Resources about Design and Visuals
How to use charts and tables, how to express information in other visuals, and how the design of text has an impact on its effectiveness are concerns for many editors. Here are some resources for editors (and for writers who would also like to understand this subject). As well, see editing photographs and the upcoming blog about editing maps.
- The Elements of Visual Style: The Basics of Print Design for Every PC and Mac User by Robert W. Harris, Houghton Mifflin—a strong overview to design principles and how they play out in text publications
- The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition, University of Chicago Press—especially useful re. charts (sections 3.40 and on), tables (3.46 and on), vertical lists (6.124 and on) and their appropriate use, how to edit them, etc.
- The Yahoo! Style Guide by Chris Barr and the Senior Editors at Yahoo!—especially useful about alt text, optimizing images for search engine optimizing (SEO), etc.
- A Periodic Table to Visualization Methods—a great tool for thinking about how information and ideas could be expressed and what is the best form for your information, reader, and goals
- Cool Infographics
- Infographics: Good
- Visual.ly
- Designing Diagrams: Making Information Accessible Through Design by Jan Gauguin, BIS Publishers
- Designing with Type: A Basic Course in Typography by James Craig Watson Guptill—because it pays to know something about type, how it works, and how different type works differently
© Laura Edlund 2010