A Crash Course in Layouting

Though I am not a pro into this stuffs.. I'd like to share to you my knowledge about layout chuvaness.

I consider 10 things in layouting (magazine, newspaper and other stuffs)

1. Content
2. Color Scheme
3. Balance
4. Organization
5. Theme
6. Emphasis
7. Readability
8. Uniformity and Consistency
9. Attention-grabber
10. Originality

Content- before doing the actual layouting stuff, you should first have a overview of your content and conceptualize everything.. I mean everything, from top to bottom, left to right and consider the materials to be used when printing.

Color Scheme- of course, you are allowed to play with colors.. it's your layout anyway. But you should consider the coordination of colors so it will look pleasing to the eyes of your readers. Try looking for online color schemes or perhaps buy a book about that.. it's helpful.

Balance- most layouts contains text and pictures.. do not just paste and paste your "vainest" picture in your layout. You should weigh in your eyes if there's too much picture in the left or in the right.. it should be equal. Make sure it won't look heavy in one side and plain on the other.

Organization- this is very important! Your contents (pictures, text, etc) should be well-organized so you won't be confusing your readers. If there is a photo on a certain article, place it near the article and always put captions to avoid confusions.

Theme- consider the theme of your layout.. especially in magazines. Do not make your own and make a layout that's way too far from your theme or concept. You'll ruin the outcome. (Ex. Never make a layout about HIV Virus when you're talking about SARS.)

Emphasis- this too is very important. You should determine your focal point.. Pin-point what the whole layout is all about. Every reader should co-relate the layout and the article.. In short, the layout and the contents must go together. Ask yourself: "What are you trying to emphasize in this layout?"

Readablity- of course! You're making this layout for your readers. Use a type face (font) that's readable enough, make the size big enough for them to read. Consider your readers' age bracket. Ex: If you think you're making a layout for the oldies, then make the font bigger.. vice versa.

Uniformity & Consistency- Still in type face stuff.. it should be consistent. If you've used TNR (Times New Roman) in your body, use it in others too.. so it'll be all uniform. The simpler the better. It must look neat.

Attention-Grabber- here's a question: if you're a reader of a certain magazine or newspaper.. where do you focus your attention first? In the layout or the article? Your layout should attract the reader's attention.. so you're article will look more interesting.

• Crappy layout + Very good article= Readers won't read it instantly.
• Good layout + Crappy Article= Readers will consider reading it first.
• Good layoaut + Very good article= No doubt, your readers will surely love it.

and lastly,
Originality- this is very important for a layout artist.. you should have originality. You're an artist.. you have lots of ideas in mind. DO NOT COPY OTHER'S WORKS. Try to produce your own idea.. there's nothing wrong in using other's work as a reference.. but making an ACTUAL CARBON COPY OF THEIR LAYOUTS is far from referring on other's ideas anymore. It's PLAGIARISM. Be careful, you might be sent to jail for that.

So that's it.. My little knowledge about layouting. I hope it has helped you in your layouting jobs. ^_^