Military Publications

Design and Production of INSTRUCTIONAL PUBLICATIONS

By Order of the Secretary of the Army:

CARL E. VUONO
General, United States Army
Chief of Staff

Official:

WILLIAM J. MEEHAN II
Brigadier General, United States Army
The Adjutant General

History. This publication has been organized to make it compatible with the

Army electronic publishing database. No content has been changed.

Summary. This pamphlet applies to publications that are part of the Armywide Doctrinal and Training Literature Program (ADTLP). It is for use by all visual information specialists (VISs), illustrators, phototypesetter operators and all other production team members who produce ADTL publications. It covers design and production of these publications and explains the roles of the design and production team. Changes to this pamphlet are not official unless authenticated by The Adjutant General.

Applicability. Not Applicable.

Proponent and exception authority. The proponent agency of this pamphlet is

the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.

Suggested Improvements. Submit changes for improving this publication on DA FormDA FormDepartment of the Army form 2028 (Recommended Changes to Publications and Blank Forms) to Commander, U.S. Army Training Support Center, ATTN: ATIC-ETL-D, Fort Eustis, VA 23604-5168.

This pamphlet contains copyrighted material.

Distribution. To be distributed in accordance with DA FormDA FormDepartment of the Army form 12-9A-R. Block 204, 205.

Active Army: D, E.
ARNGARNGArmy National Guard: D, E.
USARUSARUnited States Army Reserve: D, E.

Instructional publications do not merely communicate information as magazines and newspapers often do; nor do they serve as reference documents full of raw data like catalogs. Military instructional publications impart knowledge soldiers need to retain if they are to fight and win. A. GENERAL People who produce instructional publications must be capable of performing more than the usual graphic arts requirements. They must exercise their knowledge of motivational factors and, in effect, analyze the project almost as they would if they were teaching a class. That means giving full consideration to three basic requirements:

To produce effective instructional publications, the VIS must successfully blend four ingredients—format, typography, graphics, and color when used.

Designing any literature is a challenge, but designing instructional publications is one of the greatest challenges for print media Visual Information Specialists (VIS). Design is not simply a beauty treatment where all that is necessary is to put words together with some illustrations. Design is a whole process that relates facts, ideas, concepts, and doctrine with people. Well-designed publications don’t just happen by accident. One of the reasons why instructional publications present such an exciting challenge is that there are so many more factors to consider than with other types of publications. For example, a well-designed instructional publication will assist the reader in the following ways: • Emphasize important points. • Highlight important elements. • Provide the means for rapid outlining of information. • Provide for fast-scanning of contents. • Contain portions that have been planned to jog the memory. • Provide for clarification of complicated portions. • Aid retention of key information. • Have speedy reference capabilities. The design procedure consists of two stages-planning the design and application of the design when preparing the comprehensive dummy. A. PLANNING THE DESIGN When planning the design, the VIS reads the manuscript to become familiar with it, the audience, and the publication’s intended use. After consulting with the writer and editor, the VIS determines the size of the publication and the basic format to use.

This appendix contains some of the specifications and rationale for the design of this publication. When applicable, the information and recommendations presented in the book itself were followed. The reader may be interested in knowing why a particular approach was taken when a number of options existed. Hopefully, the explanations and accompanying graphics will clarify any questions that might arise.

Foch, Ferdinand. The Principles of War. New York: H. K. Fly, 1918. Green, Ronald E. “Communicating With Color.” Audio-Visual Communications (November 1978): 14. Gregory, M., and E.C. Poulton. “Even Versus Uneven Right Margins and the Rate of Comprehension in Reading.” Ergonomics 13 (1970): 427-434. Griffing, H., and S.I. Franz. “The Conditions of Fatigue in Reading.” Psychological Review 3 (September 1896): 513-530. Howze, Hamilton H. Howze on Training. Fort Benning, GA: CONARC Board for Dynamic Training, 1971. Kleper, Michael L. The Illustrated Dictionary of Typographic Communication. Rochester, NY: Technical and Educa-tion Center of the Graphic Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology, 1983. Lem, Dean Phillip. Graphic Master 2. Los Angeles, CA: Dean Lem Associcates, 1977. Lieberman, J. Ben. Type and Typefaces. New Rochelle, NY: The Myriade Press, 1978. Quick, John. Artists’ and Illustrators’ Encyclopedia. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1969. Rehe, Rolf F. Typography: How to Make It Most Legible. Carmel, IN: Design Research International, 1981. Sydlowski, William. “Improve Business With Ergonomics.” Graphic Arts Monthly (October 1983).