Document Design Guide

12 formatting rules that make business documents look more professional.

Twelve practical formatting rules for professional business documents, including typography, spacing, headings, tables, page breaks, branding and visual hierarchy.

Word & PDF inputProfessional PDF outputEditable PowerPointIndustry-ready themes
  1. Use a clear type hierarchy. Titles, section headings, body copy and captions need visibly different roles.
  2. Limit font families. Two complementary families are usually enough.
  3. Use whitespace intentionally. Space separates ideas and makes dense content easier to process.
  4. Keep alignment consistent. Repeated left edges make documents feel controlled.
  5. Avoid tiny text. Shrinking content to force it onto one page usually damages usability.
  6. Design tables, don't merely insert them. Use clear headers, sensible padding and consistent number formatting.
  7. Break long sections deliberately. A continuation page is better than an unreadable compressed page.
  8. Use colour sparingly. A restrained palette creates stronger hierarchy than many competing accents.
  9. Make covers specific. The cover should communicate the document type, organisation and tone.
  10. Keep headers and footers useful. Use them for navigation, classification or branding rather than clutter.
  11. Use charts only when they clarify comparison or change.
  12. Check the export. A document is not finished until the final PDF is readable and nothing is clipped.
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