The document summarizes best practices for visual design in teaching materials. It discusses using familiar fonts in a larger size with good legibility. It recommends using white space and line spacing to organize the page visually. Graphics should only be included if they serve an instructional purpose to make the content more concrete or memorable for students. Layout, typography and images are as important, if not more important than content in engaging students and facilitating comprehension.
1. What teachers need to know
about visual design
Cameron Romney
Center for Foreign Language Education
Momoyama Gakuin University
(St. Andrew’s University)
November 4, 2012
4. Do you know anything about typography/
page layout/graphics?
Do you think it (they) are important?
Why or why not?
5. “Unfortunately, most of the materials made at
home, no matter how good in content, are
atrocious in terms of layout. In my experiences
with both publishers and students, I have come
to the conclusion that
layout is just as important as...no, even
more important than...content”
Curtis Kelly, 1998
6. 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)
7.
8. “...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)
30. • Less skilled readers benefit from larger text
Carter, Day & Meggs (2006); Petterson (1989)
• 9-12 pt is standard for adults
Carter, Day & Meggs (2006)
• 18 pt for 1st grade, 14 pt for 3rd grade, 11 pt
for 6th grade
Hoener, Salend & Kay (1997)
62. Do you use images in your materials?
Why or why not?
Do images help students? How?
63. Levin’s (1981) Typology of images
Decoration Increase attractiveness
Remuneration Increase sales
Motivation Increase interest
Reiteration Additional exposures
Representational Make more concrete
Organization Make more integrated
Interpretation Make more comprehensible
Transformation Make more memorable
64. Levin’s (1981) Typology of images
Decoration Increase attractiveness
Remuneration Increase sales
Motivation Increase interest
Reiteration Additional exposures
Representational Make more concrete
Organization Make more integrated
Interpretation Make more comprehensible
Transformation Make more memorable