The Art and Science of Page Layout...

What is Page Layout?   Not horribly long ago, production artists brought designs into fruition. There was a whole category of production employees with dedicated job positions like "key-liner," or "pasteup artist." This was an entry-level design job where an aspiring designer could learn the basics of print production and press limitations. It was also a great way to see very practically how pages should be organized and the proportions of effective pages.

Fast forward to the early 1990's. Page layout software like Pagemaker and Quark revolutionized the industry. More changes  (direct-to-plate/press) signaled a smaller pool of employees. Where the production art chain once included the likes of: typesetters, line-camera operators,  and keyliners-- the designer was now the one-stop production department.

That's why understanding page proportion can give you a creative advantage over designers who randomly design within the standard format. It begins with an ancient proportion that occurs in nature, and was first recognized by the ancients in Greece and Asia. It gets amended by typographers and designers over the years, and makes some stops in the early 20th Century Avant Garde schools.

The ink below is an informative read that every designer should see at some pint.

http://retinart.net/graphic-design/secret-law-of-page-harmony