BASICS OF

LAYOUTING
LEARNING
RESOURCES®
PAGE LAYOUT

Page layout or page composition is the process of

placing and arranging and rearranging of text and
graphics on the page.

A good composition is not only pleasing but also

effectively conveys the message of the text and
graphics to the intended audience.
LAYOUT PRINCIPLES
Balance – The placement of elements on the page such that text
and graphic elements are evenly distributed. There are three
basic ways to achieve balance:
Symmetrical: Asymmetrical: Radial:
making all elements creating an odd number making the elements
equal on all sides of elements (off-center) radiate from the center
LAYOUT PRINCIPLES
Proximity – Proximity refers to how items are grouped and spaced
on a page. When you're talking about proximity, you want to group
like items together.
LAYOUT PRINCIPLES
Alignment – Alignment refers to lining up the top, bottom, sides, or
middle of text or graphic elements on a page.
LAYOUT PRINCIPLES
Repetition – Use of the same colors, styles, shapes, or other
elements and principles throughout a document.
 LAYOUT PRINCIPLES
Contrast – Differences between items on the page. This makes
the design more dynamic and effective.

To create contrast, we've used color, more than one style of text, and objects of differing sizes.
LAYOUT PRINCIPLES
White Space –use of empty space to give a layout breathing
room. It means negative space, like the spaces between your
content, between lines, and even the outer margins.
BOOK LAYOUT GUIDELINES
The book block: Books look like books because the text is
confined to a tightly-defined area on the page called the book
block, where facing pages end on the same line.

Margins: Generous margins around the book block allow the eye
to move comfortably from one line to the next while reading. When
a book is bound, the pages are pinched together just a little, taking
up space in the margin.

Alignment: Text must line up across the page. Look at a

traditionally published book; if you put a ruler under a line on the
left page, it will line up with the same line on the facing page.
BOOK LAYOUT GUIDELINES
Widows and orphans: The first line of a paragraph shouldn’t fall on
the last line of a page, and the last line of a paragraph should not
go over to the top of the next page. Widowed and orphaned lines
make the reader pause and impede reading comprehension.

Lines after a subhead: When a subhead appears at the bottom of

a page, it should be followed by at least two lines of text while still
maintaining the book block.

Line spacing: Lines of text that are too close to each other (or too
far apart) are difficult to read. Some authors attempt to increase or
decrease the page count of a book (i.e., to reduce printing costs)
by adjusting the line spacing.
BOOK LAYOUT GUIDELINES
Paragraph spacing: In most cases there should NOT be a line of
space between paragraphs. A line space above a paragraph can
be used sparingly to indicate a scene change or a new section.

Font: Serif type is better for long blocks of text. The serifs form a
link between letters, creating a recognizable shape.

Proper dashes: There are three kinds of dashes in every type font.
Hyphens are used to hyphenate words and separate phone
numbers. Em dashes are a form of punctuation, used to offset
clauses in a sentence. The En dash, typically half the length of an
Em dash, is used to denote duration, as in 8:00–5:00.
BOOK LAYOUT GUIDELINES
Proper dashes: There are three kinds of dashes in every type font.
Hyphens are used to hyphenate words and separate phone
numbers. Em dashes are a form of punctuation, used to offset
clauses in a sentence. The En dash, typically half the length of an
Em dash, is used to denote duration, as in 8:00–5:00.

Word stacks: Avoid beginning or ending three consecutive lines

with the same word. Get rid of word stacks by overriding your
software and manually adjusting word spacing or tracking, or by
rewriting the text.
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 

• While breaking design rules is allowed and even (in

some circumstances) encouraged, it’s important to at
least be aware of the rules you are breaking so you
can break them the right way.

• From typography to layout, right through to color and

special effects, this is a list of a few basic rules, tips,
tricks and guides to some common errors and how to
banish them from your design.
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 
1. Don’t Forget To Kern: 
Kerning is the adjustment of space between characters. The
goal of kerning is to ensure that the space between each letter is
visually even to make a neat and orderly piece of text.

A bad kerning job is

one of the cardinal sins
in the world of design,
so it’s an important skill
to nail down early.
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 
2. Don’t Disregard Readability/ Legibility For
Aesthetic Reasons
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 
3. Have Purposeful Hierarchy
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 
4. Practice Appropriate Word Spacing
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 
5. Use The Correct Alignment
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 
6. Always Use A Grid
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 
7. Have A Logical Color Palette
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 
8. Never Use Display Fonts For Body Copy
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 
9. Avoid Color Discord
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 
10. Don’t Think Of White Space As Empty Space
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 
11. Don’t Follow Design Trends
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 
12. Use The Right Tools
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 
13. Consider Your Medium
DESIGN RULES YOU SHOULD
NEVER BREAK: 
14. Don’t Use Too Many Effects
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
1. Crowding Your Letters: Tracking
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
2. Crowding Your Lines: Leading
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
3. Not Scaling Proportionally
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
4. Ignoring Readability.
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
5. Ignoring Readability, Part 2: Body Copy
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
6. Not Taking Care of “Orphans” and “Widows”
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
7. Double-Spacing After Each Sentence.

Even though many of us grew up learning to type placing

two spaces after a period/full-stop, that practice is now
considered outdated and unnecessary. Plus, double-
spacing creates visual breaks in a block of text that
interrupt readers’ flow. If you find that old habits die hard,
many programs have tools to locate and replace double-
spaces with singles (like Microsoft Word’s “Find and
Replace” or InDesign’s “Find/Change” function).
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
8. Using Too Many Typefaces
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
9. Mismatching Fonts
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
10. Not Considering Content
Fonts can have different “moods” — playful, serious, elegant, casual,
modern, vintage. But when those moods don’t support the purpose of your
design, you create a visual disconnect, and it’s confusing for your viewers.
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
11. Focusing on Form Over Function
It can be tempting to follow all the latest typography trends or focus on
finding a cool or unique font for your design. But while typography can be
very artistic, it also needs to be functional. Determine if it is readable.
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
12. Overdoing the Emphasis
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
13. Using ALL CAPS.
One form of emphasis is capital letters. Writing in all caps all over the
place, especially in social media. If you feel you must use this technique,
please do it purposefully (like for headlines), because using it for any
length of text makes for difficult reading, and in casual usage, capital
letters come across as YELLING! (Even if it’s not meant that way.)
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
14. Neglecting Hierarchy
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
15. Getting Sloppy with Alignment
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
16. Adding Special Effects
TYPOGRAPHY Must-NOTs
17. Forgetting a Final Check

This is more a practical consideration than strictly design-

related, but an important one nonetheless. Doing a final read-
through or proof-read of your text, checking for spelling and
grammar errors (as well as any typographical mistakes) should
always be a part of your design process.
References:

http://www.ingramspark.com/blog/book-layout-basics
https://www.canva.com/learn/design-rules/
https://learn.canva.com/learn/typography-mistakes/
Thank You
and God
Bless!
CELESTE FAITH R.
ProjectALMANON
Development Officer II