Plan a Page Layout Around How a Piece is Distributed and Handled

Have you ever grabbed for the box of instant potatoes in your kitchen cabinet but ended up with dry milk? Or, trashed a faxed resume because the choice of font made the text unreadable? It could have been because the designer didn't carefully consider how those packages or that resume would be handled. You're less likely to grab the wrong package if the product name or other clear identifying information appears on all sides of the box. The difference in a readable and unreadable fax may simply be in the font size and leading.

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, or from different angles? Will the document be faxed, scanned, or photocopied? Get tips on matching page layout to the distribution method and use.

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