Department Structure

Subject: Department Structure
From: Mary Perchanok <perchanok -dot- bailey -at- SYMPATICO -dot- CA>
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 20:46:59 -0400

Bruce, Becky and Annalee,

I?d like to add my two cents to your discussion of the role of graphic
artists in documentation. I?m a newcomer to technical communication and
I don't know your organizations, but I do know a lot about graphics.

As a graphic designer, I hate the term "graphic artist" It's ambiguous
and unprofessional. Does it refer to an illustrator responsible for
diagrams, a designer involved in the visual design and layout of a
publication, or neither?

I can't speak for everyone who has worked in the field, but I've had the
same intensity of training in the visual presentation of material as
writers have in writing. Typography plays a big part in that training.
It's the graphic designer's area of expertise.

Graphic designers are concerned with clear communication, not
decoration, as some people seem to think. Readability, legibility and
usability are measures of good work. Skilled use of type and development
of flexible and appropriate layouts are the means. While you certainly
shouldn't expect your graphics person to make writers' and editors'
decisions about the structure or content of your pub, his input can and
should exceed choosing line weights. A good designer can develop a
visual style for your document that ties your work into your company's
corporate style or marketing materials. He or she can design with the
method of reproduction in mind, even if it's carbon copies, giving you
professional looking pubs and keeping the price down.

Relying on research and industry standards for layouts and fonts is
certainly better than nothing, but how many writers have developed a
critical sense in the application of that research? A trained designer
can SHOW you what works visually.

Just because one trade has commandeered the jargon of another doesn?t
mean the tradesmen have mastered the craft. I?ve heard the term "white
space" used by people who don?t have a clue about it. White space isn?t
blank space around the elements on the page; it?s not line or paragraph
spacing or margins. White space refers to empty spaces as elements in
the layout that, used with text blocks and images, create visual balance
and interest - inviting pages rather than clutter, or well-spaced
clutter.

Graphic artists do not determine whether you need a TOC or an index, but
they can help you by tailoring the visual layout of those lists. As for
electronic navigation, many designers have as much experience designing
multimedia and websites as technical writers. Apple sold the idea of
interactivity to graphic designers a decade ago with Hypercard.

Graphics is already too low in the food chain. Writers should learn the
fundamentals of typography and design but they should also be aware that
those graphic artists often have skills far beyond the basics. It?s
their field. A little respect for your co-workers will go a long way.

Mary Perchanok
perchanok -dot- bailey -at- sympatico -dot- ca




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