Landing page layout checklist

General

Does your layout support the message or meaning of the content?
Have you considered the layout at an element (e.g. button), component (e.g. containers) and page level?
Have you made sure that related elements are both properly aligned and grouped, if possible?
Is your layout consistent with other websites?
Does your layout offer something extra to help it stand out?
Should you take advantage of common layout patterns?

Did you start by prioritising the content to make sure you know the order of importance?
Are there any sets of elements that look odd because they’re not ordered by visual weight?

Have you emphasised more important elements and/or de-emphasised less important elements?
Are visible elements that help reinforce layout (e.g. borders, dividers, containers) subtle enough?
Should you take advantage of depth effects (e.g. overlapping, shadows) to reinforce visual hierarchy?
Are the non-content content/sprinkles (e.g. hand-drawn arrows) on the page stealing focus from the content?

Should you use background transitions to visually separate sections of the page?
Are areas that are conceptually related visually connected in some way?
Are related elements or areas noticeably grouped?
Where you cannot noticeably group related elements or areas, should use some other visual effect to visually connect them?

Should you use a grid system of some kind to help with layout?
Is your layout systematic and orderly, even if it’s energetic/varied?
Are there any “paper cut” layout issues (i.e. slight misalignment or wrong spacing) that will annoy people?
Have you made sure that any nested rounded corners look as if they match?

Have you set out a spacing scale so that all of your spacing feels coherent?
Is there anywhere that you can rely on whitespace to highlight an element, instead of more visual effects?
Is your spacing consistent between not necessarily the content, but the areas of high visual weight, at element, component, and page level?
Are the elements on the page so crowded or dense that the page is overwhelming?
Are the elements on the page so far apart or loose that they don’t feel related?
Have you got both areas of visual interest and areas of rest in the design?

Have you used optical alignment where it’s better than mathematical alignment?
Where you’ve got two elements of different sizes vertically aligned, have you tried top, centre, and bottom alignment?
Where you have text vertically aligned with other elements, does it follow best practices for vertical text alignment?
Have you used any visual effects (e.g. solid drop shadows) that make alignment difficult?

Have you considered how the layout will work at different viewport widths?
Have you made sure that no matter the viewport size, a person will know if there’s more content below?
Does your layout feel consistently laid out in every possible scroll/viewport position?

Should you use more horizontal stacking where it adds visual interest or supports the content?
Can you introduce more variety at any level, to add more energy and visual interest?
Have you added so much visible structure that the design now feels too busy or rigid?
Have you struck a good balance between orderly and varied layout everywhere?
Have you considered whether the layout should be softer or harder (e.g. more rounded corners, softer colours for dividers)?
Should you intentionally ignore the layout anywhere to help the layout feel energetic, or to add visual interest (e.g. tilt or misalign an element)?