Layout design checklist

We go through this checklist before handing the layouts over. We have now accumulated the mistakes we made when developing layouts and piled them up in a checklist that will help avoid them in your work.

Use an up-to-date layout template

We update our templates on a regular basis, and store current versions in a folder on Google Drive. We use files only from this folder when developing layouts. This helps with overall synchronization: even if a designer somehow misses any information about an update, they will still operate up-to-date templates.

Use current templates from Folder Example + Templates

Stick to the proximity principle

Always make sure that the spacing between lines, words and letters is set according to the proximity principle: “objects close to each other are perceived as a unity”.

The proximity principle is not applied here: the line spacing looks too small and lines end up sticking to each other; the distance between words, on the contrary, is too large

Use current elements of the design system

We select visual elements from the Elements Library, rather than copying them from previous layouts. The aim here is the same as in the first item: all elements of the design system are updated from time to time, and to avoid confusion, we store the up-to-date versions in one spot.

Dodo

Not Dodo

The plate does not match Dodo's visual style

Round all the corners

Rounded corners are a feature of Dodo's visual style. We round them on buttons, icons, bars and other elements. We leave sharp corners only when it is required for a particular task.

Dodo

Not Dodo

Get rid of annoying touches and “crackling”

There is an unspoken design rule: elements should either overlap or stay at a distance. And we follow this rule. When elements rub shoulders, they end up having these unappealing touches.

An example of an annoying touch, or crackle: the green plates are placed too close to the inner edge of the pizza

Fine-tune the layout

We make color correction, adjust brightness, contrast and sharpness, add reflexes and shadows, correct light and draw details.

Dodo

Peppers, tape, and horns are added to the plate; the expiration date of the offer is also here

Not Dodo

Add steam to hot foods when necessary

You don't always need to add steam to hot foods in your images. For example, if we show people eating pizza in the park, we don't do it because the pizza was taken out of the oven a long time ago. The same goes for coffee with milk foam, there's usually no steam above it. But we show a cup of Americano with steam to highlight that the coffee is hot.

Dodo

The pizza is still in the box; it's just been cooked – so we add steam

Not Dodo

The latte and cappuccino in the picture are coffees with milk foam. You don't need steam

Add crumbs when showing a sliced product

It's impossible to cut a pizza or a brownie without leaving some crumbs. We add them to the layout. Such details are also a part of the “fine-tuning”. They make the composition more authentic, and the product looks more natural and appetizing.

The pizza is cut into even slices. The crumbs look apt and natural

Draw the proper arrow

The Dodo’s arrow has smooth curves, without creases, and a moderately thick outline so that it doesn't distract attention from text and other elements. This arrow is a part of the brand’s visual style, but sometimes we draw the arrow differently if the task requires it.

Dodo

Not Dodo

We don't use arrows with creases and thick lines

Present your images to the team

When we make illustrations, we are free to unleash our imagination. But don’t forget to make sure that the items remain similar to real objects. Show the images to the team and collect feedback to see if the illustration conveys the idea.

Dodo

Figure “1” is easily recognized - it was intended to be so

Not Dodo

The illustration could be confused with a dinosaur, a bunny or someone from Moomins series

Make sure the proportions of the layout elements fit the media

Check whether the design elements match the size and proportions of the actual media on which they will be placed. For example, if you are designing a package, print it out and see if the text is comprehensible.

Dodo

The lettering on the “tongue” of the package is highlighted in a large way so that it is readable on the actual media

Not Dodo

The text “open” is too small, so it will not be visible on the media

Zoom in on UI elements in layouts

When we demonstrate the application interface, we intentionally break proportionality: it helps to focus attention on key details. Make key elements of the layout larger, and simplify the secondary ones.

For example, if we announce a promotion via the app, we highlight the product category it applies to. If we talk about a new feature, we show the button or section in a large way. A regular screenshot won't work because the user won't understand where to look.

We deliberately put the “Combo” section in the foreground to highlight it

Add legal information to both product and promotional layouts

Legal information is a text block which contains important details about a promotion or product offer. If we don't add this to the layout, we and our partners can be fined under Article 14.3 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation for 100-500 thousand rubles.

In a selection of guides “Legal aspects” we talk about how to design legal information items.

This is an example of a layout that will be placed outside our pizzerias, so in the legal information block we specify detailed information about the promo and the company

Specify partner companies’ copyrights

If we make a layout as a part of a collaboration project, we specify the copyrights of the partners.

The example is a layout for a “Smeshariki” collab. We placed it inside the pizzeria, so we only added a short legal information, a copyright sign and company name

Check the layout on the mockup

The perception of the design is influenced by its environment. It may turn out that the background color of the layout blends in with the walls of the pizzeria, and the text is too small for a street light box. Always try out the layout in context and make sure that it will work in real life as it does on the computer screen.

We also store current layouts in a folder on Google Drive. If there is no suitable media among them, we improvise. For example, we go to a mobile app, take a screenshot and try out the layout.

We check layouts for digital media using screenshots. This example shows the screen of the Dodo Pizza app, which we used as a mockup

Check the layout on real media

If possible, we check layouts not only on mockups, but also on actual media. In our Moscow office, we have a screen that is the same as in our pizzerias. We test layouts for TV boards on it. We can print a paper tablecloth or a tee-board on an ordinary printer, and we test layouts for social media in accounts specially created for testing layouts.