Common Layout Mistakes

A business document, by definition, should be crisp and to-the-point. It should be presented in a layout that is strictly professional. We have listed here a few common layout mistakes that one should avoid while preparing a business document.

Avoid unnecessary elements

Don’t fill up all blank space with pictures and quotes unless they are absolutely indispensable.

Beware of excessive content

Use short and clear sentences. Avoid colors and images unless they are relevant to the text.

Don’t overuse symmetry

Symmetrically arranged tables look boring after a while. Use differently-shaped pictures to break symmetry. Left-aligned text is more readable than central.

Pay attention to uniformity

Maintain a uniform font, font size, font color and formatting throughout the document.

Write with hierarchy

Start with the most important information in the beginning and continue with the decreasing order of importance.

Avoid excessive multimedia

When used inappropriately, animations, videos, and sound can all distract the readers, instead of attracting them to the text. Keep it simple.