{"id":77130,"date":"2021-11-10T02:27:26","date_gmt":"2021-11-10T10:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.picsart.tools\/?p=77130"},"modified":"2022-05-04T13:11:06","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T20:11:06","slug":"text-layout-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/picsart.com\/blog\/text-layout-design\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rules of Text and Layout Design"},"content":{"rendered":"

Layout and text design are two hugely important consideration for creating content, especially when it comes to your business or brand. Let\u2019s start with layout design, which refers to the way in which we arrange the elements on a page that make up design content. The aim of layout is both to convey the message correctly and to present information in a logical, coherent way to ensure the key elements stand out.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take newspaper layout as just one classic example. We take for granted how much the conventions of newspaper design appeal to our senses of hierarchy and order, all of which is achieved by layout. Text is organized in columns, punctuated by striking imagery, and sectioned by authoritative headlines. All of this helps the reader navigate the information on the page in the most logical manner.<\/p>\n

But you don\u2019t have to be a newspaper designer to create effective layouts. That\u2019s why in today\u2019s post, we are going to consolidate the main principles of text and layout design.<\/p>\n

What Is Text Design? <\/span><\/h2>\n

We often think words are the copywriter\u2019s job, but they have a massive part to play in any designer’s job too. Text layout has some overlaps with typography (the art of arranging and creating type) but while typography is focused more on the detailed shapes of letters and words, text design focuses on higher level arrangement, such as how to place large groups of text in a way that will make reading easy, interesting, and visually engaging.<\/p>\n

Why Text and Layout Design Matters<\/span><\/h2>\n

You\u2019ve just spent the last few months putting together all the written content for your brand and it\u2019s everything you dreamt it would be. Your next battle is making sure it gets read. The good news is, educating yourself on text and layout design will ensure that happens.<\/p>\n

5 Principles of Good Layout Design<\/span><\/h2>\n
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  1. Always follow the grid. <\/b>Grids are the backbone of all layouts, be they newspapers, infographics, or iPhone applications. When you’re designing in a photo editing app, for example, you are using grids without even realising. Apps contain built-in sensing capabilities that helps you align elements of your composition in relation to one another. But what makes a few grid lines in your work so important? In short, because they help keep your elements aligned and ordered, and your page design clean and neat. Grids greatly speed up and improve design time, as they can act as a guide that signals where to best place, position, or scale elements.<\/li>\n
  2. Choose a focal point. <\/b>Following a grid structure will allow you to create a sense of balance in your designs, which you can use intelligently to direct the reader’s attention on the page. Creating a focal point is a great way to do that. A great headline in an eye-catching font<\/a> or a striking image can be very effective ways to draw in your reader.<\/li>\n
  3. Adhere to the rule of thirds. <\/b>There are designers that live and die by the rule of thirds, which says that if you divide your page into thirds (a three-by-three grid), the intersection points make for natural focal points in a composition. By aligning your key elements to these four points, you’ll achieve a more pleasing composition than if you, for example, perfectly center elements on your page. By itself, the rule of thirds won’t magically provide your layout with balance, but by extending the principle, it’s easy to use this tendency towards a natural focal point to help inform the balance of your layout.<\/li>\n
  4. Don’t fear white space.<\/b> It\u2019s tempting to fill your page but creating clutter isn\u2019t necessarily the most effective way to go. The best layout design contains everything you need and nothing you don\u2019t. One way to utilize negative space is to make your margins and gutters larger, creating the sense that your content is floating in space.\u00a0 Sometimes less is more.<\/li>\n
  5. Utilize hierarchy.<\/b> Hierarchical thinking, which organizes the elements of your layouts in order of importance, is one of the keys to successful design. You can achieve hierarchy in design by using a grid or going at it freestyle. A great example of hierarchy is an online magazine or blog, which features articles in different sizes. Also, creating headlines in different font sizes can further give your text a sense of hierarchy, which you use to draw attention to certain elements over others. In an e-commerce website, it might be the CTA button, for example.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Different Types of Grids in Text and Layout Design<\/span><\/h2>\n