TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
>I'm currently contracted to update and restructure the user and sys/admin
>documentation for a small software company. In this restructure I have
>placed various types of information that require more reader focus. I've
>divided these items into three categories: warnings, notes and hints.
I tend to like icons myself. They draw even more attention to important
notes. If you don't have too many and don't have a slew of other graphics,
they can also give a document a snappy look. You can find icons for stop
signs, caution signs, light bulbs, musical notes, and all the other icons
I've seen used (perhaps overused), or you can be clever and come up with
your own.
A tech writer just asked me today for a source of icons, including
eye-catching buttons. You can, of course, get them from clip-art
collections. You can also check out the Web site for the Awesome Icon Index
(http://www.isecure.com/webmaster/icons.htm). This site has links to all
kinds of icons. Most were designed for the Net and are, therefore in GIF or
JPEG format, which I find OK for documentation. Some are even animated for
Web pages or online documentation.
Pamela Owen
Nighthawk Communications
Reston, Virginia, USA
E-mail: Nighthawk1 -at- mindspring -dot- com
"Life is like Sanskrit read to a pony"
- Lou Reed
TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send commands
to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/ or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html
