[ATTW-L] Document Design

[Steve]

Derek,

I have a couple syllabi from teaching my professional communication graduate courses in "Design, Layout and Production" and "Technical Writing and Information Design" online.

HMU if interested in my approach and execution, though sounds like you got this. Enjoy!

Best,

Steve

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
On Thursday, April 16, 2020 2:02 PM, Derek Ross <derek.ross at auburn.edu> wrote:

> Hi All:
>
> Thanks for the book ideas! Thanks to your suggestions, I’ve got new ideas and resources.
>
> And, to a point a few of y’all raised, I teach document design in a hybrid visual rhetoric/production model—first half of the course is theory, language, and design thinking, second half production. We do a lot, and it’s a model I’ve had great experiences with.
>
> My real concern is that it’s possible we won’t be meeting in person, so I’m trying to plan for the worst (since I love F2F teaching) and hope for the best.
>
> Take care and be safe,
>
> Derek
>
> Derek G. Ross
>
> Editor, [Communication Design Quarterly](https://sigdoc.acm.org/publication/)
>
> Co-Director, [Laboratory for Usability, Communication, Interaction, and Accessibility](http://cla.auburn.edu/lucia/)
>
> Department of English, 9030 Haley Center
> Auburn University, AL 36849-5203
>
> 334-844-9073
>
> [http://www.derekross.com](http://www.derekross.com/)
>
> Pronouns: he/him/his
>
> From: Curtis Newbold <cnewbold at westminstercollege.edu>
> Date: Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 12:36 PM
> To: Derek Ross <derek.ross at auburn.edu>, Steve <onlineprof at protonmail.com>
> Cc: "attw-l at attw.org" <attw-l at attw.org>
> Subject: Re: [ATTW-L] Document Design
>
> Hi Derek,
>
> To Steve's point, in graduate school, the question I often ask, is, "is this a course on visual communication or is it on publication design?" If it's a skills-based course strictly intended for creating documents using Adobe InDesign, I don't know that you'll find Norman's  Design of Everyday Things to be all that useful (and I say that as one who loves the book). But if the course is more about understanding how visual choices affect interpretation and action, Norman's book is an excellent conversation-starter.
>
> That said, I find it helpful to give my graduate students a cornucopia of low-cost design books (under $30 each) that cover both theory and practice. These are the books I most commonly combine in that mix for graduate students. It provides both practical theory and practice:
>
> - Universal Principles of Design (Lidwell, Holden, & Butler)
>
> - Information Design Workbook (Baer)
>
> - Non-Designer's Design Book (Williams)
>
> - Thinking with Type (Ellen Lupton)
>
> - 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know about People (Weinschenk)
>
> - Envisioning Information (Tufte)
>
> I'm also currently building out my website section on information design rules. Maybe you'll find this helpful?
>
> https://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/information-design-basic-rules/
>
> [Information Design Rules – The Visual Communication Guy: Designing Information to Engage, Educate, and Inspire People](https://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/information-design-basic-rules/)
>
> When designing information, follow the rules! Below you’ll find the top ten rules for each of the ten categories of design, assembled in an easy-to-remember acronym, Color C.R.A.Y.O.N. T.I.P. General Information Design Rules
>
> thevisualcommunicationguy.com
>
> Good luck! If you ever want to reach out to me, I've got quite a few resources (assignments, syllabuses, etc.)
>
> All best,
>
> Curtis
>
> ___________________
>
> Curtis R. Newbold, PhD
>
> Associate Professor of Communication
> Program Co-chair, Master of Strategic Communication
>
> Westminster College
>
> Salt Lake City, UT 84105
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>
> From: ATTW-L <attw-l-bounces at attw.org> on behalf of Steve <onlineprof at protonmail.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2020 5:01 PM
> To: derek.ross at auburn.edu <derek.ross at auburn.edu>
> Cc: attw-l at attw.org <attw-l at attw.org>
> Subject: Re: [ATTW-L] Document Design
>
> CAUTION: This message originated from outside the organization. Please contact [Information Services](https://westminstercollege.edu/internal-content/resources-and-services/computer-support) if you have any questions regarding the validity of this email.
>
> Hi Derek,
>
> A lot relies on whether students are creating documents or throwing bricks out of the ivory tower at people creating documents. My guess is that with the lab you run, they're creating documents, though the Norman makes me unsure. Then it really depends on what kind of documents they're designing. FWIW, if it fits your expectations, you may want to consider Research and Documentation in the Digital Age by Diana Hacker and Barbara Fister, as it should be robust enough for a graduate level course, though I used it in my undergrad course at Dartmouth a few years back without complaint, class on science and technology writing and presentation. We also used A. H. Hofmann's Scientific Writing and Communication: Papers, Proposals, and Presentations. I've used many other document creation texts, of course, in Web design or information design classes. Really depends on whether they're doing theory or practice, or, preferably, both. In practice, I like students to design document elements such as schematics and infographics, and one of the best ways to have them do that is accessing an online service or app dedicated to the task. Document creation is a fun, enjoyable, and rewarding enterprise. I envy your graduate students having the opportunity to now learn it in 2020.
>
> Hope that helps.
>
> Best,
>
> Steve Thompson
>
> -------
>
> Steven John Thompson, PhD
>
> Professor, University of Maryland Global Campus
>
> Editor, Handbook of Research on Machine Ethics and Morality (Forthcoming, 2021)
>
> .
>
> ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
>
> On Tuesday, April 14, 2020 6:14 PM, Derek Ross <derek.ross at auburn.edu> wrote:
>
>> Hi All:
>>
>> First, I hope you are all safe and sane in these trying times!
>>
>> Second, I could use your input. I’m teaching a graduate level course on Document Design in the Fall. I’ve taught the course off and on for over a decade now, and I’d like to update my core texts. I’ve found that a good, solid grounding book really helps—I’ve used Karen Schriver’s work, and Kimball & Hawkins, and I love them both. They are both, however, out of print, and don’t offer all of the resources that I might need if we end up doing this thing in an online or hybrid model. What should I be using?
>>
>> I’ve already got Don Norman’s Design of Everyday Things in my maybe-basket, as well as Cairo’s Functional Art. And maybe Wyatt and Devoss’s Type Matters, along with plenty of wonderful pieces of new scholarship from our various journals. What are your must-haves?
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>>
>> Derek
>>
>> Derek G. Ross
>>
>> Editor, [Communication Design Quarterly](https://sigdoc.acm.org/publication/)
>>
>> Co-Director, [Laboratory for Usability, Communication, Interaction, and Accessibility](http://cla.auburn.edu/lucia/)
>>
>> Department of English, 9030 Haley Center
>> Auburn University, AL 36849-5203
>>
>> 334-844-9073
>>
>> [http://www.derekross.com](http://www.derekross.com/)
>>
>> Pronouns: he/him/his
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