What's the best way to keep a viewers attention for a long manifesto from a design perspective?

October 23, 2009 12:41 PM

What's the best way to keep a viewers attention for a long manifesto from a design perspective? What elements/techniques within the document could be used?

I'm working on a project where the author is trying to convey a very motivating yet esoteric idea in a manifesto. The text is good but it's a long single web page that I'm may be seen as too long. From a design perspective, what's the best way to keep the viewer's attention?

posted by brokekid to media & arts (7 comments total)

Pull quotes.

Large leading, narrower columns, serif typeface for body and sans serif for subheadings, will increase readability.
posted by orthogonality at 1:05 PM on October 23 [1 favorite has favorites]

You're asking essentially what good design & typography is about.
posted by artdrectr at 1:21 PM on October 23

Non-shortened URL, copied from artdrectr, but I'd agree more with orthogonality: you need something to break it up, and unless there are intentional breaks in the writing, it's hard to force a shift in typography (though the pulls should have distinct formatting). Here is a page on block and pull quotes, with examples of formatting.

Otherwise, you could provide links to related topics or writings, making those important words or phrases stand out in your choice of link text features (which is more of the tyopgraphy and design end of things).
posted by filthy light thief at 2:25 PM on October 23

Pictures that illustrate (especially comparing) the points the author is trying to make. Thousand words and all that.
posted by trinity8-director at 2:39 PM on October 23

Doing it in the style of La prose du Transsibérien et de la Petite Jehanne de France?
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 3:36 PM on October 23

Adding flashiness will only delude you as more of the illiterate hordes stay longer before forgetting any thoughts of substance as they always do.
posted by vsync at 1:44 AM on October 24

First, get to the point (your solution) quickly. That is what your clients/viewers really want to know. Once you do that they will be much more willing to read the justifications.

Use images (illustrations of your points) and pull quotes to punctuate the text. Break the long text up visually so it will be easier to ingest.

Edit, edit, and edit again. Cull your "manifesto" down to its essentials. Use Subheads to separate and easily identify each idea/section.

Then edit it again.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 5:47 AM on October 24