The Materiality of Essay Writing

When writing an essay, I don't often consider the physical choices that I have to make constructing it.  After being asked to analyze it, I was forced to think about why I made such stylistic choices.  For years, we've been given guidelines for papers, without ever really talking about how they were  decided upon.  While economy of space is obviously a factor, one can definitely make a case for the aesthetic properties that such guidelines provide.  Personally, I try to set my essay apart aesthetically, while still conforming to the standards set forth; I find that changing the font, even subtly, helps me pay attention to my own writing better, and help it stand out among other papers.  Whatever one chooses, it is important to remember that the physical choices we (or others) might make can have a distinct effect on the reception of one's writing.