Document and Page Layout Elements

Page Layout Elements

The elements of a design

There are basic design elements we will discuss throughout
this book. You need to know their names, since all in-house designs use
some of these elements. There are dozens of other objects familiar to
professional designers, but most are related directly to these major
items.

Layout elements serve to either provide information to readers or to
attract their attention. In the best situations, these elements accomplish
both tasks. You might have a newspaper, magazine, and a few business
documents at hand while reading this chapter.

Identity Tags

Textual and graphical elements that identify your company
or publication are known as identity tags. Tagging your documents
is of obvious importance. There are two major elements used to reinforce
identity. We discuss designing these elements later.

Logo

A logo is a graphical element or stylized treatment
of text used to quickly identify your company. If text has not
been stylized, the result is not considered a logo. A modern logo should
not contain your full company name. Ideally, a logo can be reduced to
less than one-inch square and still be recognized by your clients.

Some companies develop more than one logo –
one for each corporate division or product line. These companies want
clients to think of these units as distinct entities. In these cases,
you still want to strive for a consistent look among logos, unless
the products are contradictory. For example, a conglomerate would not
want a cigarette line associated with a health food line.

Nameplate

When you combine a logo with a publication or company
name, you create a nameplate. Some companies have a nameplate
with no logo. In these cases, text has not been stylized to attract attention.
Text-only nameplates are preferred by companies and publications wanting
to appear
“serious.” Of course, you have to select a correspondingly serious
typeface.

The name on the cover of magazines and on page one of newspapers is
known as the publication’s nameplate. Some designers argue that
only publications have nameplates. It’s possible that you will
design both corporate, division, and publication nameplates.

Headlines

Lines of text that are set in larger type for the purpose
of attracting readers are headlines. Most documents contain headlines,
though most people call them headings when discussing documents
other than periodicals such as magazines and newsletters.

Special Headlines

Traditional and banner headlines are over-used by most
beginning in-house designers. More modern tricks can spice up a layout
with a little extra effort. Newspapers and magazines make frequent use
of additional, smaller headlines to add flair.

Subheads

In a lengthy article, subheads can be used to
break text into shorter segments. Subheads can also appear beneath a
headline, but should not be too detailed. Remember, you want your article
to be read – headlines should tease readers and pique their interest.

Kicker

A kicker is a smaller-font headline, often underlined,
just above the main headline. Kickers are often a one or two word identifier
used to help readers select articles. Ideally, kickers classify articles.

Hammer

A hammer is a larger headline above a smaller
main headline. Using just a few words
– three or less – you can attract attention to a major article.
A hammer should be obvious, such as “Desert Storm” or “Stocks
Plummet.”

Deck

A deck is a short summary of the article. Decks
are often confused with subheads. Decks allow a reader to get the main
point of an article without reading further. Because of the nature of decks,
you might want to reserve them for analysis articles, since the facts
are generally already known by readers.

Document Text

Communication is the primary purpose of any corporate
document. As an in-house designer you must pay special attention to textual
elements. Most documents feature several textual elements – otherwise
they would be bland columns of text.

Byline

The name of a writer and his or her staff position appears
as a byline, usually preceding an article. Bylines are generally
a smaller size and in a different face than the text of an article. Bylines
appear in newsletters, magazines, and newspapers. If a newsletter is
predominately a promotional tool, we suggest not including bylines. Readers
associate bylines with unbiased reporting.

Body Copy

The primary text of an article is known as the body
copy. Any text is generically referred to as copy, while
body copy refers specifically to the bulk of the article. In upcoming
chapters, we discuss the importance of selecting a readable font for
body copy.

Initial and Drop Caps

Older books or stylish magazine layouts often feature
a large capital letter at the beginning of paragraphs. These large capitals
are known as drop caps or initial caps. While most large
initial caps drop into text below the first line, some sit on the first
line of text.

Pull Quotes

When you want to draw attention to a dramatic quote,
you can reprint the quote in larger type within the article. The second,
larger version of the quote is known as a pull quote. The phrase
pull quote refers to the fact that the quote is pulled from within the
body copy.

Headers and Footers

Text appearing above the top body copy margin is a header.
Below the bottom body copy margin, text is referred to as a footer.
Headers and footers usually contain a document name, page numbers, and
other reference information. Newspapers and newsletters feature special
headers and footers, known as datelines and folios.

Captions

When you include photos, artwork, or infographics, you
might need a caption to give readers a bit more detail. Captions
are generally set in a small but easy to read font.

Sidebars

Smaller articles or lists of facts appearing in boxes
alongside the body copy are known as sidebars. Often, sidebars
provide additional information not included in the body of the article.

Teasers

Most newspapers feature little boxes with artwork and
headlines on the front page. These boxes are teasers – they
tease you to read the article. Teasers should be creative, since they
are not inherently informative. Some newspapers even avoid printing scores
in teaser boxes for sports stories.

Other Text Elements

Text elements with limited uses are discussed in future
chapters. These elements include folios, jumplines, and other specialized
layout text elements.

Visual Elements

In-house designers should borrow great design elements
they see in other documents. The odds are that you have seen most of
the common elements. Three visual elements attract the most attention:
photos, artwork, and infographics.

Photographs

Nothing attracts attention
– and provides insight – better than a good photo. Photographs
are difficult for most in-house designers to incorporate into their documents.
If you plan to place photos in your layouts, be sure the quality is acceptable
and not amateurish.

Artwork

Any graphical element can be referred to as artwork,
but in most cases we are discussing cartoons or illustrations. Most artwork
serves to attract attention. Editorial cartoons express ideas, but most
artwork is meant to appeal to readers.

Infographics

Charts, maps, and diagrams are infographics. Just
as the name implies, these are informational graphic elements. Use infographics
sparingly, since they have to be reasonably large for clarity. If you
have ever tried to interpret a small graph, you understand why infographics
need to be at least several square inches.

Other Visual Elements

Subtle visual tools help unite the dominant elements
in a layout. While these elements are easy to overlook, failure to use
them properly ruins a layout. If these minor elements are too obvious,
not blending into the layout, then you need to redesign your document.

Rules

Straight lines are known as rules. Rules are frequently
used to separate columns of text or information about a publication from
text. Many beginning designers use too many rules, creating a confusing
road-map effect. Often, the thinner you can make a rule, the more effective
it is.

Boxes and Borders

Designers use boxes and borders to group
related elements. Boxes are used to clarify the edges of photographs,
artwork, or infographics. Sometimes, teasers or sidebars are boxed, as
well.

Borders group more than one box or group an entire page. Do not border
unrelated elements. Artistic borders are easier to use and abuse thanks
to computer software. Be sure you do not use borders that overshadow
their content.

Bullets

Designers like to accent items in lists with bullets.
Bullets are usually simple shapes, such as small circles or squares.
Bullets should not be larger than the font used for the text of a list.

Dingbats

Often used as bullets, dingbats might be regarded
as artwork. Dingbats, while packaged as fonts, contain such items as
international symbols, computer icons, and other small drawings.

Invisible Elements

Just as a house’s foundation is invisible – disregarding
floods and earthquakes
– the foundations of documents are invisible. These invisible elements
form the foundation and frame of solid designs.

White Space

Just as the name implies, white space refers to
any spot on a page without ink. White space can be increased or decreased
to change the
“openness” of a layout. Too little white space results in gray
pages; too much white space looks as if you failed to compile a complete document.

Margins and Gutters

Several types of margins keep printed elements
from bumping into each other or running off a page. A margin is an area
of white space serving as a buffer zone. The most obvious margins are
at the four edges of a page. Boxes also have margins. These margins keep
the rules and text apart.

The margins between columns or between pages in a book are known as gutters.
Often a gutter margin is greater than an edge margin to allow for book
binding.

Grids

Each page of a document is based on a grid.
A grid is the underlying pattern of geometric shapes guiding the placement
of visible objects. While a newspaper or newsletter is likely to use
only rectangular grids, many magazines and flyers use triangular and
oval shapes.

Use tracing paper to outline the grids of documents available to you.
Each object should be outlined separately. Remember that a good design
foundation might be hiding in even the worst layout.

Frames

The individual shapes in a grid are frames. Some
computer software allows you to create frames and then fill them with
the appropriate content. Other programs create frames as you place elements
onto a page.

Columns

Text frames are divided into columns. You might
have thought that each column was a frame, but this is not always the
case. Columns must be constructed carefully. If text columns are too
narrow or too wide, they are difficult to read.

Summary & Tips

• Printed elements have unique names in publishing.
• Good designs balance the use of elements.
• Grouping elements, such as rules and boxes, should be used with restraint.
• Invisible elements help designers place visible ones properly.