Alignment    

 

 
 
       
       
  What is alignment:
 

According to Williams, "The basic purpose of alignment is to unify and organize the page" (p.42). When the page is well organized and appears clean, your message is better communicated. Alignment tells the viewer that even though these items are not close, they belong to the same piece (p.27). Good alignment creates a cohesiveness throughout the page and/or document.

In simplicity, alignment is how things are lined up on a page with each other. It is always best to pick one alignment and to stay with it. It is not a wise idea to mix alignments.

       
  Hints for better alignment:
 
  1. Move text away from left edge
  2. Keep text out of the right edge, easier to see text and word
  3. Use the same alignment throughout the entire document (right justify, left justify, or center align)
  4. Do not place anything on the page arbitrarily
  5. Do not center align everything. Center aligning should be done consciously, not because you cannot think of anything else to do

 

  
  What Do We Align:    
 
  1. Text
  2. Graphics (pictures, data charts, clip art, etc...)
  3. Spreadsheets
  4. Form

 

    
       
 
Non Examples
Examples
       
  non example of alignment, business card   example of alignment, business card
       
       
  non-example of alignment of a cover letter   example of alignmentn of a cover letter
       
       
       
       
 

The Use of Two Alignments on a Single Page:
       
 
Non Example
Example
       
  non-example using two alignments   example of two alignments
       
  All Non-Examples and Examples are modified reproductions found in the Non-Designers Design Book and The Non-Designers Web Book
       
  For more information:  
 
  • The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams pages 27-41
  • The Non-Designer's Web Book by Williams and Tollett pages 106-109

 
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Home, Contrast, Alignment, Repetition, Proximity