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Use the Rule of Thirds

Compose your page in thirds

By Jacci Howard Bear, About.com

Rule of Thirds Illustrated

One way to ensure interesting, balanced layouts is to group elements using the rule of thirds.

The rule of thirds says that most designs can be made more interesting by visually dividing the page into thirds vertically and/or horizontally and placing our most important elements within those thirds. Elements can be spaced more or less evenly or put the main elements in the upper third or lower third of the page. Take this concept a step further, especially in photographic composition, by dividing the page into thirds both vertically and horizontally and placing your most important elements at one or more of the four intersections of those lines.

See the sidebar for an illustration of the rule of thirds. The layout in the center of the illustration (sidebar) has most elements in the upper third and leftmost third of the page with the main focal point being around the intersection of the topmost and leftmost dividing lines.

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