I volunteer with the media team at my church, meaning while service is going on, I’m sitting at a computer with a headset and dozens of camera views. People communicating when the next song or point is coming. Cameras zooming in and out for the perfect shot. Occasionally some hallelujahs and laughter while the pastor’s preaching. All the while, the congregation has no idea what’s going on behind the scenes. They’re just enjoying the service.
That’s how layout design relates to graphics. Layouts dictate the organization of information, how each element appears. Images connecting to text, the right moments highlighted for effect. It goes unnoticed. Unless it’s awful. Hundreds of templates exist for any medium you desire, but it’s important to know the key ingredients of good layout design so if all else fails, you can create one within moments.
Considerations for Layout
When I look at the core of layout design, I break it down into two key methodologies: rows & columns and hierarchy. But there’s a wealth of other tools and considerations that make this more complex.
Dimensions and margins need to be determined right off the bat. An Instagram post has different dimensions than an Insta story, website, book, poster, business card, billboard. So many ratios and pixel widths exist in order to ensure a quality image is created. By knowing the dimensions, you understand how much space you have to work with. Margins give breathing room along the sides, but having asymmetrical margins can create an interesting piece.
Speaking of asymmetry, the alignment of a layout can turn a newspaper into an art piece. Everything should be balanced, but bouncing from symmetrical to not offers opportunities for highlighting images and text in unique ways.
I actually learned this rather recently, but your images can become the layout for abstract elements like dot patterns. Just depends on how you stack your layers. Image as layout requires just as much thought as creating one from scratch. The right image evokes the right tone for the right design.
Most likely I’ve missed something (I’ll probably think of it next week). If you wanna add something in the comments, feel free to do so. Regardless, there’s a lot to consider when laying out a design. But like I said, there are two main components that never change.
Rows & Columns
I love InDesign. Regardless of what app I’m in, I use guides. But InDesign has a nice feature where you can determine how many rows and columns you want and how much space in between. No guesstimating even rows, just click and viola.
Now you might be thinking that columns and rows are cliche and restrictive. I would say that thought process is restricting you. For example, let’s talk about the Rule of Thirds. It’s based on three columns and three rows with no gutter. Yet these columns and rows can be used to form patterns that direct the eye from one corner to another.
What about guttered columns and rows? Well, let’s just say my explorations are the tip of the iceberg. Images can fill rows. Text can hop from column to column. Structure allows for creativity. Not to mention that grounding some of your content helps readers better stomach the abstract. If all else fails, start with rows and columns. It makes the next point a lot easier.
Hierarchy
I mentioned this briefly when discussing social media posts, but always wanted to talk more about it. Size, style, and placement determine the hierarchy of an image or body of text.
The primary question is what’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd most important? A single graphic can’t prioritize everything. Information needs structure so readers get the message quickly. Whenever I start a project, I collect all the text and imagery and size them based on importance. I also stack them as title, subhead, body, and so on. For most of the work I do, this structure works perfectly fine for the final. But if I wanted to, I could place text in different columns and rows, creating breaks with spacing and letting the size speak for itself.
Hierarchy, like layout design, is something you don’t recognize unless it’s atrocious. This was my critique for a long time until I worked out the process above. Sometimes I’d be told that something needs more importance than I’ve given, and that’s fine. Having basic hierarchy from the get-go makes it easier to structure and reorganize information without losing the main message.
Final Thoughts: Rough Thumbnails
I started many projects with a rough schematic of my layout. It’s not the end of the world if you design a social media post without fifty grid lines, but at least work out the placement in a thumbnail. I know some people that work faster digitally; I personally think better on paper.
Whichever is your preferred method, start rough. Sketch blocks for headers and lines for text. Doodle shapes for images and draw light columns. Figure out the general layout and finesse later on the computer. Taking the time to develop the backend saves you from glaring at your screen lost as to why the design doesn’t make sense.
