COMMENT(Sanitized)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01495R000600130007-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 18, 2005
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: August 5, 1974
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Relea52 2005/08/24: CIA-RDP80B01495R000400130007-8
TO: DQ/OCI
SUBJECT: Comment on
25X1
1. When a report starts off by defining a simple page
of paper as a "two-dimensional, rectilinear matrix," I must
admit to some doubt as to the basic soundness of what follows.
Despite the rhetoric, however, much of what is presented.:
in the paper is pretty basic. The list of ten text "formats"
on page 6, for example, is far from exhaustive, as w,oll be
obvioukto any reader of newspapers, magazines, or text-books.
2. The exact point of the paper escapes me. If, as
stated in paragraph one, it is directed toward new "hard-
copy presentation means," (emphasis mine), it does not
discuss any of these means--MTST and MTSC, phototypesetters,
line-printers, OCR, etc. If on the other hand it is directed
toward new appearances, it gives few really intriguing format
samples, does no consider such vital variables as naner
size, and seems overly taken with the discovery of bold-face
type (presumably the next volume will discover italics and
underlining).
3. Any number of excellent books are available on
publications design and format, almost all of which agree
on certain general principles (e.g., read-ability, capturing
consumer interest, etc.) and disagree on the means to this
end (i.e., one designerts favorite type face is another's
prime example of horrible). Almost all will agree, however,
that'the first step is not to get into format examples (which
are virtually endless) but to decide on the "character" of
the publication (academic, "arty," institutional) and the
restrictions (cost, time, etc.) within which the designer
must work.
4. With this in mind, there seems little point in com-
menting on the samples in Appendix I. You will recall,
however, that various options were prepared at the time the
present NIB format was being decided. As fitted to dealing
with a practical problem within certain d&fined limits,
these samples included not only the appearance, but also
the technical, personnel, time, and cost factors involved.
August 5, 1974
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5. Mostly, the given examples show that anyone with
an MTSC and a two-dimensional rectilinear matrix can come
up with an almost infinite number of varieties, some better,
some worse, none particularly imaginative, few that we
haven't touched on at some time in the past. Moreover,
technical studies on line length, type readability, etc.,
are readily available, and little new research would seem
to be called for on our part (except perhaps a trip to the
library},. Neither technical studies nor sample formats,
however, will ever substitute for a well-define problem
(on the part of management) and a well-cultivat taste
(on the part of the designer).
6. While not competent to comment on the chart section,
I could mention that the general rule we have followed is
"the simplet the better." This is because:
--most of our readers are busy, non-specialists who
will be put off by a chart they have to puzzle over;
--a one-message chart is generally more effective in
illustrating the point being made;
--with our normally short deadlines, preparation and
printing time is a large factor (a chart that takes
a week to work up is no use for tomorrow's NID);
--also because of deadlines, it is easier to ensure
the accuracy of plain, easy-to-read charts with
limited data.
With the exception of line, bar, and pie charts, the other
examples tend to be either too "busy," too complex, or too
"cute" for widearead general use. A few are valuable in
specialized instances, such as process charts for copy flow
or histograms for vu-graphs, for example.
7. The use of chart-able information in political re-
porting (e.g., probability curves) is always intriguing, but
it generally stumbles on the fact that figures are precise
while words are not. it is hard for a cartographer to place
a unit "in the vicinity of," for example, or for a graphic
artist to pinpoint the exact location of a "more than likely."
On the other hand, as suggested in OCI's Studies in Methodol-
og ', the very need to make the attempt to quantify can
rpen an analyst's perceptions, but once ggain, this is a25X1
process that needs considerable development before we have
to worry about format for the result.
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SECRET SPOKE
SENDER WILL CHECK CLASSIFICATION TOP AND BOTTOM ~UNCLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL SECRET
OFFICIAL ROUTING SLIP
CONCURRENCE
Remarks :
Mr. Colby:
This is a memo "Toward Some Hard-
Copy New Options. " It is a basis which could
lead to a style and instruction manual on how
to present information
(Attachment Unclassified When Appendix 1
Removed.)
FOLD HERE TO RETURN TO SENDER
FROM. NAME, ADDRE55 AND PHONE NO.
7/17/74
UNCLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL
FORM NO. 37 Use previous editions
SECRET SPOKE
1-67 2 G
SECRET
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25X1
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