How to apply What does it cost?

The CLAD Readability Mark

Are you proud of the clear language work going on in your organization? Do you have a document that you feel deserves the recognition of acknowledged clarity experts?

CLAD is celebrating our 10th year in business by launching the CLAD Readability Mark. If you qualify, you’ll be able to display this symbol on your winning document or website.

We’ll assess the clarity of your document or online material for an affordable fee. If you qualify, we’ll send you the symbol and our permission to use it. If you don’t qualify, we’ll send you a report outlining the steps you should take to improve readability. Once we’ve done a final review to ensure you’ve implemented the bulk of our recommendations, we’ll award you the CLAD Readability Mark.

What the CLAD Readability Mark says about you

When you apply for a CLAD Readability Mark, you’re sending a message to your organization that you’re serious about clarity.

When you go through the readability mark process, you learn from experts about the techniques of clarity so that you can apply them to your documents. If you need extra help, we’re here.

When we award you the CLAD Readability Mark, you can use it to tell the world you have our expert approval. Displaying the CLAD Readability Mark means you have crafted a document or website that truly speaks to the needs of its audience.

How to apply

1. Download the application form (Word document) to your hard drive.
2. Complete the application form. This should take you less than ½ hour.
3. In an e-mail, attach the application form and a copy of the document you want us to review. If it is a website, send us the URL.
4. Send the e-mail to clad@idirect.ca.

What happens after I apply?

When we get your application, we’ll contact you to confirm you agree with all of the terms on the application form. Then we’ll assess your document. The assessment is a short report. It will tell you what we like about the document, and whether it is ready for a CLAD Readability Mark.

If your material does not meet our standards, our assessment will describe the changes that would make the document more clear and readable. If we think you could benefit from our help, we’ll send you a quotation. You don’t have to hire CLAD to make the improvements to your document, but the improvements must be made before you can qualify for the Readability Mark.

Once your material is ready for a second review, send it to CLAD. We’ll review it, and if we feel the bulk of the improvements were made, we’ll award you the Readability Mark. You’ll receive a confirmation letter and a copy of the symbol, which you can use on that document or website only. The symbol is available in both high resolution for print documents and web-quality resolution for websites.

What does CLAD look for?

Our assessments are based on the following key readability factors:

• Is there a clear sense of purpose?
• Is there a good understanding of the audience?
• Is the information presented logically from the reader’s point of view?
• Is the tone appropriate for the audience and purpose?
• Is the grade reading level suitable for the audience and the purpose?
• Does the design meet the reader’s needs?
• Do websites follow design and navigation conventions known to help users?

What does it cost?

The amount you pay depends on:

• how big your document is
• how clear it is
• whether or not you hire CLAD to edit your materials.

Initial assessment fees

If your document needs work, our initial assessment will tell you what the problem areas are and how much we would charge for the editing it needs. If you hire CLAD to edit your document, we will not charge for the initial assessment. You pay only the cost of editing and the final assessment fee.

Final assessment fees:

The final assessment checks the changes you have made based on our initial assessment. At this stage, we also make final recommendations on the readability of the type and visual layout.

Please note: We reserve the right to withhold the Readability Mark if the document, in its final form, will not meet CLAD standards.

Example: Fees for a brochure

• If you send us a brochure, we will charge $300 for the initial assessment. If your brochure is really clear, this is all you will pay. We award you the Readability Mark right away.
• If your brochure needs some work, and you hire CLAD to make the changes, you pay nothing for the initial assessment. You pay for editing at our standard rates.
• After you have finalized your document, you send it to us for a last review. You pay $300 for the final assessment. If you have met CLAD standards, we award you the Readability Mark.

Need more information?
Please call us at 416-968-2236 or e-mail us at clad@idirect.ca.

Clear Language and Design
110 Eglinton Avenue West, Suite 201
Toronto, Ontario M4R 1A3 Canada

Phone: (416) 968-2236
Fax : (416) 968-0488
Email: clad@idirect.ca

Copyright © 2008 Clear Language and Design, Toronto Centre for Community Learning & Development