Layout (clean layout, visual hierarchy, main image versus supporting views)

Arrange images and text so the main idea reads first, followed by supporting views and details.

What it is

Layout organizes the main image, supporting views, labels, and empty space on a page. A clean layout makes the main image dominant while keeping other elements easy to find.

Give the main view more space, stronger framing, and more contrast than supporting views. Group related images, align edges, and keep margins and spacing consistent across pages. Avoid cluttered overlaps and random gaps.

Visual hierarchy controls the order of attention through size, placement, contrast, and whitespace. Place captions close to the images they describe. For example, a large character 3/4 view can sit above smaller alternate views and detail crops arranged in a grid.

Why it matters

Clean layout and hierarchy help readers identify the main idea and find supporting information quickly. Weak control can make every image seem equally important, leave pages cramped or unevenly empty, and make information harder to follow.

You can check it when

• ✓You can identify one main view on each page, and it is visibly larger or more prominent than the supporting views.
• ✓Images and text blocks align in consistent rows or columns, with even margins and spacing across multiple pages.
• ✓The page has a predictable reading path, such as top-to-bottom or left-to-right, from the main view to supporting information.
• ✓Edges, images, and borders have enough separation to avoid awkward overlaps or cramped areas.

Related skills

• Supporting views (orthographics, turnarounds, variations)
• Callouts (detail enlargements, material callouts)
• Focal point and visual hierarchy
• Positive-negative space and notan
• Visual hierarchy — areas of rest versus detail
• Production sheets (expression sheets, pose sheets, turnarounds / front-side-back views)