Have you heard of the rule of three?

The human mind likes to think in patterns. The most common pattern is a groups of three as this is the lowest number that can be used to form a sequence. This rule of three is ingrained into our society and culture, even our psyche.

 

Think about it: stories, jokes, parables, speeches, language and films all use groups of three. People tend to remember things in associations of three, so by repeating things three times the story, the words or the images are stronger.

‘Omne trium perfectum’

Everything that is three is perfect

I use the rule of three all the time. It may be three colours or three elements, but most often I use the rule of three when it comes to layout design and written communication.

 

The general rule is:

1. Heading to capture attention.⠀

2. Sub heading to reinforce the heading.

3. Content and information.⠀

 

When I design a leaflet I think:⠀

1. Purpose. Needs to be clear and concise with a heading and image.⠀

2. Content. This will be long or short depending on purpose.⠀

3. Call to action. How do your customers/clients buy/contact you.⠀
⠀

How about for Social Media?:⠀

1. Image or heading to capture attention.⠀

2. The information you want to impart.

3. A call to action. What do you want the consumer to do once they have seen the post?

 

 

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