Table of Contents

Design basics

That's it, you've done your first layout: it's not perfect yet, but it's a good start!

You have a lot of reading ahead to learn all the subtleties of page layout!

You have created a tri-fold brochure, you can now further practice by creating other types of layouts like a newsletter, a newspaper or a book.

Without importing any content, try to play with the arrangement of the frames and their size: for example if you have a 4-column layout, arranging an image accross three columns will make it an important part of your composition.

There are no hard rules in layout: all rules are there to be misused. But some things have to be kept in mind:

Choose two or three key elements and build upon them.

As an example, you might choose a small set of two or three colors: you will be amazed of the wide choice you get when combining them.

You can use Extras > Color Wheel to create an harmonic color scheme and then eventually extend it with shades and tints of those colors.

Prioritize the information

A first glance, one must clearly distinguish the titles from the text, the main elements from the secondary ones. By Looking at the page while squinting your eyes, you might better detect what really stands out visually.

The hierarchy must be clear, limited to a few levels (if possible no more than three).

Respect the reading direction

Most western languages are read from left right, top to bottom. this is also how we scan a page. At the same time, exceptions can highlight the information hierarchy and give energy to your layout.

Typography and white space

Typography is the key element of your composition: there is no good layout without a well flowed text.

Using white space leads to an airy layout: it's not just absence of content. The readability will be improved and your graphic and typographical elements highlighted.

The padding space around the frames are a key element of a good composition, almost as important as the typography.

If you wish to strongly separate two areas, consider using lines. But do it sparingly: they can be a barrier to natural eye tracking.

Contrast and tonalities

Use contrasts and palettes of tones (shades) to increase the visual interest: large and small, lights and shadows, Serif and Sans serif, solid and void, proximity and distance, balance and imbalance, colors and grey tones...

Know how to create outstanding breaks in the beautiful consistency of your columns, to put the emphasis on a particular element.

Keep it simple

Keep things simple, and focus on readability and consistency: use effects like patterns and gradients sparingly (if at all): they should not attract more visual attention than they deserve.