Page 283 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 08 11/20/02 12:49 PM Page 272
272 The Creative Training Idea Book
Putting a Face on Writing
There are literally thousands of font typeface styles (types of lettering characters) from
which you can choose. To get an idea of some of the variety available, go to your com-
puter and open your word processing program. Look on your toolbar for the button
titled Font (in Word, this is under the toolbar heading Format) and open it to display the
names of various lettering style types. Review some of these to compare their appear-
ances. You will find dozens of fonts and an array of style options (e.g., bold, italics, and
bold italics), as well as different font sizes.
There is no definitive source that outlines what type of font to use in the creation
of training materials; however, a good rule of thumb is to consider the following factors
in selecting a typeface and style you will use for printed materials.

1. Who will be in the audience? Think about the age, gender, education, ability levels,
and national origin of participants. Each of these factors can impact how well
someone reads, and his or her ability to see and decipher what he or she sees.
2. What is the purpose of the text? For example, is it a handout for reference during
the session and afterwards? Will the text be enlarged for a poster or other large
image? Depending on how the material is to be used, the type of the font and the
size of each letter can impact visibility.
3. Does the content lend itself to use of a combination of fonts and sizes? Typically, bet-
ter visibility is gained through use of complementary fonts used for headers and
accompanying text. In addition, headers that are a bit larger than text tend to
stand out and are quickly identified.
4. Will special characters appear in the document? This is important because some font
families do not contain certain characters (e.g., #, *, or numbers). If such charac-
ters are to be used, you will need to make sure they exist in the desired style.

Font Size

The type size used for text in most books and reading materials in the United States
ranges from 10–12 points (one point measures 0.0138 inches). Most materials average
about 12 points for text, with larger fonts (e.g., 14–24 points) being used for headers
and subheaders. Larger sizes are used for projected visuals with large groups.

BRIGHT I DEA
Get Graphic with Fonts
or participant guides or workbooks, you can effectively use larger, fancier font
Ftypes, as well as artistic lettering and graphics to add pizzazz. Take a look at
Figure 8-1a and Figure 8-1b to see the difference made by adding graphic borders,
clip art, and artistic fonts. You can also add color to the border and fonts and print
on brightly colored paper to enhance the image further.