Design and Layout in Illustrated Documents: Towards a Model of Genre

Judy DelinUniversity of Stirling

John BatemanUniversity of Bremen

Patrick AllenUniversity of Bradford

Overview

Background to the project

What is document genre?

Rhetorical structure in document design

Some worked examples of genre description

Conclusions and directions

Background to the Project

GeM: Genre and Multimodality

Genre model of illustrated document types

Close work with designers and layout professionals

Practical constraints on design tasks

Aimed at generating and transforming sample layouts by computer

Levels of Description: Waller (1987)

Topic structure ‘typographic effects whose purposeis to display information about the author’s argument – the purpose of the discourse’

Artefact structure ‘those features of a typographic display that result from the physical nature of the document or display and its production technology’

Access structure ‘those features that serve to make the document usable by readers and the status of its components clear’

Levels of Description: Bateman et al. 2000

Content Structure the structure of the informationto be communicated

Rhetorical Structure the rhetorical relationships between content elements, the ‘argument’

Navigation Structure the ways in which the intendedmode(s) of consumption of the document is/are supported

Layout Structure the nature, appearance and position of elements on the page

Genre is constituted in...

The necessity to satisfy goals at these levels, and to address constraints:

Canvas constraints arising out of the physicalnature of the object

Production constraints arising out of the productiontechnology

Consumption constraints arising out of the way in whichthe object is mediated/consumed

Rhetorical Structure in Document Design

How the content is argued and presented:

Statement:evidenceCategory: exampleAction: purposeList element: list element

Documents should be structured to preserve and signpost these relationships (see e.g. Schriver 1997)

The notion of genre

Every text both reflects and constructs its genre

Genre boundaries erode and move; genres colonize one another; expectations change

Description of genre ‘space’ that allows all to be related as a set of parameters of variation

Generating examples out of the ‘space’ allows creation of novel text designs as well as production of existinggenre examples

Rhetorical Structure in Document Design

nucleus satellite multinuclear

Rhetorical structure theory (Mann and Thompson 1987)

background

elaboration

elaboration

concession

money to be reinvested in castle

many visitors

elaboration

elaboration background

Offer of sale of Black

Cuillins

purpose

repair of castle that is clan seat

Cuillins is an important

area

Cuillins history, geology,

name

decision to sell very difficult

MP criticises

sale

Cuillins includes coasts,

rivers, etc.

elaboration

partnership to buy

decision economic

elaboration elaboration

price is high

sellers confident

(no Disney land)

good deal for

Skye

Figure 3: RST analysis of Cuillins article

The Guardian

Police action against black farm squatters ruled out

E-bookers advert

Booby- trap farm murder

Farmer picture

Ministers’ Pre-school cash boost

Teasers

Link to Art stor y

General index 3.19b

3.21; 3.22

Folio

cartoon

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4 3.5 3.6

3.7 3.8

3.11

3.9

3.10

3.12

3.13

3.14

3.15

3.16

3.17

3.18

3.20 3.23 3.19a

Figure 4. Terminal layout elements of the Guardian Front page, April 11th, 2000.

On the brink, page 3 Special report and audio dispatch from Chris McGreal in Harare at www. newsunlimited .co. uk / zimbabwe

Figure 5. Linking material concerning Zimbabwe on Guardian front page

Zimbabwe on the brink

Zimbabwe’s whites lift their heads above the parapet: ‘Some of our guys want to kill…’

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

4.5

4.6 4.7

4.8 4.9 4.10

4.11

4.12

4.14

4.13 Conspiracy

Gunpoint 4.15

Key:

4.1 Page caption 4.2 Photo of 'poor blacks' 4.3 Caption: 'Dozens of white-owned farms in

Zimbabwe have been occupied by poor blacks claiming the land as their own, with the support of Robert Mugabe's government, as the country's political crisis deepens'

4.4 Photograph: Marion Herud 4.5 Headline 4.6 By-line: 'Chris McGreal in Wedza, Zimbabwe' 4.7 Map of Zimbabwe in context of bordering

countries, inset of position of Harare 4.8 Quotation: 'I am not a party political person but

things are so bad I had to get involved. If democracy does not return, the economy of this country will collapse'. 'Monty' Montgomery, white ex-policeman

4.9 Crosshead: 'Gunpoint' 4.10 Text of article 4.11 'Links: http://www.mdc.co.zw Movement for

Democratic Change' 4.12 Advert for charity 4.13 Crosshead: 'Conspiracy' 4.14 Photo caption: 'Morgan Tsvangirai, head of the

opposition MDC: white support is crucial to his attempt to topple Robert Mugabe'

4.15 Inset photo of Morgan Tsvangirai

Figure 6. Guardian printed edition, page 3 coverage of events in Zimbabwe

4.2 ‘poor blacks’ photo

stage-setting 4.7 MAP

supplementary elaboration

Zimbabwe report on website

White farms threatened by black war vets

Zim . govt. rules out police intervention

EU decides to continue aid for time being

Views of EU states

elaboration

elaboration

elaboration (report from Brux .)

White political, economic situation

views of blacks

background

White involvement in Movement for Democratic Change

Degree of involve- ment

Attitudes to situation

MDC website

elaboration (report from Zimbabwe)

elaboration

elaboration elaboration

background Material on front page

Material on page 3 Link on front page to website

Link on page 3 to website

elaboration

Farms being taken, Some whites leaving, great economic damage

crosshead : ‘gunpoint’ crosshead : ‘conspiracy’

Figure 7: Rhetorical Structure Analysis: Zimbabwe material, The Guardian, 11 April 2000

4.1 page content

pic 4.5 text

4.2 4.3 inset 4.8 4.7 article

4.6 body 4.11

4.10a 4.10b 4.10c

4.14 4.15

picture caption map quote

caption WWW

gunpoint conspiracy

headline

page caption

picture by-line

Figure 8. Layout structure for page 3 of Guardian

Summary

Rhetorical structure is important, but can be subverted by practical issues

Practical constraints must therefore be part of the description of genre

Practical constraints differ between genres

Close work with designers, as well as documentconsumers, must be part of academic research