Layout Composition: Proportion and Consistency

Adapted from The Designers Desktop Manual: Essential Technology Techniques for the Design Professional (Rotovision)

Golden Proportions
Proportions of five by eight (alternatively 1 to 1.6) are well documented as the most pleasing to the human eye. Organizing your page along the same proportions can solve many design problems, and placing key elements such as headlines five-eighths of the way up a page will get any layout off to a good start. The same principle can be used for scaling type10-point box text should have box headers set at 16 point to achieve a pleasing balance.

By Jason Simmons Designers can often make judgments about layout composition by instinctits a by-product of constantly thinking in visual terms. Occasionally though, some projects leave you stumped for a solution; no matter how hard you try to fit the elements onto the page, they just dont look or feel right. In these situations it can be helpful to return to basics, and see which one produces the best solution to the problem.

Balance
Using a symmetrical layout is the most basic of all compositional concepts. Place your elements in the center of the page, keeping the margins even on all edges. Rotational and reflectional symmetry are variations of the theme, and can add interest. For tension and energy, use an asymmetric layoutset your objects slightly off center, using a smaller or minor element to bring balance back to the composition.

Rule of Thirds
Similar to the golden proportion but easier to work withis the rule of thirds. Use guides to divide your work area into an equal three-bythree grid. Place your key element where two of the axes meet to create a focal point. Its then simple to develop the rest of the layout around that element, using the remaining guide intersection for aligning other key elements.

Rhythm
Repetitive elements can be used to bring rhythm and calm to a complicated design. Employ regular spacing and consistently sized elements when working with lots of data, using obvious variation to draw attention to particular areas. A natural, flowing rhythm leads a reader through a composition typographic headlines, or perspective in photography and illustration work particularly well when used this way.

Hierarchy
Make sure your reader knows where to start on a page by making an element dominate, and lead everything else from that. By providing this clear guidance, whether its a headline, image, or drop cap, you will remove a lot of confusion from a cluttered design. Continue this principle down through your layers of elements, each dominating the next.

Contrast of Positive and Negative Space

Use contrast to create energy in a layout, whether its light and dark, type and image, stillness and motion, or color. These stark differences can bring a page to life, but can also be confusing if there isnt a clear hierarchy to the layout. Contrast can stop readers in their tracks, so another device needs to be used

Unity
Much like rhythm, unity can create a cohesive layout. If your elements are uniform sizes, aligned to grids based on the same dimensions, a viewer will subconsciously create structure and order. Negative space can be used in the same way, so keep the margins and spaces between elements uniform to create a sense of unity.