The saying is don’t judge a book by its cover. But what if the cover and the story are only on one page? The title and the appearance then become just as important as the text.
This requires visual communication. Layout editors and designers make sure this type of communication is expressed efficiently. They must have the necessary components and they must be placed fittingly on the page.
Layout editors and designers most important job is to entice readers into the text. Although you probably don’t realize it, certain components either attract or deter your eye. Balance, contrast, proportion and unity must be perfectly distributed throughout a layout.
Balance is how the elements are weighed on the page. Contrast determines what is most important on the page and controls your eye direction. Proportion makes the layout pleasing for they eye to look at. Unity connects the layout and creates a whole out of separate articles, pictures and headlines.
“The main purpose of publication design is to communicate, to help move readers easily and efficiently through the page,” said Dorthy Bowles, the author of “Creative Editing.”
If you are flipping through a magazine, you are most likely going to stop on a colorful page with pictures and a bold headline. No one wants to read those pages full of solely black and white text. Good photography and typography are keys to drawing a reader’s attention.
Take a look at these layouts. If you were flipping through, you would most likely stop and read one of these pages.