Non-Designer’s Type Book, The, Second Edition

6. Centered Layouts

Centered type creates a stable, sedate, formal look because it is so symmetrical and balanced. It can also create a deadly dull look. New designers center type because it is a very safe thing to do. If you center the page because you want a more formal look, that’s one thing. But if you center the page because you simply haven’t thought about it, or because you are afraid of uncentering it, that’s another thing. As you flip through any magazine, stop at the layouts that interest you. Most of the pages and ads that have a strong, dynamic feeling are not centered. An invisible line connects the elements in a flush left or flush right alignment, and the strength of that line gives strength to the entire page.

If you are going ...