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Yes, Sue, it looks as if format alone is wagging the dog, but really,
underneath, we're talking structure, something that writers tend to set up in
the first few weeks of a project, and delay changing until absolutely forced
to, in beta, say. SGML forces us to consider 1)why is this here? 2) what is
the purpose of this sentence, paragraph, and section? 3) Am I using the same
format for the same function, throughout?
The Bauhaus used to pray that the form of their buildings would express the
function. (Rarely happened). But on that analogy, we hope our book design
(or screen design) will reflect the purpose of each element so clearly that
users can immediately figure out where to find what they want.
(That's the dream, at least!)
Best,
Jonathan Price
Communication Circle
918 La Senda, NW
Albuquerque, NM 87107
