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LAYOUT and ARTWORK - The Art of Arrangement in Graphics Design

© Swapan Brahmachari

A layout is a arrangement of headlines, copy blocks, photographs, works of art, borders and other typographic devices that serves as a dummy model for the client. A layout is a plan. When the design elements are arranged together it becomes a composition. If the finished work is to be an ad, the composition we draw will be called a layout, if it is a page in a magazine, it is termed a page dummy or a page layout.

The Design Process:
Research
The first step in preparing a design in determining the problem.

* Who is the audience?
* What is the budget?
* What is the goal of the project?
*And Time.

You must gather and study all the related materials you can find.
Then it will be easier to sell a design to a client if you can back it with research and justify it from a perspective the client will understand.
Keep a file of anything you find interesting or well done. A personal file of such can be useful when you are stuck for ideas.

Elements In Layout

* HEADING: The line usually is heavier type, set above the text or body matter. Also called a HEAD or HEADLINE.

* SUBHEAD: Secondary material set in smaller type, usually under the headline.

* ILLUSTRATION: This may be a any type of illustrative material - realistic, decorative or humorous :- painted or
photographed, black & white, color or both.

* SECONDARY ILLUSTRATION: The term applied to smaller or supplementary pictorial material.

* TEST: The type material containing the main message.

* SIGNATURE: The name of an organization or advertiser.

* CLARITY AND SIMPLICITY: The good designer does not permit a layout to become too complicated. An advertisement should retain it's clarity and should be easy to read and easy to understand. The reader tends to see the total image of an advertisement, thus it should not appear fuzzy or confusing. The various units should be clear and easy to understand. Type size and design should be selected for ease of reading, and lines of type should be a comfortable reading length. Too many units in an advertisement are distracting, therefore any elements that can be eliminated without destroying the message should be eliminated. One way in which clarity can be achieved is by combining the logo, trade mark and company name into one compact group.

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