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I agree with Bonni. Presentation and content are not separate issues.
I designed the layouts for my manuals to fit the content. I organize
my content to fit the layouts that I designed to fit the content...
Any good manual is both designed and written for the audience. A manual for
a child titled "How To Care For Your New Puppy" will be very different
from a manual titled "Good Kennel Management" for a professional breeder.
The purpose is the same - good, healthy, puppies. My text will be very
different for the child. The pictures will be small cute puppies. The
paragraphs will be short. There will be a lot of white space. Paper will
be sturdy. The form used to bind the pages will not be meant to last a
lifetime.
Words, sentences, and paragraphs will be longer in the Kennel Management
book. There won't be any cute puppies frisking in the margins. The form
used to bind the pages will be durable.
The design for the children's book was good. Why wouldn't I want to use
it for the kennel manager? The needs of the audience are different.
-Maria
Domain: maria -at- msd -dot- measurex -dot- com Maria Townsley Technical Publications
UUCP: ...uunet!mxmsd!maria Measurex Management Systems Division
Voice: (513)-825-3931 x-8871 1280 Kemper Meadow Drive
Fax: (513)-825-5393 Cincinnati, Ohio 45240
