Which Layout is for me?
October 7th, 2008
Which layout will work best here? How should I go about leaving room for ads/sponsors? What if there is not enough room for images/content? All these things run through our heads when we are deciding on a layout for a new project. Some of them have become easier to answer than others, but the question still remains…What is better, a two or three column layout?
Let’s take a look at some of the more common layouts in use today.
The Classic 2-Column Layout
This layout is probably the most widely used layout out there right now, and it just so happens to be the one I use most of all. You typically see this layout in the fashion below:
A 2-Column Layout (right docked sidebar)
What makes this layout work…SPACE
Space is the key here with 2-column layouts, as they leave the designer the freedom to position and pad as needed, and the author to have plenty of room to write.
You also have the potential to offer larger images/media if you so desire in a 2-column layout.
And then there were 3
Here is an example of a 3-column layout that has been becoming more and more popular lately:
First the 3-column with 2 sidebars on the right
If I had to pick a layout I like right after the 2-column, it would have to be this one. This works really nice for blogs, and any site that is going to have loads of information on hand at all times. A nice example of this would be Smashing Magazine, but theirs is sort of a “faux 3-column” layout as it appears to be a 2 by the styling. I really enjoy this layout very much, and it works especially nice, because they have a fluid width to it.
See also A List Apart, for a nice 3-column layout.
Typically you will see the sidebars of the 3-column offering:
- Side Blogs
- User Submitted News
- Ads/Sponsors
- Archives or Latest Posts
Or just tons of widgets…
This layout is the one I will be using when I redesign this site in the upcoming months.
The next, is still seen, but not as much. The 3-column centered layout.
This one can catch a lot of slack, and perhaps rightfully so.
If both sidebars are styled alike, it can be very hard to know where to look. You will often times lose the visual hierarchy on sites that use a 3-column centered layout.
The first example that comes to mind for this layout would have to be Drupal. One of the default themes in Drupal has some login/meta information to the left, and then some other secondary content to the right.
In some cases this works out to the benefit of the user. Sites that handle this layout particularly well are, Vandelay Design, and Just Creative Design.
Just like any design, the bottom line comes down to what works for your content. User testing can also help A LOT when it comes to figuring out how to organize your site. What do you think about these layouts? Which do you use, and why? What about layouts that use more than 3-columns, like news sites? Do they work? Let me know!
- Posted at 10:01 am in web design
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My pick still is 2-column layouts because I don’t want to confuse reader with too much information.