ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at an important tool for ensuring a consistent layout of text elements: the layout format or style. The layout of documents to be published is best left to experts in the field. The layout will prevent the reader from tracking down the main points. A good layout supports and reinforces the purpose of the text. Eye-catching layouts are the domain of magazines and advertising and serve to attract attention to the text. Information in the form of units such as a numbered list or a list with bullet points is easily surveyed. A layout should be functional: to help the reader digest the information in the text. It should assist the reader to: separate the main issues from side issues, see quickly where the main parts are keep an overview of the text. A report may contain some text elements that require a separate layout.
