PLAN A LAYOUT
Why plan a layout?
Sometimes graphic designers are required to make a pitch or earn a client's trust before they have been given the job. Planning a layout by roughly sketching it is a quick way to communicate important visual information without putting all of the hours in to have the idea rejected or not be hired by the client. Planning a layout looks like choosing the basic shapes and arrangement, sizes of texts and potentially font ideas. Colours, photographs to be inserted, hyperlinks or other design features can be annotated (meaning labelled) as these cannot be communicated using pen and paper. This is also a good way of ensuring all required elements will be included before you begin so you are not trying to fit too much in to a design at a later point. You could create a checklist for oyurself to ensure you will be including all required elements.
Look at examples of how to plan a layout below
HAVE A GO
You have TWO choices: You are to imagine you are designing EITHER an A3 Poster (portrait orientation) OR an A3 Magazine layout (landscape - two A4 pages next to each other). Your poster or magazine layout should represent one of the 'Principles of Design' or about Typography. Your design will explain what the principle is and also show it through the way it is arranged.
Choose one of the principles or Typography (e.g. 'Negative Space')
Consider what are the most important things for someone to know in order to understand that principal. What elements could help convey information about this principle? (e.g. a photo, an infographic, a design, a sentence or two). Consider what would be included in a poster to help someone understand this principle.
You could start looking for some of the elements you would want to include or you could simply decide what you want to look for and find it later.
Use and A4 page and pen or pencil (or a tablet / iPad with design software) to do a rough sketch that shows how you would arrange the elements. The page must include a space dedicated to 2-3 sentences that explain the Principle of Design. Consider what shapes, visual or typography will be included.