The Paradox of White Space - Assignment Example

1. What goals of document design do you think white space helps achieve? Explain your response.

White space helps increase the readability as it makes the document easy on the eye. Readers generally prefer well-organized text rather than seeing everything in one big lump that gives the impression of having too many sentences to read. Moreover, it is said that white space “maintains balance, provides a sense of elegance through simplicity, and focuses the reader’s eye on a desired part of the page…” (Johnson, 2009, para. 27).

2. Letters, memos, and e-mails are three methods businesses use to communicate. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each and when is it more appropriate to use one over the other? Are these forms of written correspondence more effective than verbal communication (why or why not)?

Letters are often sent to people in another department or outside of the company. Because it is formal in nature and sincere in tone, it is often used “to notify, request, respond and persuade” (Kranz, 2007, p. 140). Formality however requires the writer to strictly follow correct spelling, grammar, and formatting conventions. Letters also take time to be sent as it needs to be personally handed to the addressed recipient.

Memos are “brief documents used to impart information between a select group of people… within the same company” (Kranz, 2007, p. 50). It gives readers the information quickly without losing the formality of a letter. The writer therefore must be skilled at summarizing key information as readers expect a brief message.

E-mailing is the most common form of communication today as it is quick, reliable, and readily accessible. Because of this, e-mails are often perceived as informal compared to letters and memos. E-mails are especially useful when urgent information needs to be conveyed.

Written correspondence allows the receiver to review the content and gives him/her much time to digest the message. On the sender’s end, it helps him/her not to miss important points when conveying lengthy information. Verbal communication, on the other hand, is a more personal approach and directly gets the message across. The choice depends on the message, the level of urgency, and the audience/receiver.