3 Points & a question

Kostelnick & Roberts

• In creating a document, a designer must consider the three elements of the rhetorical situation: audience, purpose and context. The design of a document will/should change if any one of the three elements of the rhetorical situation changes.

• Understanding and using established visual conventions is important in the document design process as it allows the designer to fulfill readers’ expectations and help the reader to understand the message being conveyed. “Conventions aren’t an end in themselves but a means to an end—helping readers understand the document.”

• Kostelnick and Roberts echo both White and Williams in their explanation of arrangement in designing a document. The way a document is structured/organized gives readers cues about the hierarchy of the information being presented and guides them visually through that information.


Question:
I understand the idea that sans serif typefaces are clearer when surrounded by a lot of white space (as in a table), but how does sans serif font in a table give data a more objective tone? (pg 26)