When you're putting together a layout, where you place your words and captions can make a big difference. You want everything to look clean, easy to read, and visually cool. Here’s how to do that without overthinking it:

KEEP YOUR COPY TOGETHER

Stick your main headline and the body text (aka the copy) in one corner of the page. This helps people know where to start reading. If you’ve got extra stories or side pieces, give them headlines that match the style of your main one so everything feels like it belongs together.

BREAK IT UP

Big blocks of text can be a snooze. Split your copy into columns so it’s easier to read and doesn’t look like a wall of words.

CAPTION EVERY PHOTO

Every photo should have a caption. No exceptions. Put the caption right next to, above, or below the photo it’s talking about...just make sure it’s close enough that people know which photo it goes with.

NO CAPTION SANDWICHES

Don’t trap a caption between two or more photos. That just confuses people. Each caption should clearly match one photo.

KEEP IT CONSISTENT

Make sure all your captions are the same width. It keeps the page looking neat and balanced.

STACK SMART

Try not to stack more than two captions on top of each other. If you do, it should be part of your design plan, like if you’re using group captions for a bunch of related photos.

DON'T FORGET THE FOLIO

The folio should go in the bottom margin. It’s a small detail, but it helps people know where they are in the book or project.