When designing a brochure, you almost never start from scratch. The content usually arrives well developed or even finalized by another department. Sales copy, pricing, terms and conditions, key messages. In principle, everything is decided and the layout just needs to give it form.

But as soon as the design starts taking shape, questions begin to surface:

• Where should the logo go? Top, bottom, or center?

• What is the minimum spacing between an icon and its accompanying text?

• Can I use a full-bleed image?

• What leading and tracking should be used for campaign headlines?

• Can text be overlaid on an image? What contrast rules should be followed?

Layout requires visual decisions that also impact the brand. Order, white space, hierarchy, and spacing all communicate something, even when no one explicitly talks about it.

The problem is that many of these decisions are made by intuition. Gaps get filled and margins get adjusted until it “looks right,” simply because there is no clear reference available at that moment to guide better decisions.

And when there is a lot of information to fit in, the risk increases. Everything competes for the same space. The eye does not know where to look first, and the brand starts to lose presence without fully disappearing.