A Few Pointers to Consider When Designing Professional Page Layouts

There are important principles and rules which are essential to a successful design, whether you are designing the most basic flyer or the layout of a distinguished fashion magazine. In essence designing a newspaper, a printed brochure or a monochrome flyer all start with the same fundamental intention and directive.

The purpose of any page is to entice the reader. No matter which type of printed medium - you want to captivate your audience and convey a resounding message. There are a number of methods to ensure this, but you need to make sure you have covered the fundamental principles.


Content holds significance. It is important to ensure that your message is well structured, concise and understandable. No matter if it's informative or persuasive, your audience must be able to easily follow and comprehend whatever message you are communicating to them.
An effective page layout is nothing without images. Ensure that your images are high resolution and good quality. Before printing any graphics - make sure that the color is accurate and that all images/ graphics are in a print-ready format.


Consider the following pointers when designing outstanding page layouts:


The goal is to always have balance on your page. Your design needs to engage your audience and naturally guide them on the page. Work with the basic principle of a Z-formation - since we inherently read from left to right. Thus, start at the top left corner of your page, move to the right and diagonally across to the bottom left corner and move to the bottom right corner. You need to place your information along these lines.
It is crucial to make use of a grid. This will not only keep everything in order, but it will also keep your layout well formed. You certainly don't want a disorderly page with blobs of information, images and text all over the place.
Split your text up into short, concise and comprehensible sections.
Don't be afraid to leave (white) space in your layout. It is unnecessary to fill your page to the corners with images or text - it will only overwhelm your audience. Leaving space for your material to 'breath' is very important.
Generate a focus area. It can be an image or a section of text that constitutes the most important piece on the page - make sure it stands out. Change the size ratios (scale) to make it more noticeable. Catch your audience's eye with the right contrast and colors. This is particularly important when designing flyers. Make your page 'hero' stand out with suitable borders, space and fonts.


If you have page layouts that need to be designed, but feel that you need the input of a skilled professional rather than attempting to do it yourself, make use of the services of one of the many freelance designers available on the web, for example, on a site like www.99designs.com.


 By Carola Van Zyl


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