← DictionaryLayout
also called page layout
The arrangement of elements on a page within a defined structure.
How things are placed on the page.
What It Is
In the BWH map, Layout lives under Website. The working definition is simple: the arrangement of elements on a page within a defined structure.
It is an idea you reason with rather than a deliverable you hand over, so two teams can both hold it correctly and still apply it differently. That definition is deliberately narrow — the narrowness is what makes it usable.
How It's Used
Layout comes up in site builds, page structure and the technical decisions underneath them. It rarely travels alone — expect it next to Grid System, Whitespace and Visual Hierarchy. The practical test is whether a decision changes because of it.
Why It Matters
Getting Layout wrong is expensive in a quiet way. When it is unclear, the site still launches — it just quietly underperforms. The businesses that treat it seriously spend less time redoing work.
Imagine a rule of thumb that helps you choose between options. How things are placed on the page.
Termshift™
How the meaning shifts depending on who is using it, and where.
In agency and in-house rooms, Layout means exactly the arrangement of elements on a page within a defined structure.
In plain conversation it comes out as how things are placed on the page.
The Bottom Line
Layout pays off when it is specific and costs you when it is not. How things are placed on the page.