233 TIPS ON GRAPHICS AND VISUAL DESIGN Remember that your text is part of your visual design. Typeface, font size and color, and text placement can enhance or diminish the effectiveness of your design. Too many learning professionals revert to the ubiquitous Times New Roman and Arial. There are many beautiful typefaces that have been optimized for digital media. Use them, but no more than two or three in a document. And if you do use more than one, make sure that they are very different. Choose a typeface that fits with your theme and message. For example, Comic Sans might be fine for some K-6 educational purposes, but not in business uses or even in content intended for older students. Finally, in this mobile age, make sure that you’re aware of how your design will look when your target audience views it. If you know that your design will be viewed on smartphones most of the time, optimize content for that device, not a wide-screen monitor. Kathleen Fortney, Judge Learning Solutions Invest in good-quality stock images if you don’t have a graphic designer on your team. Don’t let bad quality detract from your content. Hyacinth Steele, Queensland University of Technology Be sure to use a sans serif font. You want to make sure that any eLearning modules you produce are consistent with current trends in web design. These fonts are easy to read and give your product a fresh look. Maria Mejia, Jefferson Health Crop a single stock image in several ways to build interest and consistency. Try repeating an image in a project, but present that image in a variety of ways. For instance, include a wide-angle image when presenting a scenario. When revisiting the scenario or in knowledge check questions, include a close-up square or narrow column of the same image. You can also use modified versions of the image, such as adding a colored filter or incorporating it as a transparent background on later pages. In addition to reusing one asset, it prompts the learner to remember the scenario and builds consistency while generating visual interest. Valerie Hartman, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Every project should have a style guide that includes color palette, font styles and size, language composition, spelling and grammar conventions, etc., for design consistency and faster build time. Dayna Wongpoe, Alaska Airlines Spell out acronyms when first used. Make a note in your reference material or on the graphic itself. Highlight the acronym with an asterisk if space is at a premium, and notate it on the bottom. Your audience will thank you by not interrupting you with an acronym clarification question. Dave Faldasz, ViaSat 28 www.eLearningGuild.com