Basic Rules on Page Layout and Color

For one to be able to stand out from the rest, one needs to goout of the box, break the rules, and some other clichés that apply tobreaking out from the traditional. But before breaking any rule, youhave to understand first the basic and foundation of the rule itself.

First off, let's talk about page layout.

The Rule - Too much boxes is bad for your health.

Onedesigner said that a mark of a designer is when he or she starts to useboxes and rules in his or her pages. When you look at your page andrealize the need to make something attractive and creative out of theboring stuff you've just made, and then decide to throw around a box ortwo or place rules between columns, then that's the time when yourcreativity is getting out from confinement.

Before using allthe box there is in your software, just remember to do it inmoderation. Anything in excess is a bad thing. Sure, boxes and rulesare a good way to highlight important information. But if you're goingto do it in all your pages, or put virtually everything in a box, thennothing will stand out from the crowd.

The Rule - Do not divide the page in halves.

Thebest way to infuse excitement and innovation in your documents is todivide the page into thirds. Afterwards, place the most importantobjects like the headings, photos, and visuals, at the top or bottomthird.

Let's go to color.

The Rule - Contrasting colors make for greater readability.

Anydesigner knows that enough contrast between the text and backgroundmakes for easy reading of text and material. Often, dark text is usedon a light background. And vice versa.

Although light text ona dark background is easy to read, this technique should be usedsparingly. It's proven fact that the eyes get more tired when readinglarge quantities of text on a dark background, than the other wayaround.

The Rule - Use color sparingly.

For impact,designers choose to create their design on more than a single color.But color thrown around everywhere also loses its impact. The rule ofthumb: for maximum impact, use color on headings, and the mostimportant words in headings.

The Rule - Do not use complementary colors.

Colorsthat can be found opposite each other in the color wheel are calledcomplementary colors. For example, blue is opposite orange in the colorwheel. When used side by side, the complementary colors can createhavoc in our eyes because it would be difficult to focus on both at thesame time. In addition, the colors may seem to vibrate when viewedtogether.

The Rule - Do not use color screened more than 40% with text.

Anythingdarker than 40% color against a text can make it harder to read.However, you can vary this rule somewhat by calculating how dark thecolor will be. For example, green can be screened darker than blue tomake the text stand out.

For best results, use a Pantone bookfor tints to show you different screens for every color. In addition,the Pantone book will help you see what is readable and what is notwith both text and reversed text on the screens.

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