General

Be aware that age makes a difference. Younger readers need larger print because it is difficult for them to distinguish the characters and comprehend words. Older readers may have reduced vision and require larger type with more separation between the background and the text. Type that is below 12 point may be used, but sparingly, and for readers over sixth grade and under 40 years of age. As a guideline:

Grade	Font Size/Style
Kindergarten-First grade	24 pt. bold
Second grade	24 pt. plain
Third-Fourth grade	18 pt. plain
Fifth grade	14 pt. plain
Sixth grade to college	12 pt. plain
Over 40 years of age	14 pt. plain

Make sure that there is good visual separation between the words and the background. Avoid light or bright colors for text. Avoid complicated backgrounds.

Ensure that great design and great content make a great product. Time is limited. People will not attempt to read poorly organized and designed pieces, nor will they read if the content is boring, inaccurate, or sloppy (misspelled, poor grammar, etc.).

Know your audience. This sounds so simple, but often we don't know what our audience wants or how they best receive the message.

Be aware that reading skills influence design. It is especially important that the page layout is not intimidating for people who don't read well (or who don't like to read).

Provide visual breaks and rest spots. Plenty of white space helps as do narrower columns (39 to 52 character -- 8 to 12 words) and pullout quotes that paraphrase or summarize the content. Use color to categorize content. Most important: treat similar information similarly. Writing for the Web provides many helpful hints on writing and layout of web site information.

Remember that you are not designing for yourself, you are designing to communicate to others. Take the audiences needs, skills, and abilities, into account when developing your design.

Consider the cultural differences of your audience. Western cultures read from the upper left across to the right and then down. Asian cultures read from the upper right down and then across. The habits and orientations of the culture are difficult to override.