Designing the Program For InterChange 2015

Next Friday, I'll attend the Society for Technical Communication New England Chapter's InterChange conference for the first time. Every year, technical communicators from all over New England convene at this conference to network, share ideas, and present strategies to develop the profession.

The chapter's president, Nancy Allison, contacted me and asked me if I could design the program for the conference. I have been using Adobe InDesign these past few months to make an electronic cookbook, and I wanted to put my design skills into practice for another medium so I jumped at the opportunity. Former chapter president Emily Alfson, whom I met at the Society for Technical Communication's Summit 2014, will send me the details so I can construct this program.

I always had a passion for good document design. Last week, at the New England Chapter's Scribbling Tipplers meeting at Waxy O'Connor's Irish Pub in Lexington, Massachusetts, I noted that my menu and Nancy's menu had two different designs to convey the same information. Moreover, it appeared that they were two different editions, and nobody at the restaurant seemed to notice this error. The column widths were not consistent and some of the ornaments on the page obscured the text, see below.

For InterChange 2015, I will make a uniform, easy-to-scan, easy-to-read document that fits within the New England Chapter's ethos of being the go-to place for technical communication professionals, and keep its identity as part of the Society for Technical Communication intact. I'll post it in my writing samples when it's finally completed.