Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

086 Gutenberg Diagram

A diagram that describes the pattern followed by the eyes when looking at a page of information.

The Gutenberg diagram divides a display medium into four quadrants:

1. Top left — Primary optical area
2. Bottom right — Terminal area
3. Top right — Strong fallow area
4. Bottom left — Weak fallow area

According to the diagram, Western readers naturally begin at the primary optical area (top left) and move across and down the display medium in a series of sweeps to the terminal area (bottom right). Each sweep begins along an axis of orientation and proceeds in a left-to-right direction. The strong and weak fallow areas lie outside this path and receive minimal attention unless visually emphasized. The tendency to follow this path is ...