04/21/21

"Center Alignment vs The Rule of Thirds: The Effects of Alignment on Visual Appeal,
Message Comprehension,and Usability in Poster Design"

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This study focuses on the use of alignment in medical and informational poster design to determine whether center alignment or the use of the Rule of Thirds is most effective in determining variables such as message comprehension, visual appeal, and usability. The purpose of the study was to fill gaps in design and visual communication research. The hypothesis for this study was that the viewer of a poster is more likely to be drawn to a poster that adheres to a design theory called the Rule of Thirds, and they will be able to recall information from that poster better than one that adheres to Center Alignment. The results of this quantitative study support the idea that that the Rule of Thirds is deemed more visually appealing than center alignment. The results for message comprehension and usability were high and approaching significance, but ultimately did not support the hypothesis.

 

Keywords: Center Alignment, Rule of Thirds, Message Comprehension, Usability, Visual Appeal, Poster Design

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Programs: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign