Definition
In marketing, layout refers to the format of a visual communication (for example, a magazine advertisement or a website) that indicates where the component parts (artwork, body copy, headline, subhead, trademark and other graphic elements) are to be placed:
print advertisement layout template
The headline is meant to attract the reader’s attention. The subhead is designed to guide the reader’s attention to specific details about the advertised item or to help organize issues presented in the body copy, which provides detailed information.
A comprehensive layout is a detailed mock-up of a layout presented to advertising clients in order to gain their approval before significant production costs are incurred.
A dummy layout is a preliminary layout for an online or printed ad, brochure, poster, or other advertising material.
Kerning refers to the degree of tightness in the space between type characters such as the individual letters in headlines, subheads, and body copy. Art directors frequently adjust the degree of closeness between type characters to give the appearance of more natural (and more readable) character and word spacing.
A mechanical or paste-up is the final digital or photo-ready assembly of all of the elements of an ad, brochure or other marketing material that is transmitted to the printer.
A rough is a dummy of an advertising layout or an early version of a storyboard prepared by art directors and copywriters to help them realize the advertising idea and discuss it with others in the agency and sometimes with clients.
Thumbnail refers to a rough sketch of the layout.
See Also
References
- American Marketing Association, AMA Dictionary.