory
“...serifed typefaces are easier to
read than san serif” (p. 68)
Felici (2003)

12. EM EM

13. Line Length & Spacing

14. Theory
“When long lines are set...there
is a tendency of the reader to
read the same line twice” (p. 86)
Craig (1990)

15. Line Length Guides
• 50 - 60 characters (White 2002)
• 2 times the alphabet (Craig 1990)
• 27 characters minimum, 40 optimum, 70
maximum (Felici 2003)

18. Theory
“...the reader has an effortless
return path to the left edge ... for
the next line.” (p. 115)
White (2002)

20. White Space

21. Theory
“Space attracts readers by
making the page look accessible,
unthreatening, and manageable”
White (2002)

24. Lines & Shapes

25. Theory
“...directing the readers eye
around the page, drawing attention
to specific parts... breaking copy
into sections” (p.86)
Dabner (2004)

29. Graphics

30. Theory
“The fear of ‘wasted space’ drives
design novices to fill in any empty
space with unnecessary clip
art.” (p. 37)
White (2002)

32. Theory
“If instructional facilitation is not
highly probable, then ... graphics
should not be used in instructional
material.” (p. 239)
Misanchuk (1992)

34. Visual design principles and L2 learners:
What teachers need to know
Cameron Romney
romney.cameron@gmail.com
http://cameronromney.com
www.updatesfromosaka.com
Twitter: @cameronromney
SlideShare.net: C-Romney