Layout

Like a building, a plan is needed for graphic design. A graphic design plan is called a layout. Page layout
is the part of graphic design that deals in the arrangement and style treatment of elements (content) on
a page.

With print media, elements usually consist of type (text), images (pictures), illustrations (line drawings)
and occasionally place-holder graphics for elements that are not printed with ink such as die/laser
cutting, foil stamping or blind embossing.

Several people work on the layout to make a graphic design. They may be:

 Visualiser & Designer

 Photographer
 llustrator
 DTP Operator

Types of layouts:
Press Layout

Layouts for advertising to be published for newspapers and magazines. The layout person has to adhere
to certain norms due to size, colour and time constraints. Sometimes, font used, mode of artwork are
also considered.

Page Layout

Page plan for any multi-page publication like magazine, brochure, annual report, book, booklet or a
diary. Pages face each other and the elements of both the left and the right page are coordinated in
terms of principles of design. Generally, page layout programmes are used to design such materials.
Grids are used which are non-printable guidelines on all four sides of the page.

Dummy

An imitation of a real or original object. In publications, the proof prints are taken for all the laid out
pages separately and compiled to develop a prototype of the publication. In book production, a dummy
helps to plan the cover and the inner pages.

Cover Layout

The cover of a printed publication is a form of visual expression and gives the idea about the content. A
book cover comprises information bearing, decorative and background elements that are presented in a
two-dimensional graphic form..
Stages of layout

From idea generation to the final product, layout designing passes through various stages. Different
degrees of finishing are associated with each stage.

Stage - I

This is known as a thumbnail sketch (raw sketch)

A small preliminary sketch of ideas with a possible arrangement of elements .

Advantages

* It can be done quickly

* It is economical (least use of colour paper etc)

* At least 6 trial layouts can be developed on one A/4 paper

* Each trial provides new ideas

* Judging the ideas becomes easy

Thumbnail sketches should be drawn to proportion. Even if you are not an artist, creativity is important.
Many people work differently as layout artists.

Stage - II

This is known as a rough layout. There are different levels of finish ranging from very rough to well-
finished. Generally used to give presentation to the clients or very senior people in the organisation.
Degree of finishing depends on client’s demand, time, amount of information with the designer and the
skills of the designer as well. Rough layout is also economical.

Rough layouts are of 2 types

Working Rough – It serves simply as rapid guide for the DTP operator, Photographer and the printer
who work at the background. The designer himself acts as the client and approves or rejects the working
rough before preparing the finished rough.

Finished Rough – The client many times is not interested in the rough layout but only wants to see the
finished rough, the actual size of the finished ad. All elements should be presented accurately with
regard to size, style, spacing, placement etc.

Earlier, all the rough layouts were prepared manually by skilled artists. But now with the use of
computers and the related software, the rough layouts can be created in much the same way without
much effort. Rough layouts are presented to the client in the form of a low-resolution printout or a soft
copy in a CD or pen drive.

Stage - III

If the rough layout is further finished, it is called a comprehensive layout. It involves the making of a
dummy layout of the page to be produced, showing the exact placement of page elements like text,
graphics, colour etc. like a printed sheet. Illustrations or bromides are used on the layout and in case of
digital comprehensives, software like CorelDraw, Illustrator or Photoshop are used along with a scanner.
The manipulated are generally stored in TIFF or EPS formats. Master pages can be used in multi-page
documents with elements repeated in every page. The use of colour in comprehensive layouts is
unlimited. In a digitized form, more than 16 million colours can be used. But the printing may not match
the digital quality as the numbers of colors used are limited.

Stage - IV

This stage is known as Mechanical Layout. Digital page planning offers tremendous flexibility to the
designers and printers and allow multiple options in positioning of the scanned images, tints, shades,
colour corrections etc.
Layout Planning

In desktop publishing, a good page layout is about more than just applying the principles of graphic
design or creating cutting-edge design. A workable page layout is one that delivers the intended
message to its primary audience. A workable page layout focuses on the practical aspects of the
document such as method of distribution, visibility, and handling.

Build the page layout around the main message

All elements of the page layout including images, fonts, and colors must be appropriate to the message
the piece is designed to convey. If you can't identify or haven't been told the main message of the
project you may have trouble creating an appropriate serious, playful, formal, or casual page layout that
delivers the message effectively.

Choose a page layout size that fits the intended or expected use

Choose a standard tri-fold format for a brochure, tabloid size for a newsletter, or an oversized postcard
size for a direct mail piece only after considering the recipient, budget, need for portability or filing, and
postal regulations. Let the audience and use not your available templates or desire to do something
different dictate the size of the layout.

Plan a page layout around how a piece is seen and handled

Think about the visibility and use of a piece when arranging page elements. Does the title, headline,
label, or key visual need to be visible, readable, or recognizable from a distance, from a magazine rack,
on a shelf, in a binder? It may help to figure out the book's format (say size, portrait versus landscape,
available margins, etc.) fairly early on, since it can have a big impact on how you'll organize your text,
graphics, tables, etc. If you don’t yet have a publisher, look at already published books of similar topics
and functions to get a sense of the possibilities.
Some considerations
How much text, roughly, will fit on one page?

Will there be illustrations?

What are good sizes for the pictures?

Can colored text be used?

Can colored or gray shading in tables or text boxes be used?

Should footnotes/endnotes be used?

Margins

Tables

Index

If there are very few headings (many pages apart), can I help readers orient themselves with column
headings, or chapter numbers/logos/watermarks?

Can the text flow freely from page to page?

Should each page be considered as an independent unit?

What will be some typical "page styles"?

What do I want each page to look like?

Broadsheet & Tabloid Layout
A broadsheet or newspaper is a regularly scheduled publication containing news, information, and
advertising. By 2007 there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a day. The
worldwide recession of 2008, combined with the rapid growth of web-based alternatives, caused a
serious decline in advertising and circulation, as many papers closed or sharply retrenched operations.

General-interest newspapers typically publish stories on local and national political events and
personalities, crime, business, entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature an
editorial page containing editorials written by an editor and columns that express the personal opinions
of writers. Other features include display and classified advertising, comics, and inserts from local
merchants.

The newspaper is typically funded by paid subscriptions and advertising.

A wide variety of material has been published in newspapers, including editorial opinions, criticism,
persuasion and op-eds; obituaries; entertainment features such as crosswords, sudoku and horoscopes;
weather news and forecasts; advice, food and other columns; reviews of movies, plays and restaurants;
classified ads; display ads, editorial cartoons and comic strips. The layout of a broadsheet or newspaper
is designed to attract readership and to optimize the newspaper's effectiveness in presenting
information. Rules and conventions have evolved over the years and almost all newspapers share well-
established layout principles. Most of the broadsheet layouts are done on computers today and the
large screen allows for the use of newspaper layout techniques on a computer display. Good newspaper
design is more important today than ever. With shrinking newspaper page size and disappearing
advertising revenues, the pressure is on for newspaper designers to become even more sophisticated in
their use of the grid, typography, alternate story forms and layouts.

Categories
While most newspapers are aimed at a broad spectrum of readers, usually geographically defined,
some focus on groups of readers defined more by their interests than their location: for example, there
are daily and weekly business newspapers and sports newspapers. More specialist still are some weekly
newspapers, usually free and distributed within limited areas; these may serve communities as specific
as certain immigrant populations, or the local community.
Daily
A daily newspaper is issued every day, sometimes with the exception of Sundays and some national
holidays. Saturday and, where they exist, Sunday editions of daily newspapers tend to be larger, include
more specialized sections and advertising inserts, and cost more. Typically, the majority of these
newspapers’ staff work Monday to Friday, so the Sunday and Monday editions largely depend on
content done in advance or content that is syndicated. Most daily newspapers are published in the
morning. Afternoon or evening papers are aimed more at commuters and office workers.

Weekly
Weekly newspapers are common and tend to be smaller than daily papers. In some cases, there also are
newspapers that are published twice or three times a week. In the United States, such newspapers are
generally still classified as weeklies.

National
Most nations have at least one newspaper that circulates throughout the whole country: a national
newspaper, as contrasted with a local newspaper serving a city or region. In the United Kingdom, there
are numerous national newspapers, including The Independent, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The
Guardian, The Observer, The Daily Mail, The Daily Express and The Daily Mirror. In the United States
and Canada, there are few national newspapers. Almost every market has one or two newspapers that
dominate the area. Certain newspapers are available throughout the country. In India, newspapers like
the Times of India, The Hindu, and the Hindustan Times are extremely popular and have large reader
bases. Large metropolitan newspapers have also expanded distribution networks and with effort can be
found outside their normal area.
Design Principles
As in the case of other graphic designs, newspapers must follow some basic design principles. Some of
themes are.

Rhythm: The first design principle is rhythm. The newspaper columns should have a rhythmic pattern in
order to help the reader move his/her eyes on the page.

Balance: On a newspaper page, ‘balance’ refers to the distribution of headlines, pictures, and other
display elements along with advertisements that dominate the page visually, according to their size,
tone, shape, and edges. Balance gives the page an equilibrium that makes the reader perceive all the
elements of the page as settled at their respective places. These days, most papers follow an
asymmetrical pattern of balance. In such case, a big picture on the left corner counterbalances an
advertisement at the bottom right corner. In case there is a group of advertisements in a pyramid
shape, they are balanced with two top headlines.

Symmetrical balance is easier to achieve than the asymmetrical one. In a symmetrical design, uniform
design elements are placed on both sides of a page in such a way that they are equidistant from an
imaginary centre line that divides the page. In a newspaper, an asymmetrical design is uninteresting,
stiff and often unworkable because the news stories cannot be made completely equal both in content
and typographic font to fit them in a pre-determined pattern.

Contrast: It imparts graphic emphasis, design elements in proper proportion and sequence. Otherwise,
all the elements in the design compete for attention, frustrating the reader and negating one another.
Contrast can be achieved by using big and bold headlines. A dark-toned photograph stands out within a
light-toned text. Graphics in unusual shapes have more contributed value than regular-shaped
photographs. These facts can be used to create contrast in design.

Unity in newspaper design refers to the fact that, within an individual story, headlines, text, and
illustrations must relate to one another and to the total page. Unity can be achieved in various ways—
by grouping all the elements of a story, drawing a rule around the story, or by aligning all the elements
on an imaginary line. A photograph in a story must not be placed in a position where it may appear to
be a part of another story. Moreover, two headlines on a page must not clash with each other.

Newpaper Form
The form of a newspaper refers to its size. The normal daily newspaper size is a broadsheet, which is
normally 17" x 22" (43 cm x 56 cm) in dimension. The early newspaper of the seventeenth century were
published in a slightly bigger size, but they exist along with the broadsheet. Most of the early
newspapers had been started by printers rather than journalists or big business houses. The broadsheet
became a standard by accident, perhaps to accommodate more editorial items on one page so that a
reader can view a large amount of information at a glance. As this size gained acceptance, many
printing presses invested large amounts of money to be able to print a newspaper in this size.

These days, another noticeable format—tabloid—has emerged. Since a tabloid is almost half the size
of a broadsheet paper, it is easier to print even on big-sized machines. The desktop phenomenon has
given this size a boost and multiplied the number of tabloid publications. Companies publish tabloid
journals to build their corporate image, and small publishing houses publish them to purvey social
gossip, labour problems, or human interest journalism. R.K. Karanjia, founder and editor of Blitz, is the
pioneer of tabloid journalism in India.

Tabloids are usually identified with sensational news and, therefore, the broadsheet size remains
popular among both conservative and radical people.

International Tabloids Indian tabloids

New York Daily Mirror (US) Mid-Day

The Sun (UK) Mail Today

Daily Star (UK) MINT

Newspaper Format
A newspaper format is like a stage play. Newspaper professionals like theatre artists work within the
limitations of form and the format, which are fixed by practical, technical, and economic considerations.
Editors, designers, and the make-up persons work within the limitations of time and space.

Practical considerations

Space is a practical consideration for editors. They have to constantly estimate how many news items or
comments can be accommodated on a page, and with that emphasis. This is especially the case when
they need to fill the columns within their overall dimensions, either vertically or horizontally.
Traditionally, the newspaper format had a narrow column width. With new digital technology, however,
the column width can be manipulated in a minute.

These days, newspaper production journalists have brought in many innovations. Formats are becoming
more visual-oriented now, with a wide use of graphics, pictures and shapes. In fact, the look of some
newspapers is getting closer to that of magazines.
Technical considerations

Other than the spacing and arrangement of matter on a decisions on technical aspects such as the
handling of type, pictures and the production have to be taken

Economic considerations
A newspaper is one of the few items in the world which is below the cost of production. Unlike any
other product, a publisher who sells more copies of a newspaper does not necessarily make more
money. In fact, in the short term, the publisher loses revenue by selling more copies, for there is a time
lag before : the higher circulation figures get translated into higher advertisement revenue. The
production of a newspaper becomes very expensive when the circulation crosses the break-even point.
Thereafter, the production cost is so high that it becomes uneconomical to print more copies, unless, of
course, it is supported by massive advertising.

Design Elements
The format is mainly filled up by four design elements—advertisements, text matter, headlines, and
pictures.

Advertisements
As discussed earlier, the designer has no control over the placement of advertisements on a page;
neither can he/she tamper with the content of any advertisement. Since advertisements are placed
along with other elements on a page, the placement of these elements should be decided keeping the
size, shape, tone, and edges of the advertisements in mind.

A copy-heavy advertisement (Text heavy) will be inappropriate in a space that is surrounded by editorial
text matter with the same or similar type style. A photograph of a news story will lose its identity when
placed alongside an advertisement which has a photograph of the same tone and shape. Even two
advertisements on a page may clash with each other if they are not separated by a border rule or some
other distinguishing device.

There are three kinds of advertisements in newspapers—classified and display classified & display.
Display advertisements are measured and the advertisement space is sold in square centimetres, while
classified advertisements are measured in terms of the number of words or lines per centimetre.

The classified advertisement page is a group of rectangular solid masses (normally in 5.5 point type size).
It is the most neglected page in terms of design, as the reader is more interested in the contents of this
page than in the graphics, if any. Display-classified advertisements is larger than one column classified
advertisement that uses display fonts and graphics.
Some standard patterns are used for advertisement placement in newspapers. Group display
advertisement is a standard advertising unit that may be placed on their or bottom right position,
leaving the rest of the page for the editorial content gives the reader an easy flow of reading material.
Another standard advertising unit is a filler advertisement. It frees other pages for more editorial
matter.

Whatever pattern is chosen, unless there is coordination between the editorial and advertisement
departments, no successful make-up is possible. It is essential for the advertisement department to
provide the dummy that shows not only the size and positioning of advertisements on a page. Such a
close coordination is a prerequisite for optimum results. A proof or pull of the advertisement will yield
positive results.

Text Matter
The primary objective of a newspaper is to involve the customer in reading, so the next step in creating
a design should be to locate the text matter that is to go into the paper. The matter is then set in
appropriate typefaces and sizes. Certain typefaces are more suitable for newspapers because of their
distinct characteristics. The text matter is set in a particular format. The column width of a paper
determines its basic format. The text matter of a newspaper is generally set in a standard size (8 points),
which is legible even on inferior-grade paper like newsprint. Newspaper text types are specially
designed. The most commonly used text face for newspapers is the classical Roman face.

Headlines
Newspaper headlines demonstrate two aspects—content of the headline and physical form of the
headline type. By providing an overview of the news content and summarizing the news, they create
curiosity and attract the reader on to the pages. Through the physical form of the type, they indicate
the relative importance of the stories. They lend a distinct identity to a newspaper. Headlines in an
irregular line length are preferable, but they should not be in a justified format. They may be centered
and left or right flush in accordance with the style adopted by a newspaper. Headlines are expected to
be in regular sizes, widths, weights, and positions. Headline type sizes are generally big and bold, ranging
from 16 to 40 points, with the exception perhaps of the lead story, which should reflect the mood of the
story through a bigger type size. Bold, medium, or italics may be used for variation. It is better, however,
to stick to one style to give the newspaper a particular visual character. Headlines with wide white
spaces are more legible than those surrounded by other types and visual elements. As white space in a
newspaper design is a scarce element, deciding on how much white space to leave around the headline
is another creative task for the designer.

Pictures
Pictures on a newspaper page are noticed at first glance. Pictures that are weak, ugly, more less, and
without credibility can do more 1 than good to the page and the newspaper as whole. Selecting the
right picture content is the job of a photo editor. Aesthetic quality and functional role are the two
parameters of editing. Retouching portions to enhance or highlight some aspect is also a common
practice. The photo editor may exclude elements that are not relevant to the story the picture is
supposed to illustrate.

Sometimes, the same picture can be cropped to fit different space requirements. Therefore, while
cropping, one should avoid cutting the picture. Intelligent cropping can make even a weak or average
photograph look great. Moreover, one should be careful while using a border around a photograph. It
will help when the edges of the photograph are very light, but may be unnecessary when the photo
content has enough tonal contrast with the background. Photographs are the primary choice for
illustrating a graphic design. This is more so for newspapers, because photographs represent real life.
People tend to believe photographs more than any other form of illustration. Hand-drawn graphics such
as charts, maps, cartoons, and comic strips have maintained an important place in newspapers. They
can inform, instruct, guide, entertain, and set the mood for a story. Most readers enjoy a light cartoon
before settling down to read the serious matter in a newspaper. A graphic improves readability by
explaining complicated parts in the text. It also adds realism to writing. It may also present the data in
an easy-to-understand way and guides the reader to a place of travel or helps him/her locate a
particular place.

Page Make-up
Page make-up is the final editorial job. It is usually finished in a hurry. The traditional method of page
make-up, which was practised till a decade back, was a time- consuming process. It has now been
replaced with electronic page designing, which \offers immense freedom to the editor and the graphic
artist. These days, a number of software programs are available for page make-up. They are quite
convenient to use, and, as discussed earlier, offer a lot of flexibility. In order to design the page make-up
of a newspaper, designers and editors need to rely on the knowledge of the available technology. Many
new technologies keep coming up and they need to familiarize themselves with the same in order to
update their knowledge of various software programs. They should not let the lack of knowledge about
new technology limit their creativity.

Front Page
The front page is usually the first page to be designed. This page calls for the most creative use of
typography. This page helps the editor give the audience the feeling that all the news of the world has
been covered. The front-page style helps in developing a recognizable identity for the paper. The daily
task of page designing is done within the parameters dictated by the paper’s accepted style. This style
pertains to type style, column number, and column width. The frontpage serves the purpose of a shop
window .After reading the day’s hot news and other main stories, the reader obtains information about
the features of other pages from the front page.

The front page is visualized on the basis of the number of stories appearing on it and their relative
importance in terms of the length and value of the news items. The common elements of the front page
design are—nameplate with or without ear pieces; one or two news photos or advertisements, normally
in the solus position; or graphics such as map charts, cartoons, and indexes.

The nameplate always runs at the top of the page. Headlines facing each other create confusion for the
reader, and may be avoided by providing significant variations. In case there are more than one news
photographs on the front page, the top one should look much heavier. The headline should be wide
enough to cover the entire story.

Boxes and thick lines may be used to separate the stories or to highlight a particular portion. They
should, however, be used sparingly, and not used as substitutes for pictures. Indian dailies usually avoid
the use of dominant graphics on the front page, but these graphics can create a lot of impact if used
creatively. In the case of train accidents, deaths, etc., photographs of the actual incident may be
difficult to obtain. Such events may be illustrated with appropriate graphics. Since several stories need
to be accommodated on the front page, jumps of the page are unavoidable. These jumps, however,
should be minimized as much as possible, as they hamper the reader’s interest in the story.

The index is the content of a newspaper. The index should be a simple listing of the stories with their
page numbers. Many newspapers not only give it elaborate graphic treatment but also place it in a key
position such as the top of the nameplate or the first or the last column. The index carries a short write-
up on the stories, often with a small illustration. There are some disadvantages in using an elaborate
index. Such indexes occupy a lot of space and the reader may skip the actual story as he has already got
an overview of the news through the index.

Editorial Page
The editorial page is actually the opinion page of the newspaper, and hence it is designed differently
from the other pages. The style adopted for the editorial page reflects the seriousness of the views
expressed for or against certain ideas, which is in contrast to the style of the news pages; this creates a
feeling of immediacy and excitement.

The function of the editorial page can be substantiated by using various graphic devices such as a bigger
column width, larger text type size, and different type styles.

Graphics may be added to make the page subtle and interesting. A topical political cartoon is usually an
acceptable graphic for an editorial page. Many papers, however, keep the editorial page free of
graphics to maintain seriousness. The editorial expresses the opinions of the newspaper and its logo and
name-plate show that the newspaper is responsible for the opinions expressed on this page.
Section Pages
The section pages of a newspaper are designed in such a manner that each page is unique enough to
reflect the mood of the section, and yet it is consistent with the overall style of the paper. In order to
make the sections more distinct, each section panel may carry a photo or graphic related to the section.
Since most of the pages are dominated by advertisements, care should be taken while placing the
headline and the text on section pages. News headlines should not be aligned with the content of an
advertisement or clash with its headline. If a story runs to the next page, a feeling of continuity should
be developed. In case the starting point of a story is not distinct, drop caps may be used.

Two types of pictures are used in section pages—(a) those pertaining to news items, and (b) those
related to feature articles. As discussed earlier, news pictures need to be related to the news stories.
Pictures that illustrate feature articles, however, can have much freer treatment in terms of shape, size,
and placement. Graphics or pictures combined with headlines make a composite block that gives the
page a contemporary look. In some newspaper pages, portions of the text matter are wrapped around
a cutout photo to give the page an interesting arrangement.

Sections with feature articles ought to be more dynamic. They are designed to hold the reader through
the whole of the run. Generous white space, occasional , subtle column width, non-justified formats, a
section page with features and make it look like a page out of a magazine. Symmetrical balance can also
be achieved on a section page when covering a story like that of two equally strong sports teams
clashing in finals.