alignment...

A few days ago, I was looking over a few projects of one of my friends who doesn't have much experience in designing. She asked me what she could do to improve her project and make it look professional. I automatically said, "You need to align everything so that it's uniform and make sure you don't center any of your text." She gave me a vaugely blank stare and stammered, "oookkaayy..." Then she asked me if I was sure that she shouldn't center the text. Yes. That is the number one rule of alignment.

The first rule I ever learned about alignment was to NEVER center anything on a page. This applies to photography, design, layouts, etc. If you put the important items in the center of the page it detracts from the rest of the page. I also learned that using the rule of thirds creates a more visually appealing image. As always, when there's a rule it has to be broken. I have seen  a few good advertisements, layouts, and photos where the main subject or text is in the center, but not many. I was warned that only the experts can break the rules. It's only after you understand the rules that you can break them.

It's always when you learn something that you start noticing it more and more often. Whenever there's a magazine or poster or book that is centered it makes me want to fix it. If you're a beginner to design the important thing is to remember to never center your text or an image on the page of a document.