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This
page contains samples
from representative
publications I’ve
designed, written, and
produced. (These are
fragments only, not
complete or finished
publications.) In some
cases, these projects
may incorporate
elements contributed
by others. Effective
assistance materials
are always a
collaborative effort,
and in a team
environment there are
limits to what a
person can claim
individual credit for.
What I’ve tried to
do is show a range of
presentation
strategies from
projects where the
overall conception and
execution has been my
own.
Software
application online
help
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Answering
the question
“How do I do
it?” for
software users
is the task of
the user’s
guide and the
online help.
Click the icon
at left to
view sample
topics from
an online
help file I created for
a best-selling
PL/SQL
development
tool. The
target
audience is
experienced
PL/SQL
developers.
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Quick-reference
guides
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Requires Adobe Reader. |
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Because it is compact and focused, a
well-designed 1 or 2 page quick reference guide is often more
helpful than a big fat user manual. Click the image at left to view
a group of quick
reference guides that I designed. Each one fits on a single
sheet of paper, front and back.
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Advertising
design and copywriting
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samples will open in a
separate, auto-closing
window.
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Here
are a couple
of ideas for
print ads I
worked up for
a former
employer. He
liked them,
but said there
was no budget
for
advertising. I
guess there
wasn’t—the
company went
bankrupt a few
months after I
left.
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I suggested
this ad to
another
employer, but
again there
was no budget
for
advertising.
My
idea was that
these ideas
would be
turned over to
a professional
commercial art
studio for
execution.
Ad
design is not
within the
normal range
of activities
for a
technical
writer, but
that is no
reason not to
try think of
ways to be
helpful in
this area.
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Sales &
marketing material
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samples will open in a
separate, auto-closing
window.
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This
was my design
and copy for a
two-sided
glossy sheet
for direct
mail and sales
call use. l’ve
scanned this
from a low-res
ink-jet draft
print; the
final version
would have
been
commercially
printed at
high
resolution.
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Customer and
employee newsletters
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samples will open in a
separate, auto-closing
window.
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Newsletters
and similar
publications
can help build
team spirit
within an
organization,
or serve as
useful forums
for informal
communications
between
vendors and
users.
Here
are three
newsletters I’ve
designed,
edited, and
composed using
(respectively)
Quark Xpress
on Apple O/S,
Microsoft Word
on Windows,
and FrameMaker
on UNIX as
publishing
platforms.
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Corporate
communications
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samples will open in a
separate, auto-closing
window.
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This
booklet
introduced a
new corporate
health and
safety
initiative at
Telstra. The
cover is not my
design!
I did most of
the writing
and editing
for these
booklets (of
which there
were four) in
close
collaboration
with Telstra
staff, the
consultants
that I
represented,
and a
commercial
graphics
bureau.
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Web page
design
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To
date, my Web
designs have
been mainly
independent,
just-for-fun
projects, but
I would be
delighted to
help build a
commercial Web
presence.
The
site you are
now viewing is
one example of
my web-design
capability. To
visit another
example, click
the image at
left.
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Presentation
graphics
These
samples will open in a
separate, auto-closing
window.
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A
simple diagram
can sometimes
convey complex
processes
better than
words can to a
non-technical
audience. This
diagram is
from a sales
proposal for a
Business
Intelligence
solution. I
created it in
PowerPoint. |
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This
slide is from
a PowerPoint
management
presentation
supporting
sales and
marketing for
a Business
Intelligence
solution
vendor. Not
all “technical
writing” is
technical; at
some point
technical
people need to
step back and
explain their
capabilities
in general—even
metaphorical—terms. |
Many
more samples available
upon request
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