The Visual

Hypertext also allows authors to create visually aesthetic text and text blocks. Color and formatting (font size, style, type; placement on the page, etc.) can create a powerful visual communication that parallels the textual communication. Again, this is great fun. But please read a few words of warning.

Your ideas for the visual may occurbefore or as you compose, but if you are an early-stage composer for the screen you should try only to execute them once you have completed the bulk of your content. The spending of too time working on the visual presentation is so seductive (and so creatively satisfying!) that you can easily run out of time to develop your content. Any composer for the screen runs this risk/pleasure, but new authors are more easily sucked into the screen as art object than most. Without relevant content, a visually exciting presentation offers little meaning

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