Michael (Trey) Denton
The Seven Principles of Layout
Below you will find the seven different principles of layout along with three examples and descriptions used to provide more detail.
Principle 1 - Balance
Explanation of Principle
Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka
The bottle, halo, and circular light create a strong sense of balance, with equal visual weight on both sides. The rounded shapes of the bottle and surrounding design elements help tie everything together.
Penguin Books
Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka
The two Shakespeare figures almost mirror each other, making both sides feel equally balanced. The Penguin logo at the bottom is centered, which helps keep the whole ad balanced
Jeep
Absolut Vodka
Jeep
The animal graphic sits centrally with an even amount of surrounding space. The Jeep branding above and below also helps balance the layout.
Principle 2 - Proximity
Explanation of Principle
Lego Ninja Turtles
Lego Ninja Turtles
Lego Ninja Turtles
The lego bricks are built to look like the ninja turtles. The proximity in which they are setup allow the viewer to see them for the ninja turtles.
McDonalds
Lego Ninja Turtles
Lego Ninja Turtles
The proximity of the typography (the ingredient names) stack together and make them look like the iconic sandwich.
Cheerios
Lego Ninja Turtles
Cheerios
The proximity of the elements of the ad design come together to emulate the sunrise and draw your attention fo the boxes of cheerios and a close up picture of the cereal that is inside the box.
Principle 3 - Alignment
Explanation of Principle
Toyota
Hiper Centro
Hiper Centro
The tennis rackets are carefully aligned to create the shape of the Toyota logo. It’s a simple example of how alignment can organize separate elements and make them work together as one clear design.
Hiper Centro
Hiper Centro
Hiper Centro
I only speak a little bit of spanish, so i do not know exactly what the ad says... However, this is an amazing example of alignment because the designer setup the columns and text elements to look like a kitchen. This one is awesome.
Target
Hiper Centro
Target
The alignment of the soccer plater and his body is centered well. Obviously, the soccer ball being over the center of the target logo is super eye catching.
Principle 4 - Repetition
Explanation of Principle
Volkswagen
Feltrinelli Books
Volkswagen
This ad shows a great use of repetition by using four similar shaped objects all in a row. Its even more effective because one of the similar shaped objects is intentionally different as a way to illustrate the lack of room for error when parking your car.
Nescafe
Feltrinelli Books
Volkswagen
Rows of Zs repeat across the ad, then change to Ns near the Nescafé name. The repetition of the letter Z and then rotating it to an N make this ad very effective.
Feltrinelli Books
Feltrinelli Books
Feltrinelli Books
Repeating “BLA” fills the space around the reader with visual noise. The book interrupts that pattern, making reading look like a break from all the distractions.
Principle 5 - Contrast
Explanation of Principle
Grooming Company
Grooming Company
Grooming Company
The strong difference between the dark background and the bright product makes it immediately stand out, and then the use of the different textures on the types of fruit make it even more clever and effective.
SimpliSafe
Grooming Company
Grooming Company
The ad uses a strong contrast between the large, bold text and the much simpler background. It makes the keypad / physical object easily the main focus of the ad.
Goggles
Grooming Company
Goggles
The bright goggles stand out heavily against the darker colors around them. That contrast makes them the obvious focal point and makes the ad impactful. There is even a good use of contrast in the rocks that the goggles sit upon.
Principle 6 - White Space
Explanation of Principle
Snow White
Snow White
Snow White
The large amount of empty space makes the simple Snow White graphic stand out .Using only a few recognizable features also makes the ad feel clean and really clever. If there was not as much white space, the apple design would not be as effective.
Coca Cola
Snow White
Snow White
The ad leaves most of the layout completely open, which makes the small Coca-Cola elements stand out much more than they would in a busy design. This is almost "negative space" because within the white space is a classic coke bottle shape.
Apple
Snow White
Apple
The large amount of white space keeps the ad from feeling crowded and gives the product plenty of room to stand on its own. With almost nothing competing for attention, your eye goes straight to the main subject - the Ipad.
Principle 7 - Hierarchy
Explanation of Principle
McDonalds
McDonalds
McDonalds
The largest and most noticeable element (the burger) grab your attention first, while the smaller text and branding come after. The different sizes make it very clear what they want you to see and in which order.
Arbys
McDonalds
McDonalds
The Arby's sandwich is made much larger than the building - even the Arby’s sign is larger than the building itself. That creates a very clear hierarchy: you see the sandwich first, then the sign, then the building, and finally the smaller text.
Jeep
McDonalds
Jeep
The picture of the Jeep takes up the entire top half of the ad, making it the first thing you notice. The bottom half actually contains more info but is smaller so that your eye naturally goes from the Jeep first to the supporting text and branding after.
Denton Visual Printing, Creative Design & Media
5100 LYON, NORMAN, OK 73072
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