Page layout is an important element because the visitor of the page forms the first impression of the company due to the page layout and web design of the information provided, namely the design of the Internet project. Page layout design — is the development of page layout concept, the creation of the main pages of the layout in separate layers in PSD format, so that design elements can be easily transformed and implemented into new pages of the site.
Why do we need the page layout?
Web page layout development occurs along with the writing of a technical task. No major work can be done without this document. Besides the fact that it protects the developer and the client, it helps them to come to an agreement, it is also a written algorithm for the page development process, in which the terms are set and the requirements are written. Page layout is an integral part of the technical task. The developer offers options, the customer chooses the best for him. As a result, a model is ready that allows all participants to move towards the goal without continuous alterations and approvals.
Read more: UX design and audit
Page layout design features
Responsiveness and flexibility
While developing any digital project, you should always think of it as a flexible non-static form and try to plan in advance its display on various devices. Therefore, you need to think of the web design flexibility permanently. In order to be completely sure that the digital project looks great and will be responsive on all screens, you need to take care of this at the stage of writing the project code.
Hierarchy
It is necessary to pay attention to each element of the developed layout, because it must have a clear visual hierarchy, which will give it a possibility to highlight any prominent areas. It will also be important to organize properly the content of the digital project and build its order, which should be the best for the site’s users. A good way to start all this is to assign correctly different levels of importance to specific content items.
Properly balanced layout design
Improperly balanced design can lead to the fact that it will deflect attention very much, as a result of what the readability of your content will become very bad. Visual balance is one of those moments that need to be maintained throughout the entire design process.
In order to achieve a uniform distribution of visual weight, we need to provide vertical axes in the middle of the page, after that we need to align all the elements on both sides. This can be achieved in two ways: symmetrical and asymmetrical.
Read more: Hover design meaning
Alignment
All content elements must be correctly aligned horizontally and vertically. By following this simple technique, you can build up relationships between different content elements on a web page. They will look visually grouped together and be in the correct order.
Page layout and design: types of site layouts
Fixed page layout
When developing such a layout, it is taken into account that the size of all elements will be given in pixels. It gives an opportunity to use full-size images. However, when it is used on smaller screens, the user will see a horizontal bar for scrolling the site, which brings inconvenience. Your right is to order the page layout with a fixed layout, it is the most simple for implementation.
Liquid layout
In this case, the size of the page elements will be set relatively — as a percentage. It is difficult to implement it so that the page looks equally good on all devices. On wide screens, the site may simply “spread out” in the browser, losing its appeal.
Adaptive layout
Creating an adaptive HTML layout allows the site to look good on different devices. For this purpose, the site layout is optimized specifically for different screen sizes of computers, tablets and phones. When a user visits a site, the device type is determined and the corresponding version of the site is issued.
Read more: Design research
Responsive layout
Such a layout development combines adaptive and liquid design: the site automatically adjusts to the screen size, while changing the elements of the page that the user sees. This is taken into account when creating the layout, because in this case the designer is not so closely connected with the screen sizes and the necessity to think of the site look on a small screen.
Development web page layout: site layout requirements
Below are the requirements for the layouts that we follow:
- individual design elements are presented on separate layers;
- the grid is strictly observed and takes into account the future framework;
- cleanliness and simplicity (no translucent gradients);
- modern design;
- font usage;
- adequateness is the most important thing because we don’t have any misunderstandings between designers and typesetters, which saves development time.
Site layout development stages with KATASIS
- Page layout type selection. Depending on your expectations, we will make a layout for different types of making up. Read more about layout types below.
- Determining the page layout structure. The main structural elements in the layout are coming up. Their location is based on the rules of user interaction with the site.
- Page layout design concept. Separately, it is worth to highlight the layout design — it is necessary to choose the style, color range. When developing a concept, it is important to stick to a certain atmosphere and find tools that can convey it.
- Work on individual structural elements of the site. A lot of responsibility lies on the design of the site heading because it all starts with it. You also need to mark and draw the navigation, the site body and footer.
- Layout construction and making editing. It is possible to make editing to the layout at any stage, even after the making up, but it is more rational to do this during its construction.
- Interactive page layout creation. If necessary, we make an interactive layout — you will be able to see what the animation and transitions on the site will look like.
- Final: layout setting stage. After drawing the layout and its approval, you can proceed to its implementation. This is a separate component of the web page site development.
Do you urgently need a page layout? Contact KATASIS specialists to order express-layout rendering — when using a ready-made template, it will be ready in a couple of days.
