The short version
- A one pager is a single page that explains a business, product or project well enough to be understood without a conversation.
- Good one pager design follows a fixed order: a headline that says what you do, who it is for, how it works, proof, and one next step.
- Most one pagers are A4 or US Letter portrait, because they are read as PDFs and printed for meetings and events.
- A reader should grasp the main point of a one pager in about 30 seconds of scanning.
- One pagers stay readable when body text is no smaller than 9 to 10 point and most of the page is headings, short lines and space.
On this page
Good one pager design puts five things on a single sheet in a fixed order: a headline that says what you do, a line on who it is for, how it works in three steps, proof that it works, and one clear next step. Lay those out top to bottom on an A4 or US Letter page with plenty of space, and someone can understand your business in the half a minute they will give it before deciding whether to read on.
What a one pager is for
A one pager does one job: it carries your explanation into rooms you are not in. Different readers want different versions, so decide whose one pager it is before you write a word.
Reader
Must answer
Reader
Must answer
Reader
Must answer
Reader
Must answer
The one pager layout, top to bottom
People scan a page from the top, down the left and across anything set large. Put the most important words where that path goes. On a portrait sheet, five horizontal bands work for nearly every business.
What goes in it
Share of the page
What goes in it
Share of the page
What goes in it
What goes in it
Share of the page
What goes in it
The header band of an A4 one pager: an outcome as the headline, the product above it and the customer named beneath.
The headline states an outcome, not a category. "Payroll software" makes the reader do the work; "Payroll done in ten minutes" does it for them. If you cannot say what you do in under ten words, fix that first, because no layout will rescue it. Visual hierarchy explains how size and weight steer the eye through the bands.
Writing the words before the design
Write the one pager as plain text first. If it reads well as text, it will read well designed; if it does not, decoration will only hide the problem. Below is a complete draft for an imaginary bakery supplier, short enough to fit with generous space.
HEADLINE Fresh bread on your shelves by 7am.
SUBLINE Wholesale sourdough and pastries for cafés within 20 miles.
FOR Independent cafés that want great bread without a bakery.
HOW IT WORKS
1. Order by 2pm Choose from the daily list online.
2. We bake Overnight, in small batches.
3. We deliver Before you open, every day but Sunday.
PROOF Quote from a café owner (with permission) and their logo.
NEXT STEP Ask for a free tasting box: hello@example.com- Use the reader's words. Say "cafés" if they call themselves cafés, not "food service operators".
- Prefer proof you can show. A named quote, a logo you have permission to use or a result you can back up.
- Make one ask. A tasting, a demo, a call. Three calls to action means none.
Design rules that keep a one pager readable
Avoid
- Paragraphs that fill the width of the page
- Body text below 9 point to fit more in
- Four colours fighting for attention
- Proof hidden at the bottom in small grey text
- No contact details, or contact details in a footer
Do
- Two columns or short lines of 50 to 75 characters
- Body at 9 to 11 point, headings clearly larger
- One background, one accent for the call to action
- Proof given its own band, at a size people notice
- The next step set large enough to read from across a desk
A strong background in the header band, with the lower bands on a calmer tint of the same colour, gives the page an obvious top and keeps the text areas quiet. The accent colour is saved for the next step so it is the second thing people see after the headline. Pick a heading and body pairing from font pairing and a size ladder from type scale.
One pager size and format
A4 2480×3508
2480 × 3508
US Letter 2550×3300
2550 × 3300
Slide 1920×1080
1920 × 1080
Use A4 in most of the world and US Letter in North America; Letter size in pixels has both sets of numbers. Send a PDF, not an image, so text stays sharp and searchable. If you also pitch with slides, keep the one pager and the pitch deck in the same background and type, so they feel like the same company. For more room, a folded brochure is the next step up.
Gradiently keeps that sameness for you: your Mark renders behind the one pager, the deck and the social posts, and its legibility keeps text readable wherever it sits on the background. Pro resizes the one pager to every size in one step and exports print PDFs with bleed and crop marks.
Questions people ask
What should a one pager include?
A headline that says what you do, who it is for, how it works, proof that it works and one clear next step with contact details.
What size is a one pager?
Usually A4 (210×297 mm) or US Letter (8.5×11 inches) in portrait, sent as a PDF.
Is a one pager double sided?
Normally not. The point is a single side that can be read at a glance. If you need two sides, you probably need a brochure.
How many words should a one pager have?
There is no fixed rule, but most good one pagers stay well under 300 words so the page has room to breathe.
What is the difference between a one pager and a pitch deck?
A one pager summarises everything on a single sheet to be read alone. A pitch deck spreads the story over slides, usually presented.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
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