The Non-Designer's Design Book, 4th Edition

Chapter 3. Alignment

New designers tend to put text and graphics on the page wherever there happens to be space, often without regard to any other items on the page. What this creates is the slightly-messy-kitchen effect—you know, with a cup here, a plate there, a napkin on the counter, a pot in the sink, a spill on the floor. It doesn’t take much to clean up the slightly messy kitchen, just as it doesn’t take much to clean up a slighty messy design that has weak alignments.

The Principle of Alignment states: Nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily. Every item should have a visual connection with something else on the page. The principle of alignment forces you to be conscious—no longer can you just throw things on the page and see where ...