1. Materials writers’ miscellany
Elements of visual design for language learners
Authentic materials & copyright
Cameron Romney
Center for Foreign Language Education
Momoyama Gakuin University
(St. Andrew’s University)
January 29, 2012

2. Elements of visual design
for language learners
Cameron Romney
Center for Foreign Language Education
Momoyama Gakuin University
(St. Andrew’s University)
January 29, 2012

3. Agenda
• Introduction
• Typography
• Page Layout
• Graphics: Illustrations/Photographs, etc.

4. Connect
Theory and Practice
with
‘Best Practices’

5. Do you know anything about typography/
page layout/graphics?
Do you think it (they) are important?
Why or why not?

6. “Unfortunately, most of the materials made at
home, no matter how good in content, are
atrocious in terms of layout. In my experiences
with both publishers and students, I have come
to the conclusion that
layout is just as important as...no, even
more important than...content”
Curtis Kelly, 1998

7. Visual design effects
on readers
• Motivation
Smiley (2004); Misanchuk (1992); Bell & Sullivan (1981)
• Comprehension
Gasser, Boeke, Haffernan, & Tan (2005); Romney (2004); Smiley (2004); Walker (2001), Hoener, Salend & Kay (1997); Garofalo
(1988), Lewis & Walker (1989)
• Recall
Gasser, Boeke, Haffernan, & Tan (2005); Smiley (2004); Lewis & Walker (1989)
• Efficiency/Speed
Smiley (2004); Hoener, Salend & Kay (1997)

9. Visual design effects
on readers
• Motivation
Smiley (2004); Misanchuk (1992); Bell & Sullivan (1981)
• Comprehension
Gasser, Boeke, Haffernan, & Tan (2005); Romney (2004); Smiley (2004); Walker (2001), Hoener, Salend & Kay (1997); Garofalo
(1988), Lewis & Walker (1989)
• Recall
Gasser, Boeke, Haffernan, & Tan (2005); Smiley (2004); Lewis & Walker (1989)
• Efficiency/Speed
Smiley (2004); Hoener, Salend & Kay (1997)

10. “...more easily perceiving ... text on a
page ... less attentional resources are
required for the process of reading. More
attentional resources can then be
devoted to attending to the message in
the text, which results in deeper
processing and an easier recall of the
information presented.” (p. 185)
Gasser, Boek, Haffernan & Tan (2005)

11. Typeface
i.e. font

12. “The font is the cookie
cutter, and the typeface
is the cookie.” (p. 29)
Felici (2003)

13. What fonts do you know?
Which ones do you use? Why? How?
What’s your favorite font?
Why do you like?

14. Categories of Fonts
Style Purpose Historical
• Old-style • Text • Renaissance
• Modern • Display • Baroque
• Slab serif • Decorative • Neoclassical
• Sans serif • Romantic
• Script • Realist
• Decorative
Williams (2008) Felici (2003)
• Modernist
Bringhurst (2004)

15. Serif and Sans-serif
Bowley (2009), Bringhurst (2004), Craig (1990), Felici (2003), Kirsanov (1998),
Lupton (2004), Madison (2003), Miller (2002), Misanchuk (1992), Romney (2004),
Walker & Reynolds (2003),White (2002), Williams (2008), etc.

16. EM EM

17. Legibility vs. Readability

18. EM EM

19. Common Problems
for
L2 Learners

21. LC l and UC I

22. Katakana and

23. Katakana and

24. LC d, b, q and p

25. Lowercase i and j

26. Lowercase c and o

27. Lowercase f and t

28. Double story minuscules
Images from Wikipedia

29. Best Practices

30. Best Practice #1
Use the font students
are FAMILIAR with

31. “people most easily read material
printed in the typefaces with
which they are most familiar.” (p. 32)
Hoener, Salend & Kay (1997)

32. Copyright page

33. Identifont & WhatTheFont
www.identifont.com http://new.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont
(includes an iPhone app)

34. Best Practice #2
set the typeface at a
LARGER size

35. • Less skilled readers benefit from larger text
Carter, Day & Meggs (2006); Petterson (1989)
• 9-12 pt is standard for adults
Carter, Day & Meggs (2006)
• 18 pt for 1st grade, 14 pt for 3rd grade, 11 pt
for 6th grade
Hoener, Salend & Kay (1997)

36. Best Practice #3
Use a font with good
LEGIBILITY

37. “...it has long been an article of
faith that serifed typefaces are
easier to read than san serif”
Felici (2003)

38. Best Practice #4
Don’t forget the
PRINTING & COPYNG

40. Best Practice #5
Use fonts with
PURPOSE

41. Example

42. Recommended
Typefaces
Serif Sans Serif
• Georgia • Verdana
• Lucida Bright • Tahoma
• (Bembo) Schoolbook • Helvetica Textbook

43. Georgia
Image from Identifont

44. Lucida Bright
Image from Identifont

45. Bembo Schoolbook
Image from Identifont

46. Verdana
Image from Identifont

47. Tahoma
Image from Identifont

48. Helvetica Textbook
Image from Identifont

49. Page Layout

50. Best Practice #1
Use MULTIPLE
columns with
SHORTER lines

51. Theory
“When long lines are set...there
is a tendency of the reader to
read the same line twice” (p. 86)
Craig (1990)

52. Line Length Guides
• 50 - 60 characters (White 2002)
• 2 times the alphabet (Craig 1990)
• 27 characters minimum, 40 optimum, 70
maximum (Felici 2003)

55. Best Practice #2
Use INCREASED
line spacing

56. Theory
“...the reader has an effortless
return path to the left edge ... for
the next line.” (p. 115)
White (2002)

58. Best Practice #3
Use lots of
WHITE SPACE

59. Theory
“Space attracts readers by
making the page look accessible,
unthreatening, and manageable”
White (2002)

62. Best Practice #4
Use lines & shapes to
ORGANIZE the page

63. Theory
“...directing the readers eye
around the page, drawing attention
to specific parts... breaking copy
into sections” (p.86)
Dabner (2004)

67. Before and After

70. Graphics

71. Do you use images in your materials?
Why or why not?
Do images help students? How?

72. Levin (1981)
1.Decoration 5.Representation
2.Remuneration 6.Organization
3.Motivation 7.Interpretation
4.Reiteration 8.Transformation

73. Three types of images
1. Active learning images
2. Passive learning images
3. Decorative images

74. Levin’s (1981) Typology of images
Decoration Increase attractiveness
Remuneration Increase sales
Motivation Increase interest
Reiteration Additional exposures
Representational Make more concrete
Organization Make more integrated
Interpretation Make more comprehensible
Transformation Make more memorable

75. Levin’s (1981) Typology of images
Decoration Increase attractiveness
Remuneration Increase sales
Motivation Increase interest
Reiteration Additional exposures
Representational Make more concrete
Organization Make more integrated
Interpretation Make more comprehensible
Transformation Make more memorable

76. Best Practice #1
Only use graphics with
INSTRUCTIONAL
purpose

77. “If instructional facilitation is not
highly probable, then ... graphics
should not be used in instructional
material.” (p. 239)
Misanchuk (1992)

78. Theory
Graphics can be a distraction
Evans, Watson and Willows (1987); Peeck (1987)
Clark & Lyons (2011); Romney & Bell (2011)

79. Best Practice #2
Use as FEW graphics
as possible

80. Theory
“The fear of ‘wasted space’ drives
design novices to fill in any empty
space with unnecessary clip
art.” (p. 37)
White (2002)

81. Best Practice #3
Place the graphic
NEXT TO the text

82. Theory
“Split visuals and words have been
shown to depress learning” (p. 77)
Clark and Lyons (2011)

84. Best Practices
Typography Page Layout Graphics
Familiar Shorter lines Instructional
Larger Increased line space Few is better
Legibility White Space Next to
Printing & Copying Organize
Purpose

85. Thank You
romney.cameron@gmail.com
LinkedIn & Google+
@CameronRomney
CameronRomney.com