How to write and design a one-pager

A one-pager is a single page that explains a project, programme, product or position quickly enough to be read in a corridor before a meeting. A project one-pager usually summarises the problem, the response, the results so far and what the reader can do next. A fact sheet leans more on data and is often written for a wider public or for journalists.

Both formats work for the same reason: the reader has very little time. Ministers, donors and partner organisations receive many documents. The one-pager is often the only thing they read in full, so it should stand on its own without the annual report behind it.

Before you open a design tool, write two sentences: who will read this, and what you want them to do afterwards. A one-pager for a donor visit and one for community leaders may cover the same project but need different words, numbers and images.

Then lead with your conclusion. Nielsen Norman Group found that most web users scan rather than read: in its study, 79% of test users always scanned a new page and only 16% read word by word.¹ Its advice is to use meaningful subheadings, bulleted lists, one idea per paragraph and the inverted pyramid style, starting with the conclusion.¹ Readers of a printed or PDF one-pager behave in much the same way, so the opening line has to carry the message even if they read nothing else.

Most good one-pagers follow a predictable structure. Readers find what they need faster when the order is familiar, so treat the list below as a project one-pager template and adapt it rather than reinventing it each time. Not every section needs a heading, but each should be easy to spot.

Write in plain language. The Australian Government Style Manual recommends an average of about 15 words per sentence, everyday words in place of jargon and acronyms, and putting the most important information first because readers may not finish the text.² It also suggests short headings, of no more than 70 characters, with keywords in the first few words, bulleted lists for related items and numbered lists for steps.²

• Headline: the main message as a full statement, not a project name
• Summary: two or three sentences a reader could repeat to a colleague
• The problem: why this matters, with one key figure
• What we do: the response in three or four short points
• Results: what has changed, with the source and date of each figure
• The ask: the decision, funding or partnership you are seeking
• Contact: one named person, an email address and a link to more detail

One strong number, explained in a sentence, does more than a crowded table. Choose the two or three figures that prove your headline, round them sensibly and say where they come from and when they were measured. A figure without a source invites doubt from exactly the readers you most want to convince.

If a chart helps, choose it according to the point you are making. The Financial Times Visual Vocabulary, built to help designers and journalists select the right chart, groups chart types by the relationship they show, such as change over time, ranking, part-to-whole, magnitude and distribution.³ A one-pager rarely needs more than one chart. Give it a title that states the finding, label the data directly and remove anything that does not help the reader understand it.

Good one-pager design is mostly about hierarchy. The headline should be the largest text on the page, the section headings clearly smaller and the body text comfortable to read. Use a simple grid, generous margins and white space between sections so the eye can find its way. Limit yourself to one or two typefaces and your organisation's core brand colours.

Plan the reading order as carefully as the look. GOV.UK guidance warns against layouts that put content side by side in a confusing order, for example placing section 4 next to section 1, because people using assistive technology need to follow the content logically.⁴ In our own practice, we sketch the page on paper first, numbering the blocks in the order we want them read, before any design work starts.

Many one-pagers are shared as PDFs and read on phones, so accessibility matters as much as on a website. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines set a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, defined as at least 18 point or 14 point bold.⁵ Pale grey text on white and white text on light brand colours often fail this test.

GOV.UK advises using real heading styles rather than bold text, giving images and charts alt text or making the same point in the body text, checking colour contrast and never using colour or shape alone to show meaning.⁴ It also notes that HTML is the most accessible format for publishing documents.⁴ Where you can, publish the content as a web page as well as a downloadable PDF, and give the file a meaningful title.

Show the draft to someone who does not know the project and give them thirty seconds. Then ask what the page is about and what it wants them to do. If they cannot answer, the headline or layout needs work, not more content.

Print a copy in black and white to check that charts and highlights still make sense without colour, and read it on a phone screen. Date every version and update the figures when they change. An out-of-date fact sheet left on a partner's desk can undermine trust in otherwise good work.

• Reader and desired action written down first
• Headline states the main message
• Two or three key figures, each sourced and dated
• No more than one chart, titled with its finding
• A clear ask and a named contact
• Clear heading hierarchy and logical reading order
• Text contrast of at least 4.5:1, meaning not shown by colour alone
• Checked in black and white and on a phone