Layout

One of the fundamentals of design is layout. Everyone has probably heard that word, but few understand the meaning as it is to a designer. The layout of a composition is the precise placement of individual content that gives the overall piece a structure and results in an optimal design according to the message needing to be conveyed. Slapping pieces of content down onto a page is not layout. It is one way of organizing things, but a designer usually takes a more methodical approach.

Some of the first steps is considering what the content is, how much of it, and how must space is available to organize it in. A good way to visualize this is when you move into a new place to live. You already own certain things, from clothes to furniture to pets, not to mention any other things that your life requires. And who will live with you? In a new residence, you need to figure out what goes where. Some things have obvious general rules, for instance, cooking utensils go in the kitchen, and clothes generally go in a bedroom closet. A couch most likely goes in a living room or sitting room, and a bed goes in a bedroom. But the rest of your things don’t necessarily have obvious rules. And when you get down to specifics, exact placement of the bed in the bedroom is another thing that must eventually be decided.

Selecting and sticking to a grid is vital, especially if designing something that needs to feel organized and extends on multiple pages. A grid is basically just what it sounds like—a set of verticle and horizontal lines that dictate how things lay on the page. It provides visual clarity and a calmness that is subconsciously picked up by the reader. When extended across a document of several pages, it creates a unified look and feel, regardless of the content.

Using white space is also something smart to use. White space is space in a layout purposely left devoid of text or imagery. Clients often do not understand this, as they often regard it as wasted space, but it is not wasted. It is visual calmness, allowing the nearby content to “breathe” and get the focus it is due. It often gives a sense of  sophistication from its simplicity or of being open and calm. Lacking at least a little white space will generally give a sense of being cluttered or feel chaotic. The calm simplicity it often brings often provides a richer sense of purpose or expression in the content that it shares the space with. It also can also be used to direct the eye around the composition. White space is seldom truly wasted.

This is a wonderful example of how white space or breathing room allows the message to be clear and strong. Borrowed from Anke Mackenthun.

How does color use play into the piece? Is it subdued or punchy? What does the overall message mean and how can color support this? If a piece is bright and vibrant, it may give a sense of excitement, hope, happiness. It may be more attractive to a certain audience, such a youth or certain cultures. If it’s subdued, it may be more suitable for business applications or an upper-class Western (of the globe) audience.

Typography is probably the most important part of a piece, if there is any text at all, and especially if there is a lot of it. What typefaces are used? How does the point size and leading support the overall message? Is it dense and tight, or loose and more free? How are headlines handled? Is there too much content for the space, and if so, can any be removed?

This is an example of cluttered design that could benefit greatly from using some white space as well as simply editing out much of the unnecessary text. It’s a billboard, so if it cannot be read in less than 3 seconds, it probably has too much text. Borrowed from The Welby Co.

The overall composition and subsequent natural eye movement around a layout  are also vital to a successful piece. How does the overall layout look and feel? Where is your eye first drawn, then where does it naturally move around the piece? Is there an obvious or conflicting with visual hierarchy? All these questions help add up to a successful end design solution.

The last thing to consider before starting is what is the overall message you want to communicate, both in actual text as well as feeling? Do you want to provide a serious look and feel that will be taken seriously? Is it a fun and whimsical message that needs to give a sense of this to support it? The layout of the overall composition should all support this message.

Using all these aspects to design will give you a good start to understanding how one design solution is stronger than another. There is much more to it, but this will give you a good start.