I was in a meeting one day at a customer’s office. She was projecting her laptop and trying to find a document to show me. She opened and read multiple files before closing them (because they were not what she was looking for).
Then she opened one and closed it instantly. I asked “what happened?” almost hurt that she didn’t read it a little. She said, “oh, it’s an emdash document, I can tell by the way it looks. The doc I’m looking for is not yours.”
Ah! My obsession for making sure we consistently send all our documents in a particular style actually pays off!
Whether it’s MS Word or Google Docs, I have a basic style template set up. Paragraph font, 3 headings, title, quote and borders for images/tables. Set it up once and you can use it forever. It’s very simple and super convenient.
It also goes a long way in showing that you’re professional.
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It controls the user (reader) experience. You can highlight what you think is important. You can guide them through the unravelling narrative.
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It helps the reader find what they need faster. Let’s say you consistently put the source for all images/data for tables as a link right under it. Over time, your reader will know where to look.
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Especially in cases where you don’t send your stuff on a letter head or add a logo, it serves as the representation of your brand. It makes you recognisable.
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It makes design briefing easy.
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In fact, the font and colours you choose might show a little more of you than you think. For client work though, I go for Arials and greys only.
So, the next time you’re sending anything to the client, think a bit about the form in which you’re sending. Trust me, it plays a huge part.