I agree with you completely about the need for white space in documents, however I disagree with your use of the word “non-designer.” I am a plain language consultant in Nova Scotia, Canada. As such, I advocate for white space all the time. I have no idea what goes into the magic of design but I know enough about the way people read, to know that many won’t even try to read something that looks like a wall of text. I know that people like to read what catches their eye and they like to give their eyes (and their brains) a rest.

It has been my experience that some designers make a background so busy with colour and shapes that the text is lost – even if there is a lot of “white” space.

So I don’t think the issue is “designers” and “non-designers.” I think the issue is those that understand what makes a document easy to read and those who want to make a document “look nice” or “efficient.”

I always opt for making the document easy to read.

Thanks for letting me have my say,
Catherine

You’re saying the same thing in both these diagrams. You are describing the same facts. But the second diagram is so much easier to understand and provides a sense of clarity to the viewer.

In the future we will be using oyster type digital smart cards or the QR codes with our smart phones instead. I even used a smart card in the Netherlands for all my journeys last December as a tourist. I am sure almost all other regular London visitors get an oyster. Unfortunately paper based tickets will be less used in the future. The wave and pass or the scan/touch will be the type of interaction for our future train journeys.

The key things the passenger needs to know are: (i) operator restrictions, eg Virgin WC only; (ii) time restrictions, eg not leaving London 1630-1900; (iii) route restrictions, eg via Birmingham; (iv) validity dates, eg today only or until 1 August 2011; and (v) railcards that must be held with the ticket, eg Network Card.

It would be useful if a ticket on many cards had a sequence number, eg 1 of 2.

Another point to note is that often the seat reservation is sometimes done separately from the ticket sale, so separate parts are needed, or the entire ticket would have to be reprinted.

BTW the ticket type “Cheap Day Return” doesn’t exist anymore!

I use trains everyday and have amassed a stack load of train tickets over the past year alone. You’ve left out some very important information that the ticket guards need to see, and be able to spot quickly.

Clearly, there’s no redesign going on, but if there was, then it’s a perfectly valid approach to start from an “ideal” position, and then adjust for compromises. And it’s also worth bearing in mind that printers and barriers change over time. Transition programmes happen.

It’s like a train journey – you start planning the journey knowing where you want to get to, and only then do you look at the timetable to work out if it is possible.

Regardless, it seems you’ve found something that people care passionately about and think is worth redesigning.