Chapter 5

Text Fields

What is a field of text?
- a distinguishable area of visual interest or attention

• paragraphs, lists, or chunks of text
• menus, navigational bars, pop-up ads

- a field can be a physical page or on a computer screen, and can be divided into sections
- visual cues can make a field better

• Textual: headings, numbers, letters
• Spatial: paragraph blocks, lists, columns
• Graphic: bullets, shading, lines

- fields must respond to the rhetorical situation


Vocabulary of Text Fields

• Textual Elements

1. Headings: allow for readers to navigate the page to find what they are looking for
2. Web links: function like footnotes, give readers additional information if desired on a separate page (doesn't clutter the field)
3. Numbers and Letters: allow for lists that show parallel items, signal the beginning of an article, help organize text hierarchically

• Spatial Elements

1. Lists: break up the text to make it more accessible and add emphasis
2. Leading: spacing between lines
3. Justified/unjustified: usually justified to right margin so the text is not jagged
4. Columns: usually one column is used, but multiple columns can allow the information to be read more quickly, and offers different design options
5. Field grids: multiple columns, text boxes, image spaces, etc...more options for design

• Graphic Elements

1. Bullets and other highlighting cues: used for points of emphasis
2. Line work: thick or thin, dashed, used to segment and accent text
3. Shading: shows range of gray-scale, changes the figure-ground contrast

Applying the Cognate Strategies

Arrangement: the size and orientation of a given surface

Arrangement stragegies:

• headers
• web links
• lists
• columns
• bullets

Emphasis: draw readers' attention to key elements within a visual field

Emphasis strategies:

• enlarging selected pieces of text
• initial letters
• lists
• headings
• shading

Clarity: enables readers to glide effortlessly through the text

Clarity stragegies:

• headings
• line length
• line breaks
• justified text
• follow a visual pattern and be consistent

Conciseness: only putting necessary information on your page or screen

Conciseness strategies:

• pattern of headings
• width of columns

Tone: is your text formal, informal, serious, playful, authoritative, low-key?

Tone strategies:

• letters, numbers
• serif vs. san serif
• justified
• bold

Ethos: how professional does the document look?