Ikea Sleep Instructions

Instructions often give their genre away by their design. They typically include short sentences arranged in numbered lists. The image on the right shows instructions displayed in an IKEA store. Notice the heading tells the reader to expect “3 simple steps.” While you cannot read the text of the instructions, the numbers 1, 2, and 3 stand out at the top of three columns of text. There is no question that you are looking at instructions.

Use the strategies below to use document design to make your instructions easy to identify at a glance. 

Apply These Strategies to Your Project

Photo credit: ikea - sleep instructions by Chris Dlugosz on Flickr, used under a CC-BY 2.0 license.