Reading time: 05:33 min

Hello and welcome to another installment of our series "Design for Everyone"! As a reminder, we're diving into the four fundamental principles of design, masterfully presented by Robin Williams in the iconic book "The Non-Designer's Design Book." These pillars, which will help you create more conscious and effective designs, are:

• Proximity: Grouping related elements together so that the viewer intuitively understands their relationships. We discussed this in detail in our first lesson.
• Alignment: Today, we're tackling this principle, which defines how elements are positioned relative to each other on the page, creating visual order and a professional look.
• Repetition: Consistently using the same elements (colors, fonts, shapes) throughout the project, strengthening coherence and organization. We'll cover this principle in the next episode.
• Contrast: Clearly differentiating elements on the page to draw attention to key information and build a visual hierarchy.

Following our sequence, today we'll focus on alignment.

Alignment: The Invisible Architect of Order in Your Designs

Alignment. It seems obvious, right? After all, we all use it when writing an email on a computer, don't we? 😉 However, the conscious and strategic use of alignment has a powerful impact on how our designs are perceived. It's not just a matter of aesthetics, but primarily of functionality and readability. Imagine invisible lines to which the individual elements on the page are drawn. These lines create visual harmony and order, making even complex layouts clear and professional. Without conscious alignment, even the most creative ideas can seem chaotic, amateurish, and in extreme cases, simply become illegible.

Discover the types of alignment and their secret powers

Let's start with the basic types of alignment offered by almost every text editor:

•  Left Alignment: The king of readability, especially for long blocks of text in languages read from left to right (like English or Polish). It creates a clear, consistent edge on the left side, making it easy for the eye to smoothly move to the next line.
  Example: This paragraph, like the vast majority of content on websites, in books, and in magazines, is left-aligned. Why? Because it's simply the most comfortable for our eyes!
•  Right Alignment: Often used to highlight shorter pieces of text, such as dates (e.g., in the top right corner of a document), photo captions, short quotes (pull quotes), or in languages where we read from right to left. It can give a project a more formal or unique character.
  Example: Take a look at the headings of some older letters – the date is often placed on the right side.
•  Center Alignment: Ideal for short, expressive elements such as headings, page titles, invitations, aphorisms, or poetry. It gives the project elegance and symmetry, but for longer blocks of text, it can make reading difficult because each line starts in a different place, disrupting the rhythm of the eye.
  Example: The title of a homepage, text on a greeting card, or a short advertising slogan.
•  Justified Alignment (Left and Right): Text stretched evenly between the left and right margins, creating straight edges on both sides. It's common in books, newspapers, and magazines, giving the text a formal and orderly appearance. However, it requires careful line spacing and can lead to unsightly "rivers" of white space between words or unnaturally stretched words if not applied correctly. That's why it's often combined with hyphenation.
  Example: Columns of text in a professionally typeset book.

However, alignment isn't just these basic options. In more advanced design, we step up to a higher level of awareness:

• Grid Alignment: In complex projects like magazines, posters, or websites, designers use grid systems. This is an invisible framework that divides the space into regular columns and rows, allowing for precise alignment of all elements – from text and images to graphics. The grid provides incredible consistency, harmony, and makes it easier to create readable and organized layouts. We could write a separate, fascinating article about grids!
  Example: Take a look at your favorite magazine – you'll certainly notice how all the elements are logically arranged based on an invisible grid.
• Visual Alignment: Remember that alignment isn't just about text! Images, icons, illustrations, lines – all visual elements should be consciously aligned with each other and with the text. Sometimes it's enough to align the top edges of two photos, other times – the bottom edge of the text with an icon. These subtle touches significantly enhance the visual quality of the project.
  Example: Social media icons placed under the text "Follow us" should be aligned to the baseline of the text or its top edge.
• Optical Alignment: This is the most intuitive approach, relying on trusting your own eye. Sometimes, for an element to look aligned, we need to subtly move it beyond the "obvious" alignment line. This happens, for example, with round elements, which visually appear smaller than square ones of the same height. For a circle to look aligned with a square, it often needs to be slightly enlarged.
  Example: A logo consisting of a round and a square element – the designer might subtly adjust their position so that they visually appear perfectly aligned.

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Why Conscious Alignment is Your Ally

It might seem enough to click the appropriate button in a program. However, the real power of alignment lies in a conscious approach. It's about thinking about the purpose of a particular alignment and which elements should be visually connected. It often turns out that the popular center alignment, while aesthetic, is not the best choice for readability in many cases and can lead to monotonous compositions. It's worth daring to experiment with left and right alignment to give projects dynamism and strength.

Let's look at this example:

This text uses the principle of proximity, grouping words into sentences. However, centering makes the text edges "soft" and doesn't create a clear structure.

In this case, right alignment creates a clear line, giving the composition dynamism and strength. Of course, this won't always be the ideal solution for long blocks of text, but it shows how a conscious choice of alignment can affect perception.

Conscious alignment is key to:

• Improving readability: Makes it easier for the eye to smoothly follow the text and navigate the page.
• Building a professional image: Well-aligned projects look more polished, thoughtful, and credible.
• Strengthening visual hierarchy: Helps to visually connect related elements and separate different content sections, directing the viewer's eye where we want it to go.
• Creating a sense of order and coherence: Even complex layouts become clearer and easier to understand, which translates into a better user experience.
• Improving user experience (UX): On websites and in applications, proper alignment intuitively guides the user through the interface, making it easier to find information and interact.

Avoid the pitfalls of improper alignment

• "Almost" aligned elements: This is one of the most common sins. Elements that are aligned "by eye" and are not perfectly matched give the impression of carelessness and amateurism. Always try to build clear and strong alignment lines using guides and alignment tools in graphic design programs.
• Excessive centering: While centering is effective in certain situations, overusing it, especially for long blocks of text, can weaken the visual structure and make reading difficult. Experiment with other types of alignment to give your projects a more professional and dynamic look.
• Inconsistent alignment: Changing the type of alignment without a clear reason within a single project can introduce chaos and make it look random. Try to stick to one main type of alignment in a given section and apply it consistently.

In conclusion

The conscious and consistent use of alignment is an absolutely crucial element of professional design. Paying attention to how elements are arranged relative to each other has a fundamental impact on the readability, aesthetics, and overall perception of your projects. Remember to use different types of alignment in the appropriate contexts and don't be afraid to experiment to find the best solution for your specific project.

If you already feel confident in the basic principles of alignment, keep in mind that breaking the rules can also be a conscious design choice. If you choose to deviate from standard solutions, ensure it's intentional and has a specific reason, such as emphasizing a particular section or creating a unique visual effect. 

I now invite you to the next lesson in our "Design for Everyone!" series, where we will look at the principle of Repetition.

See you there!

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