In the Rules and Best Practices in Page Layout Illustrations you’ll find four examples (based on actual published materials) that demonstrate the use of alignment.
- View Text Alignment - Fully-Justified
Even line endings are acheived by making minute adjustments to the space between words. Words that are spaced too far apart or shoved too closely together distract the reader. Pay attention to word spacing when setting fully-justified text.
- View Text Alignment - Ragged Right
Ragged line endings can be too ragged. It may be easier to set but it still needs attention to line endings. With ragged right alignment, if you use paragraph indents they need to be obvious indents.
No matter what alignment you use, remember to pay close attention to hyphenation and word/character spacing as well to ensure that your text is as readable as possible.
There will undoubtedly be well-meaning friends, business associates, clients, and others who will question your choices. Be prepared to explain why you chose the alignment you did and be prepared to change it (and make necessary adjustments to keep it looking good) if the person with final approval still insists on something different.
The Bottomline: There is no right or wrong way to align text. Use the alignment that makes the most sense for the design and that effectively communicates your message.
