Guidelines for Using Text in Multimedia Presentations

1. WATCH YOUR TEXT COLOR

1. The human eye can see approximately 7,000 different colors. Some color and color combinations are soothing while others can cause headaches and visual fatigue. Red text represent danger and the color yellow is an eye irritant.



2. Different cultures interpret colors differently. In the United States, white is a symbol for purity, whereas in other cultures it is used for death and funerals.



3. Color blindness affects text color.

2. USE BOLDFACE SPARINGLY

Place key terms in boldface for emphasis.


3. THINK BEFORE YOU UNDERLINE TEXT

1. The rules are underlining are different for printed text in a magazine and text on a website.

4. DO NOT TYPE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS

1. Typing in all capital letters is analogous to yelling at a person.



2. Use capital letters for emphasis and title casing only.

5. WATCH YOUR TEXT SIZE

The size of the text matters. If the text size is too small eyestrain can occur, if it is too large, few words will fit in the screen window which can frustrate the viewer.


6. WATCH THE FONT SELECT

Make sure the font or font family is readable on several systems (Mac and PC).

1. Fancy fonts like script can be illegible and common fonts like Courier are boring. Look for fonts that stand out and are easy to read.

RESOURCES
Color Matters Color: The Magic and the Mystery of Words http://www.colormatters.com/
Hume, Andy, December 9, 2005, The Anatomy of Web Fonts http://articles.sitepoint.com/article/anatomy-web-fonts
Weinschenk, S. January 12, 2011, The 1oo Things You Should Know About People: #51 - You React to Color Based on Your Culture http://www.whatmakesthemclick.net/