In writing and presenting any type of written or visual work, writers must take into account "document design strategy" or the choices they make in formatting their work. The four key components that need to be considered are the argument the writer is making, the audience to whom he or she intends to present his or her work, the medium he or she will use (such as an essay, website, or video), and the form or layout of the work. These decisions deal with decorum or "appropriateness." Certain document design strategies are appropriate for certain types of arguments, audiences, media, and form. Cicero defined decorum within three levels of style, which are grand, middle, and plain- grand, being a sophisticated style meant to move the audience, middle style that is less colloquial but persuades the audience by pleasing them, and plain which is the style used in everyday conversations. The reading selection begins with document design of academic writing and the use of abstracts and bios to appeal to the audience. Then the combination of writing and visuals are discussed, leading into designing visual arguments. Visual arguments can be opinion advertisements, photo essays, Websites, or montages that present an argument through multiple media (text, visual, sound, etc.).
For the multimodal assignment the major focus is on the visual argument, the video. However, there is also a written component, the essay, and a media, most likely a website, to present the visual. The essay will require a grand style of decorum with a fixed format to present to the audience, Mr. Stowe. Document design will rely largely on written rhetorical devices. The website, on the other hand, could use a middle or plain style with flexibility regarding the format. Both visuals and text will be used so both can aid in presenting logos, pathos, and ethos to the audience. Where the website has certain standards such as creating a homepage and topic pages, the video has more room for creativity. Text, images, and audio will all be incorporated into the video to present the intended argument. With the video, a middle or plain style can be used.
Whether in writing the essay, formatting the website, or creating the video, document design strategies must be contemplated in order to create an appropriate and effective work of rhetoric. But in so doing, the argument, audience, media, and form need to be clearly outlined.
