Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2013

Visual Design Principles: An Empirical Study of Design Lore

Miles A. Kimball Texas Tech University

Abstract

Many books, designers, and design educators talk about visual design principles such as balance, contrast, and alignment, but with little consistency. This study uses empirical methods to explore the lore surrounding design principles. The study took the form of two stages: a quantitative literature review to determine what design principles are mentioned most often in discourse on design, and a card sorting exercise to explore the relationships designers, design educators, and design students saw among the most common design principles. Along with the card sorting exercise, I used pre- and post-exercise surveys to gauge how participants felt and thought about design principles and their use in design practice.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2013-01-01
DOI
10.2190/tw.43.1.b
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
Topics
discourse analysis empirical research
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

  1. Meloncon et al. (2019)
    Empirical Research in Technical and Professional Communication: A 5-Year Examin…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Kessler et al. (2018)
    Terminal node problems: ANT 2.0 and prescription drug labels
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Sánchez (2017)
    The Roles of Technical Communication Researchers in Design Scholarship
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Graham (2017)
    Data and lore in technical communication research: guest editorial
    Communication Design Quarterly
  5. Kascak et al. (2013)
    Icon design to improve communication of health information to older adults
    Communication Design Quarterly

References (79) · 4 in this index

  1. Jackson F. G. (1891)
    Lessons on Decorative Design
  2. Nielsen J., Jakob Nielsen on Usability and Web Design, 1995. Available online at http://useit.com
  3. Barnum C. M. (2002)
    Usability Testing and Research
  4. Johnson R. R. (1998)
    User-Centered Technology: A Rhetorical Theory for Computers and Other Mundane Artifacts
  5. Johnson (2010)
    The Ubiquity Paradox: Further Thinking on the Concept of User Centeredness
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Show all 79 →
  1. Nielsen J., Heuristic Evaluation, 2005. Available online at http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/
  2. Design Principles & Practices, An International Journal, 2011. Available online at http://designprinciplesand…
  3. Williams B. O. (2005)
    International Journal of Instructional Media
  4. 10.1162/desi.2008.24.3.85
     ↗
  5. 10.2307/3193559
     ↗
  6. North S. M. (1987)
    The Making of Knowledge in Composition: Portrait of an Emerging Field
  7. 10.18848/1833-1874/CGP/v04i04/37935
     ↗
  8. 10.18848/1833-1874/CGP/v03i01/37586
     ↗
  9. Brown R. M. (1989)
    Journal of Information Systems
  10. Rosario R. A. M. (2009)
    Journal of Information Systems Education
  11. 10.18848/1833-1874/CGP/v03i01/37587
     ↗
  12. Anderson E. (2010)
    Interact with Web Standards: A Holistic Approach to Web Design
  13. Faigley L. (2004)
    Picturing Texts
  14. Lynch P. J. (2009)
    Web Style Guide: Basic Principles for Creating Web Sites
  15. Selleck J. (1975)
    Contrast
  16. Ball C. E. (2004)
    IX Visual Exercises
  17. Gatto J. A. (1975)
    Emphasis
  18. McClurg-Genevese J., The Principles of Design, Digital Web Magazine, June 2005. Available online at http://ww…
  19. Skaalid B., Classic Graphic Design Theory, 1999. Available online at http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework…
  20. Batchelder E. A. (1904)
    The Principles of Design
  21. Graham L. (2002)
    Basics of Design: Layout and Typography for Beginners
  22. Meggs P. R. (1982)
    Type & Image: The Language of Graphic Design
  23. Stewart M. (2005)
    Launching the Imagination
  24. Beaird J. (2010)
    The Principles of Beautiful Web Design
  25. Hashimoto A. (2007)
    Visual Design Fundamentals: A Digital Approach
  26. Odell L. (2004)
    Writing in a Visual Age
  27. 10.1002/9781118255759
     ↗
  28. Bear J. H., Principles of Design Definitions. Available online at http://desktoppub.about.com/od/designprinci…
  29. Horn G. F. (1975)
    Balance and Unity
  30. Palmquist M. (2005)
    Designing Writing, A Practical Guide
  31. Webb J. (2010)
    Design Principles
  32. Berger B. (2007)
    International Journal of the Humanities
  33. Kimball M. (2008)
    Document Design: A Guide for Technical Communicators
  34. Peterson B. (1996)
    Using Design Basics to Get Creative Results
  35. White A. W. (2002)
    The Elements of Graphic Design: Space, Unity, Page Architecture, and Type
  36. Brainard S. (2006)
    A Design Manual
  37. Kostelnick C. (1998)
    Designing Visual Language: Strategies for Professional Communicators
  38. 10.1080/23796529.2010.11674679
     ↗
  39. Williams R. (1994)
    The Non-Designer's Design Book: Design and Typographic Principles for the Visual Novice
  40. Bringhurst R. (2004)
    The Elements of Typographic Style
  41. Lauer D. A. (1985)
    Design Basics
  42. Porter A. W. (1975)
    Pattern
  43. Williams R. (2010)
    The Non-Designer's Presentation Book: Principles for Effective Presentation Design
  44. 10.1076/csed.13.1.67.13538
     ↗
  45. Lauer D. A. (2007)
    Design Basics
  46. 10.5040/9781350089037
     ↗
  47. Wong W. (1993)
    Principles of Form and Design
  48. Chen Y. T., Cai D., Huang H. F., and Kuo J., An Evaluation Model for Graphic Design Works, 2003. Available on…
  49. Leborg C. (2006)
    Visual Grammar
  50. Reynolds G. (2009)
    Presentation Zen Design: Simple Design Principles and Techniques to Enhance Your Presentations
  51. 10.1016/j.compedu.2009.08.008
     ↗
  52. Dondis D. A. (1973)
    A Primer of Visual Literacy
  53. Lidwell W. (2003)
    Universal Principles of Design
  54. Rhead G. W. (1905)
    The Principles of Design
  55. Zelanski P. (1995)
    Design Principles and Problems
  56. Evans P. (2003)
    Exploring the Elements of Design
  57. Lupton E. (2006)
    DIY: Design It Yourself
  58. Schriver K. A. (1997)
    Dynamics in Document Design
  59. Lupton E. (2008)
    Graphic Design: The New Basics
  60. Nielsen J., Card Sorting: How Many Users to Test, 2004. Available online at http://www.useit.com/alertbox/200…
  61. Spencer D. (2009)
    Card Sorting: Designing Usable Categories
  62. Tullis T. and Wood L., How Many Users Are Enough for a Card-Sorting Study? 2004. Available online at http://h…
  63. Puskula A., Card Sort Cluster Analysis Tool 1.1, User Point, 2011. Available online at http://www.userpoint.f…
  64. 10.1002/9780470417409
     ↗
  65. 10.1002/9780470316801
     ↗
  66. Wilkinson L. (2009)
    Cluster Analysis, SYSTAT 13: Statistics I II III IV
  67. Romesburg H. C. (1984)
    Cluster Analysis for Researchers
  68. Tan P.-N. (2006)
    Introduction to Data Mining
  69. Becker L., 90% of All Usability Testing is Useless, 2004. Available online at http://www.adaptivepath.com/ide…
  70. Kimball M. A. The Web Portfolio Guide, Longman, New York, 183 pp. 2003.
  71. Kimball (2005)
    Database e-portfolio systems: A critical appraisal
    Computers and Composition
  72. Kimball (2006)
    Cars, Culture, and Tactical Technical Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  73. Kimball (2006)
    London through Rose-Colored Graphics: Visual Rhetoric and Information Graphic D…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  74. Kimball M. A. Document Design: Information Design for Technical Communicators, with Hawkins Ann R., Bedford/S…
CrossRef global citation count: 37 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Written Communication Feb 2026
    Rhetoric and Affect: The Role of Faith in Student Writers’ Wayfinding ↗
    Amy D. Williams; Jonathan Ostenson
    rhetorical criticism discourse analysis empirical research affect and writing
  2. Assessing Writing Jan 2026
    Assessing the effects of explicit coherence instruction on EFL students’ integrated writing performance ↗
    Xi Li; Mo Chen
    discourse analysis writing pedagogy graduate education teacher development assessment empirical research multilingual writers
  3. Res Rhetorica Oct 2025
    Walls, borders, and the rhetoric of fear: A longitudinal study of Trump’s campaign addresses ↗
    Alma Vančura
    rhetorical criticism discourse analysis empirical research public rhetoric
  4. The Peer Review Sep 2025
    The Writing Center as a Rebel Space: Stories of Tutoring and Writing with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ↗
    Ghada Seifeddine
    discourse analysis teacher development writing centers peer tutoring empirical research multimodality literacy studies race and writing disability studies editorial matter
  5. Argumentation Aug 2025
    Informal Formative Assessment in Argumentation-Based Science Education: A Micro-Analytic Investigation of Teachers’ Pedagogical Practices ↗
    Metin Sardag; Gultekin Cakmakci
    discourse analysis writing pedagogy argument assessment professional writing empirical research qualitative research