Re: Clipart in technical documentst: opinions needed

[John Posada <jposada -at- NOTES -dot- CC -dot- BELLCORE -dot- COM>]

1. that the document will look too busy with a clipart next to every
minor heading (as under PBX, I've got 7 sub-heads, only some of which
currently have clipart).

How far apart are the subhead?  If they are all on one or two pages, then maybe
how busy the material looks may have nothing to do with the clipart.  OTOH, if
the 7 subheads are sufficiently spaced, then it may not be a problem.  Keep the
clipart small, simple and not too large.
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2. that it will distract from the seriousness/technical nature of the
document.  We've put these graphics in newseletters and even marketing
and sales documents, but this is a technical reference manual explaining
how to install and use various interfaces with our Hotel package.

Don't take this stuff too seriously.  The whole reason you are writing this
stuff is so that your intended audience will gain information.  You are writing
for them.  They aren't reading it for you.  If clipart, or cartons, or anything
else that you can think of will help your audience either better understand the
material or be more likely to read the material, then that's the goal...not to
show how serious you believe the material to be.  Your goal is to make
technical material simpler and more understandable, not to reinforce that the
material is complex.

John Posada
Technical Writer
Bell Communications Research, Piscataway, NJ
(908) 699-5839 (W)
jposada -at- notes -dot- cc -dot- bellcore -dot- com  (W)
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