threepanel

Threepanel is a term used to describe a composition that divides content into three connected panels. It appears across media—from digital interfaces to comics and art—where three sections are viewed together, often to present a sequence or compare elements.

In web and app design, a threepanel layout typically uses left, center, and right panels (for example, navigation, content, and details). Responsive designs may stack panels on small screens while preserving the three-zone structure in larger ones.

In comics, a three-panel strip is a compact narrative unit with setup, development, and payoff. The format is common for humor and daily strips, delivering a quick, easily digestible joke or observation.

In art, a three-panel work or triptych presents related imagery across three canvases or panels, historically used in altarpieces and iconography and still seen in contemporary gallery contexts.

Threepanel is an informal term that may refer to any three-panel layout in a given medium. Writers differentiate by saying three-panel layout, three-panel comic, or triptych to avoid ambiguity.