From sketch to layout : using abstract descriptions and visual properties to generate page layouts

The knowledge used for solving page layout problems can be separated into two kinds, visual knowledge, and content knowledge. Content knowledge is concerned with the structure of the information on the page, while visual knowledge is concerned with the appearance of the information and of the page as a whole. Separating these two kinds of knowledge greatly facilitates the development of graphically adept systems. The DAIS (Do As I Sketch) computer aided page layout system starts with a design grid, a set of layout elements (images or text), and a freehand concept sketch drawn by the user. The concept sketch shows the approximate locations and visual weights of the principal groups of layout elements. It is independent of the grid, and the number, sizes and shapes of the layout elements being used for a particular problem. This makes the concept sketch a very flexible means of defining a class of layout solutions. Potential layout solutions are generated by a controlled search of the design space defined by a small, extendable set of visual properties and relations. Their similarity to the concept sketch is evaluated using a grouping hierarchy representation, a matching procedure, and a static evaluation function. This work was made possible by the generous support of IBM, NYNEX, and Hewlett Packard. Thesis Supervisor: Muriel Cooper Title: Professor of Visual Studies