Plain English isn't only about text; it includes visual design. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Plain English Handbook at
http://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf puts it this way::
"A plain English document reflects thoughtful design choices. The right design choices make a document easier to read and its information easier to understand. The wrong design choices can make even a well-written document fail to communicate.
"Some documents suffer because no one knew how basic design decisions, like typeface selection, dramatically determine whether or not a document is easy to read. Other documents suffer because expensive design features give them artistic appeal, but at the cost of obscuring the text. In a plain English document, design serves the goal of communicating the information as clearly as possible."
The following articles contend that a badly-designed card led to Steve Harvey mistakenly crowning Miss Colombia, instead of Miss Philippines, as Miss Universe 2015:
"Don’t Blame Steve Harvey: Bad Design Caused the Miss Universe Fiasco" at
https://medium.com/hh-design/don-t-blame-steve-harvey-bad-design-caused-the-miss-universe-fiasco-e55d33f4218a (article discusses banner blindness, positioning of elements)
"Look at Steve Harvey’s Card – He Was Set up to Fail" at
http://thehustle.co/steve-harvey-was-set-up-to-fail-in-miss-universe (the author provides two alternative designs that emphasize increasing the font size)
"Steve Harvey Didn’t Ruin Miss Universe, Bad Design Did" at
http://nextshark.com/how-bad-design-wrecked-steve-harveys-universe/ (the author provides a redesigned form that's both functional and artsy)
"We asked design experts if Steve Harvey's Miss Universe flub can be blamed on the ballot card" at
http://www.techinsider.io/design-experts-on-steve-harveys-miss-universe-flub-2015-12 (one expert blames flush right positioning of the winner's name as the culprit and compares the card to the 2000 butterfly ballot)
