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Consider Genre and Design

A well-written argumentative essay uses design to help readers understand your argument more clearly, usually by simplifying the presentation of reasons and evidence or by setting a mood through the use of carefully selected illustrations. The design of your essay should reflect the formatting requirements of your assignment and the expectations of your readers, particularly your instructor.

In many cases, the appeals you choose to make to your readers will suggest design elements that can enhance your argument.

Photographs can strengthen (or serve as) an emotional appeal. For instance, an argument in favor of tightening lending restrictions might show a family in front of the home they’ve lost to foreclosure.
Headings and subheadings can help readers follow your reasoning about an issue.
Color and pull quotes can underscore appeals to values, beliefs, and principles by calling a reader’s attention to shared assumptions and important ideas.
Sidebars can highlight an appeal to character by giving related information about a writer or a source without interfering with the flow of the argument.
Appeals to authority often present statistical data in the form of tables, charts, and graphs.

Consider the placement of visual evidence carefully. In general, place illustrations as close as possible to the point where they are mentioned in the text, provide a title or caption that identifies or explains the illustration, and cite the source of the information.

You can find discussions of document design in Chapters 16, 17, and 18.