1 - Introduction ~5 mins
Welcome
A document can say all the right things and still look unfinished. Today you learn four design principles that make a page feel clear and professional: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity (often remembered as CRAP). You will fix a rough sample first, then redesign one of your own Something Real documents so a real reader can scan it in seconds.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Apply Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity (CRAP) to a document
- Improve visual hierarchy and whitespace for a professional feel
- Revise one existing portfolio document using design principles
Warm-up
In pairs, 30 seconds each: name one document that looked professional and one that looked messy (a flyer, WhatsApp graphic, school notice, or Work Experience handout). What pulled your eye first: a bold title, clear spacing, or a tidy layout? You will use the same idea on your own portfolio work today.
Need a document later? If you do not yet have a finished SM1 Something Real document, you will personalise today's sample and still save a full redesign as {{code:sm1_doc5_crap_applied.docx}}.
2 - Key Concepts ~6 mins
These four principles come from Robin Williams' design guide The Non-Designer's Design Book. You do not need fancy tools. You need deliberate choices about size, consistency, edges, and space.
CRAP in one sentence: make the important thing stand out (Contrast), keep choices consistent (Repetition), line things up (Alignment), and group related content with space between groups (Proximity).
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast — make important elements clearly different (size, weight, or colour) | Readers decide in seconds what matters; weak contrast forces them to hunt | 22 pt bold title vs 11 pt body |
| Repetition — reuse the same fonts, heading sizes, colours, and spacing rules | Consistency makes a document feel intentional rather than thrown together | Same Heading 2 on every section label |
| Alignment — line elements up to a shared edge instead of placing them at random | Aligned edges calm the page and make scanning faster | All body text flush to one left margin |
| Proximity — group related items close together; leave clear space between groups | Space tells the reader what belongs together without extra words | Name, phone, email as one tight block |
Glance back at the table during the demo if you forget a name. The live messy-to-clean flyer is the real teacher.
3 - Step-by-step Task ~15 mins
Open the messy one-page sample Saturday Skills Swap (already typed for you as {{code:sm1_crap_demo.docx}}). Apply Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity so the page feels professional. This is the model for the portfolio document you will redesign next. Keep the finished demo in {{code:Project_Portfolio/09_specialism/sm1/01_drafts}} and leave it open beside your later redesign.
4 - Common Issues ~4 mins
Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| I changed five fonts and three colours and it still looks messy | Reset to two fonts maximum (or one font family with bold for headings). Pick one accent colour. CRAP is restraint, not decoration. |
| My page has huge empty regions and still feels cramped in places | Use paragraph spacing and clear section gaps, not random blank lines. Group related lines tightly, then put one deliberate gap between sections. |
| Heading styles look different from my classmate's | That is fine if each heading level is consistent inside your own document. Check that every Heading 2 matches the others in size, weight, and colour. |
| I cannot find Align left or paragraph spacing | In Word Online use the Home ribbon: alignment icons and the Line and paragraph spacing control (1.15, then Add space after paragraph). Layout Before/After fields are an optional backup only if they appear. In Google Docs use the toolbar align icons and {{menu:Format -> Line & paragraph spacing}}. |
5 - Independent Practice ~20 mins
Independent Practice
Extension file types only if your page is already simple: short newsletter, light table page, or mail-merge letter. If your page is denser than the demo, still do only the four checklist moves on title, headings, left edge, and section gaps — do not rebuild the whole layout.
If you have no finished SM1 document: open {{code:sm1_crap_demo.docx}}, make a copy, personalise it as a notice for your Something Real project (real title, date/place, roles, and your contact details), apply the same CRAP moves, and save that copy as {{code:sm1_doc5_crap_applied.docx}} in {{code:03_finished}}.
Do this checklist (match {{code:sm1_crap_demo.docx}}):
- Strengthen the title versus body (size and bold)
- Use the same style on every section heading
- Left-align body text to one shared edge
- Group related lines tightly and add deliberate space between sections
Same moves, different page: on a newsletter, strengthen the masthead title and match section labels; on a letter, strengthen the subject or opening line and group the address or sign-off block.
If the clock is tight: land a stronger title, matching headings, and one tight contact or facts block — that already reads more professional than the draft you started with.
- {{code:sm1_doc5_crap_applied.docx}} is saved in {{code:Project_Portfolio/09_specialism/sm1/03_finished}} (copy of a real project document, or a personalised Skills Swap notice if that was your fallback)
- A reader can tell the title, section headings, and body apart at a glance (clear hierarchy)
- Headings, fonts, and spacing choices feel consistent across the page rather than random
- Related details sit together and sections have deliberate breathing room between them
Unlock the full learning experience
You're previewing this lesson. Get full access to this lesson and hundreds more — each one ready to teach, with interactive activities, printable resources and pupil progress tracking built in.
This lesson is copyright of Coding Ireland 2017 - 2025. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.