Unusual Technical Communication

[sanders_j -at- TBOSCH -dot- DNET -dot- GE -dot- COM]

Hi All,

I just wanted to pass along this tidbit. I recently saw one of the best
examples of technical writing/communication I've ever seen. Oddly enough,
it was in the form of a role-playing game (a hobby of mine). The book is
called "Underground", and details a game set in a dark cyberpunk sortof
future. The thing that caught my eye was the four-color presentation and
the extremely professional layout and information techniques. The recent
discussion of document design made me think of it, in fact. The book is
an excellent example of top-end document design.

For instance, every unusual term used in the book is highlighted using
a particular color (blue for one thing, yellow for another), then the
definition for the term is listed, in the same highlight color, in a
sidebar on the same page. Right at the beginning of the book, after the
TOC (which is refreshingly brief - personal preference), is a page
called "How to Use This Book". In a game! There's more, of course, but
I don't have the book right in front of me. It's also chock-ful of
colorful diagrams and illustrations, not to mention art-work (but that's
standard for a game publication). What impressed me was the attention
to detail and the continuity of the format.

Anyone interested in seeing a fine example of document design and
technical communication might want to try to take a look at it. Even
if you find the subject matter distasteful (I did), the book itself
deserves a look. It's by MGI (Mayfair Games International, I think),
and is probably in most hobby stores.

If anybody else has seen it, let me know what you think...

-John Sanders