Creative Layout Ideas

(and break out of it now and then) https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kr5kyr4s89Y/maxresdefault.jpg (and break out of it now and then)

Grid Examples

Then break out of them.

A strategic breakout point.

You can even have a checker board (when you want to imply equal relationships)

Try Color Bars and Color Boxes (but don’t outline them)

Dominant Focal Point / Large Image

Experiment with color schemes (and stick to one). See https://kuler Experiment with color schemes (and stick to one). See https://kuler.adobe.com and www.colorschemedesigner.com

Try black & white with one bright color

Try colored backgrounds with reverse type but keep columns and paragraphs short and make type large enough to read.

Or light and dark type on a backgrounds with medium values

Try low opacity boxes and gradients.

Or combine color and white backgrounds.

Gray is awesome. (Try it for body copy.)

Experiment with Fonts (typically 2 on a page, max 3) Below is creativity with 1 font.

Use big symbols.

Try shapes behind letters or numbers

Use big numbers

C O N T R A S T T R Y D I F F E R E N T FONT SIZES

Play with Shapes

Remember shapes have meaning, too. . . .

Combine shapes and photographic images.

And curves.

And waves

And overlap stuff.

Or run it off the page. Experiment with cropping.

Bleed white.

Experiment with graphic styles.

Try vertical type. (but run the baseline of the type vertically, too )

Keep layout simple.

White space is your friend. Let it breathe.

Move the image around (before you decide where it goes).

Repeat little icons scattered throughout a page.

Try patterns.

and textures

And paper cuts

mixed media

W Try a watermark.

OR A DYE CUT

Stack and justify your type.

Try a type mask.

Angle the page. (But not just one line.)

Try a low-tech look. Show cut-outs, paper clips scissors. Try textures . . .

Draw on photos.

Give dimension.

Try abstract vector art (to appeal to the mind or imagination)

Toy with scale.

Try big punctuation with a quote or parenthetical text. “ ”

Cheezy Word Art * What to Avoid * Slanted text (amateurish, hard to read). Ffilling every space on a page. FCENTER ALIGNMENT F USING ANNOYING ICONS (stick with bullets, squares, or check boxes for checklists) v Too much space after bullet. v Bad line breaks (like this one) creating widows. v CLUTTER—GIVE IT SPACE, LET IT BREATHE LIKE A FINE WINE. And don’t run type to the edge. * AVOID ALL CAPITAL LETTERS (EXCEPT SHORT DISPLAY TYPE) * Type that’s all the same size (use type hierarchy and type contrasts) * TOO MANY FONTS OR HARD-TO-READ FONTS (stick w/ 2 or 3 on a page) * More than one dominant visual (divides attention) Cheezy clip art and borders that secretaries use. * Filling the corners of a page. Cheezy Word Art

Questions?