#26467
This InDesign class will give you the basics on which you can then develop further skills and become proficient at using this powerful layout program. Further articles will be written to develop some subjects that might need to be taken more in-depth.
Bruno, Elisabetta. About.com. Resources>Document Design>Software>Adobe InDesign
#33424
Often conflicting pressures to produce communications that better fit customer demands as well as stay within tightening constraints on budgets and schedules are leading many technical communications organizations to a topic-based approach to authoring. In fact, 58% of participants in Aberdeen Group's October 2008 DITA and the Technical Communicator’s Transformation study report that they currently follow author content in a topic-based manner, with a vast majority of those remaining planning to implement one in the future. A topic-based approach promotes greater content reuse and is seeing a considerable impact on the authoring efficiency of technical communications projects today. The benefits of topic-based authoring can be compelling, with findings from the The Technical Communicator’s Transformation study indicating that when pursued the right way, topic-based authoring can have a broad range of benefits, enabling an organization to meet authoring and localization cost targets as well as documentation quality expectations, among others. However, as the adoption of this approach spreads, the advantages seen by today's leading organizations will flatten out. This Sector Insight provides a guide for current adoption of topic-based authoring and those still considering it; outlining the changes that are expected to take place in as topic-based authoring goes mainstream.
Jackson, Chad and David Houlihan. Aberdeen Group (2008). Resources>Documentation>Information Design>Technical Writing
#36281
Color Theory Quick Reference Poster
It’s always good to be able to articulate design choices to your clients; why you put something where, why you chose the color scheme you did, etc. This knowledge is one of the biggest differences between a designer and a non-designer. But there is a lot to remember when it comes to the realm of graphic design – so much so that it’s pretty much impossible to remember everything from all the theories of graphic design, to web design best practices to Photoshop keyboard shortcuts. With that in mind, I decided it would be useful for me to have all of the basics of color theory contained in one place – specifically, a cool infographic-esque poster.
Paper Leaf (2010). Resources>Document Design>Graphic Design>Color
#25837
CyberText Consulting: Newsletter/Blog
Lots of hints and tips for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, AuthorIT, etc.; cool URLs; interesting book reviews; pet peeves; and whatever else piques my interest.
Bracey, Rhonda. CyberText Consulting. Resources>TC>Document Design>Blogs
#21884
A directory of websites about desktop publishing, fonts, services and software.
#31582
This blog discusses documents and information designs “in the wild" - especially those that are exceptionally good or exceptionally bad.
Doc or Die. Resources>Documentation>Information Design>Blogs
#29375
Exploring Information Design and Development
Known to write a script or two to automate repetitive tasks like help builds, she also likes to write posts about XML-based information models like Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA). She often experiments with online help technology, enjoys writing blog entries, and wants to find new ways to use communication to help people understand technical solutions to complex problems.
Gentle, Anne. BMC Software (2007). Resources>Information Design>Documentation>Blogs
#12978
Anstelle einer interaktiven Site-Übersicht finden Sie hier das Inhaltsverzeichnis mit Kurzbeschreibungen zu den jeweiligen Rubriken. Das ist für mich einfach besser und schneller zu pflegen und ist deshalb immer aktuell. Für Unterstützung in der Navigation, der Bedienung und der Suche können Sie eine kleine Hilfe aufrufen.
#18793
This site contains links of interest to users of Adobe FrameMaker, the industry-leading tool for creating long or complex technical documents. Paired with Quadralay's WebWorks Publisher, it is also an excellent tool for single source solutions that involve some combination of print or PDF, online Help, and Web-based information.
Knopf Online. Resources>Document Design>Software>Adobe FrameMaker
#23457
I modified the FrameMaker template browser to display our department's templates rather than the generic ones that come with the software. The writers no longer have to dig through the company's folder structure to find the template they need.
Henkel, Rick. Docspages. Resources>Document Design>Software>Adobe FrameMaker
#25418
Scripts and tools provided for FrameMaker users.
Natebus, Karsten. Natebus.de (2003). (German) Resources>Document Design>Software>Adobe FrameMaker
#33924
Free Microsoft PowerPoint Templates
Our templates are free and we do not offer any kind of support for our templates. You are responsible for editing and modifying the downloaded templates, backgrounds or products.
Kumar, Raja. PowerPoint.in (2009). Resources>Presentations>Document Design>Microsoft PowerPoint
#35844
Free PowerPoint templates for PowerPoint and Office 2007. PowerPoint templates are preformatted PowerPoint designs with background, with font sizes and layout applied. Recommended slide transitions, font use, as well as text animation effects are also assigned within the PowerPoint templates.
Michael, John W. 123ppt.com (2009). Resources>Presentations>Document Design>Microsoft PowerPoint
#21583
Templates for Quark products to create newsletters, business cards, brochures, and other documents.
#36011
How to Bring Web 2.0 to User Assistance (and Vice-Versa)
In Conversation and Community: The Social Web for Documentation, Anne Gentle offers tips for mashing up user-generated content with user assistance, including ways to bring Web 2.0 to user assistance, and vice-versa.
Mulligan, Peg. PegMulligan.com (2009). Resources>Documentation>Web Design>Help
#14061
A How to Write a Project Proposal 
Writing a good proposal is a very important tool for organizing time and resources to complete a project which fully realizes your objectives. Whether the proposal is done as a PQP for credit separate from the one-unit project, or as the first fraction of credit towards the one-unit requirement, a project proposal will be invaluable in structuring your ideas about carrying out your research and writing your conclusions. Some faculty use it as an informal 'Contract' to establish an agreement about the content and limits of the final project report. Also, since the project proposal is a widely used communications tool in the professional world, you will have the advantage of learning what goes into a proposal as part of your undergraduate education.
Worchester Polytechnic Institute (1999). Resources>Document Design>Proposals>Africa
#33871
If you try to find reliable information about InDesign on the Web you’ll find yourself scouring Adobe’s site or muddling through dozens of other sites for a tip or two. Now that you’ve found InDesign Secrets, it’s time to stop all that muddling.
InDesign Secrets. Resources>Document Design>Blogs>Adobe InDesign
#31206
The InDesigner video podcast showcases the power of InDesign to automate repetitive tasks, improve productivity and build unprecedented flexibility into the design process. The InDesigner is dedicated to empowering designers to understand and embrace concepts and features that will transform how they work and allow them to both meet their deadlines and satisfy their creative passion.
Murphy, Michael. InDesigner, The. Resources>Document Design>Video>Screencasts
#28099
The documents below demonstrate different types of writing or writing for different purposes.
Pearson Education (2005). Resources>Business Communication>Document Design
#27595
Moving from Unstructured to FrameMaker Plus DITA
This page provides some answers to the question 'What resources would you recommend for someone moving from unstructured Frame to Frame+DITA?' Carla Martinek, Translation Coordinator/Editor, started making this list in response to a CMS question on the FrameMaker+DITA listserv, and thought it would be worth sharing.
KeyContent.org (2006). Resources>Document Design>Software>Adobe FrameMaker
#19211
Open Directory Project: Desktop Publishing
A directory of dozens of online resources in desktop publishing.
#25182
InfoSourcing's Persona based documentation approach allows our technical writers to prioritize their writing tasks and document the product to end users, who is going to use the product ..."
Sarjapur, Harsha. Info Sourcing (2005). Resources>Documentation>User Centered Design>Personas
#26010
Photoshop Tutorial: How to Preserve Spot Colours in Photoshop
How many times have you wondered why, no matter how much you save spot colours in other applications, you cannot preserve a spot color in Photoshop? There is a way of course, and this is what this article will cover. This tutorial has been made using Photoshop CS for Mac, but it should be OK also for previous versions of Photoshop up to version 6, and of course also for whoever has the Windows version of Photoshop. This is not the only method to use spot colors in Photoshop, but it is a simple one which you could find useful.
Bruno, Elisabetta. About.com (2005). Resources>Document Design>Prepress
#25805
Prepress Tutorial: Preparing PDFs Made from Microsoft Word for Offset Printing
You just received this wonderful PDF from one of your clients. It was made from Word. On top of that, the client who gave you that PDF wants you to make some changes to the text. How do you make those changes using the PDF itself and what do you have to do to make that PDF press ready?
Bruno, Elisabetta. Designorati (2005). Resources>Document Design>Prepress>Adobe Acrobat
#37156
Putting Your Best Font Forward: Typography and Page Design for the Rest of Us
Typography plays an important role in your personal and professional life. More and more, what you say is not perceived through the tone of your voice, facial expressions, or gestures, but through words that you type. Your type is competing with everyone else’s type for attention, so you’d better bring your a-game.
Opsteegh, Michael. Putting Your Best Font Forward. Resources>Document Design>Typography>Blogs
