When it comes to good design principles of print and digital texts, there is actually more overlaps than one might anticipate. While the execution of good designing principles for the texts is different, both articles on print and digital texts focus on reaching the desired audience and succinctly getting a point across.
In Park (2006), Park writes about various printed texts that one might use. He goes through original versions and then redesigns, and explains the benefits of the new versions. For nameplates, he says, “The best nameplates use a distinctive type of treatment to promote name recognition.” He then takes a complexly-designed nameplate and makes it smaller, cleaner, and gets rid of unnecessary words. The achieved effect is a more succinct title that should draw more viewers who will ultimately understand better what is being advertised. In the Principles of Accessible Design, the author focuses on the importance of digital text being accessible to everyone. The author declares, “Every non-text element needs a text alternative (alt text) that describes its content and function.” Then, the author explains that this would benefit people with “screen reader[s],” who are often blind, and people who have “their images disabled,” which is often due to low internet speeds. The result of the options the author has offered, as well as those that the author goes into throughout the article, is that more people will be able to understand whatever is on the page, meaning more people from a desired audience can be reached in the most succinct way possible.
Both articles, however, also speak about the importance of good design regardless of one being print or digital. Park speaks about the necessity of redesign, as I’ve mentioned. He explains that on occasion one must “evaluate each page element on its own merit and on its relationship to the overall design.” The purpose of this evaluation is to ensure the article succinctly conveys what it was intended to. Sometimes one must restart his or her design completely; other times one keeps only some aspects. He says that “the concepts you reserve are your points, and a good design is a straight line that connects them.” In other words, the design that one choses must be clear and defined. In the article about accessibility, it says, “There are many ways to make your content easier to understand. Write clearly, use clear fonts, and use headings and lists appropriately.” While this focuses more on the aesthetic appearance, the reasoning is the same as the Park example: ensure that the writing can be clearly understood by anyone who would read it.
Color is something that can influence both print and digital text. In the article about color, the author, explaining Color Harmony, says, “it engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order,” and that when “something is not harmonious, it’s either boring or chaotic.” The way that color can influence an article, whether print or digital, is important. Color can match or clash with the article’s tone, or it can help portray a tone that might otherwise have been missed without it. It is not an absolutely necessary tool, but it a tool nonetheless that can influence an article’s clarity and allow it to better reach an audience.