Elements+of+Design+in+Digital+Environments

Creative methods of teaching like never before that work well with technologically rich environments are currently being followed in educational institutions. However, creating assignments and projects that work in these surroundings can be a challenge. Students, researchers, instructors and people part of any educational system use digital libraries as a major source of information. Composing processes and texts in their fields are influenced by digital technologies. Research and application in their fields are communicated by means of digital technologies. Designs can be any form of information that educates the audience like Brochures, Pamphlets, PowerPoint Presentations, Photography, Paintings etc. These can be used in documents to inspire emotion or feeling, to spur participation or as aids in accomplishing tasks. Some important factors that form elements of design are use of images as a form of argument or explanation, arrangement of elements on a page and use of typography as a form of expression. This section of the wiki will help the users deal with considerations unique to making use visual documents in various formats. Design factors differ between print documents to electronically distributed documents. There are a few document design principles that will help writers produce more attractive and accessible documents. As a designer of documents, you should: Essentially, a beginning definition of visual rhetoric and its applications are as follows:
 * "design" pages/screens instead of simply "writing" them (use storyboarding and thumbnail sketching to plan page layouts)
 * define the communication area for your pages (size of paper/screens, margins)
 * determine a consistent layout for all pages/screens of a document (where will words and pictures go versus white space, use style sheets)
 * create visual hierarchy in your documents (show importance of elements via white space, bold, and type size)
 * chunk information for accessibility (group similar ideas, use lists, focus segments with headings)
 * use color for effect (be aware of connotations of colors, use for emphasis/don't overdo)
 * Use of images as argument
 * Arrangement of elements on a page
 * Use of typography (fonts, etc.)
 * Analysis of existing images and visuals

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 * By Shriya Baddula,Biomedical Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology**