Response 4/4/11

The passage from the reading that I would like to discuss comes from the bottom of page 80 in Robin Williams, “The Non-Designer’s Handbook.” This passage comes from the review section of chapter 5, which is a summary of contrast.  He begins the paragraph by simply saying, “don’t be a whimp.” I think this is a very strong message to begin a paragraph with, and goes along with his overall strong message that you can’t be afraid to use contrast, and the stronger the contrast the better.  The third sentence states, “avoid contrasting brown text with black headlines.” I think this is a good example of not using strong enough contrast. As he states many times in the reading, if your going to contrast, make it a strong contrast, otherwise its almost not worth doing. Contrasting brown with black is very weak and would appear barely noticeable on paper. Rather than brown you could contrast black with any bright colors, such as red, which was also an example Williams stated in the reading.

            This principle doesn’t just apply to color, he goes on to state, “Avoid using two or more typefaces that are similar.”  If your going to use two different type faces, then you should use two that are drastically different. Doing this allows the reader to easily differentiate between the two sections and draws more interest from one to the other.  This leads into his final sentence, which states, “If the items are not exactly the same, make them different!” This is a pretty good summary of his idea of contrast as a whole. Making things different really distinguishes between two sections of a reading, which is an indication that the two sections or headings contain varying or different topics, before the reader actually begins to read the selection. 

            Next I would like to respond to the discussion question. I think we are studying design in a class about writing in the professions because if you want to look professional, your writing must have good design. It’s the same as saying if you want to look professional, you must dress the part. No one is going to take someone serious in the professional world if they are underdressed or don’t appear well kept, this is the same with writing.  If you submit a memo or piece of writing to a boss that doesn’t appear professional then it’s going to appear that either you didn’t care or your not proficient enough to be doing your job.  The more professional the design of the writing, the more serious your boss will take your writing, even before he’s actually engaged himself into the content. 

            My intended profession of record production will most likely include a lot of idea proposals to my boss, whether it be for a prospective band, marketing idea, or record idea.  If I want my boss to seriously consider any of my ideas, and know that I put time and effort into my thoughts, then my writing must have good design.  How is he suppose to take my writing seriously if it doesn’t appear that I took it seriously? This is incredibly crucial for nearly anyone preparing to enter the workforce.  One time at my former job I was asked by my boss to submit any ideas I had which could improve our valet program. I rushed myself through the proposal and didn’t take much time to account for the design of the document and in turn none of my ideas were taken into consideration. This wasn’t because the ideas were bad, but because the reading never grabbed the attention of my boss as much as other documents, and over the course of a busy work day, some times a manager may have to disregard information that doesn’t immediately grab his attention.