The Web Page Layouts Gallery, con't.

The three column web page

While the three columns in the example are all the same width, this does not have to be the case. Most commonly the central column is the widest, with site links down the narrower left hand column and advertising down the equally sized right hand column.

Keep in mind the three column format runs the risk of ending up looking cluttered and confusing, due to the rather busy nature of this layout style, so it should be implemented with care.

The three column style can also be used for simple "storefront" or "title" pages which do not have much in the way of explanatory text. The few, strongly differentiated links lead deeper into the site, for more information.

A technical side note: Three things to keep in mind when considering your site: Unless your font size is large enough, san serif text can appear "spidery," or thin and difficult to read. Also, different browsers use different "standard" fonts. Take the time to check your site in a variety of browsers, to see how the text renders. Make sure there's enough space between your columns! A three-column layout where boxes, pictures, or text are all tightly pressed up against each other is visually confusing. Putting even a little white space between columns, or indenting text slightly, helps tremendously. Dark backgrounds are usually best avoided, unless steps are taken to compensate for the reading and printing difficulties they present. First, a dark background "presses in" visually on light-colored text. You'll need to increase your text's size, so it doesn't become illegible on a small screen. Most printers render a web page exactly as it appears. Someone trying to print a web page with colored text and a dark background, especially on a black and white printer, is going to end up with an illegible black page. Consider the needs of your visitors before you decide to try that "cool" black background!

The four (or more) column layout

No example is given of this form of layout, as it is not really recommended. It is unfortunately not user friendly across a variety of screen sizes; on wider screens it's mind-bogglingly busy. On narrower screens it ends up being terribly cluttered (often with graphics and text confusingly overlapped) and frequently unreadable.

If your heart is set on a four (or more) column layout, you might want to use it only for your "table of contents" page. Extremely sparing use of graphics, and minimal text organized somewhat asymetrically might make it work, and keep the reader from being visually swamped.

More Page Layouts:
the single column format || the two column format

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