Creating Effective Layouts

Layout Guidelines

A layout is the arrangement of type and graphics on a printed publication, presentation, or web site. A good layout should serve the purpose intended by the designer, organize the information and graphics in order to create a visual path for readers to follow, and attract the attention of readers. There's no one right way to create a good layout.

General Guidelines for Layouts:

• Determine the purpose of your publication, presentation, or web site before you begin your layout.
• Establish the primary message you want to present and plan your layout around it.
• Choose an appropriate type of media (web page, presentation, printed book, newsletter, or brochure, etc.) and a size.
• Identify the target audience, then write and design the publication, presentation, or web site keeping this audience in mind.
• Consider their interests, reading levels, background, etc.

Organizing Layouts

Good layouts are easy to follow and provide clear reader cues to help readers easily find their way through a publication, presentation, or web page. If readers have to work at finding their way through a publication, they probably won't read it. Arrange and emphasize your information to make your message as clear as possible. Decide what you want the reader to see or read first and position it accordingly, then decide what you want the reader to read or see next. Continue arranging and emphasizing the information until you have included everything. The quality of your layout determines how quickly your readers will be directed through the publication and how fast they will be able to read it.

Guidelines for Organizing Layouts:

• Use different sizes of type for different elements.
• Establish a hierarchy of type sizes for headlines, subheads, text, etc. and be consistent with formatting. (All headlines should be formatted alike, all subheads should be formatted alike, all text should be formatted alike, etc.
• Make the most important element you want your readers to see the largest and the least important element the smallest.
• Use rules (lines) to separate information into groups.
• Use different weights of type.
• Use white space for design purposes in your publication.
• Position important information in the upper left corner. The upper left corner is usually read first. Place a box around important information.
• Call attention to lists of items by placing bullets in front of them.
• Use colored or reversed type (white type on a dark background) to separate or emphasize.

Capturing the Readers' Attention

Information must be noticed before communication takes place. It has to stand out from the crowd by being different from what is around it. Before you decide how to grab your readers' attention, you should consider who will read it and where it will be seen. Your design should be suitable for your audience and appropriate for its environment.

Guidelines for Capturing the Readers' Attention:

• Enlarge a graphic or photo of something small, so it will cover a large area.
• Tilt an image or a block of type at an angle.
• Surround a small element, such as a block of type or a graphic, with lots of white space.
• Use bright colors for publications, presentations, or web sites that will be viewed in dark or gray environments.
• Use a solid black area or a large white area in your design.
• Crop an image in an unusual way.
• Set important information in an atypical way, such as in a distinctive font.

Source:
http://www.online.tusc.k12.al.us/tutorials/grdesign/grdesign.htm#layouts