How to design a one-pager in 5 steps. (2024)

One-pagers are a great way to communicate your brand's value proposition in a concise and effective way, but they can be tricky to design.

Don't worry, I'm here to help! In this article, I'll share five tips to help you create a one-pager that is both informative and visually appealing.

1. Understand the use case
2. Understand the content
3. Use a grid
4. Iterate often
5. Know when to stop

1. Understand the use case 🧠

What is the purpose of your one-pager?

Who is your audience?

My use case was designing a letter-sized document for the marketing team. I have five pages of text to fit on one page, and the text doesn't include any visuals or branding. This means I need to add more elements and do it without losing any important information.

2. Understand the content 🤔

Read and understand the content of your one-pager carefully. This will help you to identify the most important information and to organize it in a way that is easy to read.

Think about the relationships between the different pieces of information. How are they connected? What is the most important information for your audience to know?

Understanding the content helps me with brainstorming design ideas, and creating visual metaphors. This helps me tap into my design knowledge and come up with creative solutions.

3. Use a grid 📏

A grid is a basic design principle — it can help you to create a balanced and organized layout. It is a system of horizontal and vertical lines used to place your content on the page.

Using a grid will help you to keep your design organized and to avoid making unnecessary design choices.

4. Iterate often (and quickly) 🔶🔴🟦

Don't be afraid to experiment with different layouts and designs. Once you have a draft(s), get feedback from others and make changes as needed.

I did 10 iterations, trying out different layouts. Most teams find it helpful to have something to respond to, even if it's just a rough draft. High-fidelity mockups are great for these conversations. I chatted with our designers and writers, and together we were able to improve the organization of the information by making the sections clearer and adding labels. We also freed up more white space by cutting down on the text.

At our office, we have a saying: "Eat our own dog food." It means we follow the advice we give to our clients. In this case, putting the audience at the center of the story. Switching the words from "about us" to "about them" is a big step and it's essential for successful business storytelling.

5. Know when to stop 🛑

I often have to sift through a lot of ideas and feedback from different stakeholders. It's important to decide what to keep and what to ditch. Try using your own mental checklist to decide when a design is ready.

For instance:

• the design has a clear information hierarchy
• is consistent with the brand's style
• is proofread

The stakeholders and I are happy with it, so I'm going to proofread it again and then call it done!

Bonus tip: Have fun 🎈

You made it to the end! As a reward, here's a bonus tip: have fun! I had a blast creating this one-pager, and I think it's our best effort yet at telling the fassforward story.

Good luck with your own one-pager!

Do you have a design that needs some help? 💡

Let's chat! I'm the Creative Director at an award-winning Design Studio that specializes in creating content for Fortune 500 companies.

We can help you:

• Communicate effectively with your employees and clients, from presentation decks to company-wide strategic narratives.
• Create engaging and practical corporate training materials, from slides and journey maps to animated videos.
• Turn complex data into clear and persuasive visuals, from creating compelling client-facing data stories to internal DEI reporting.

Message me today and let's see how we can collaborate to elevate your design.

I knew what I wanted to do with my life at a young age—and apparently so did my parents, since they signed me up for art classes at 5. I spent my childhood doing art in every class and doing homework in art class.

I wanted to draw for Marvel Comics, so I attended Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD), thinking that was the way to go. I leaned into the starving artist lifestyle and became a freelancer, while also working full-time in e-commerce and marketing.

As a freelancer, I was honored to have my work displayed at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. I eventually took a full-time position at fassforward, where I now partner with Fortune 500 companies at the intersection of design, data, and strategy.

I'm a New York native, and currently training for the 2024 NYC Marathon 🏃

#bebetter #design #marketing #leadership #storytelling