My preferred model organization follows David Hay’s recommendations:
- Minimize bends in relationship lines by allowing vertical sizing of entities
- Crows feet “toes pointing” either left or up
Allowing the option for the “Left-Right” layout to be “Right-Left”, and for the “Pipeline” to be oriented in the opposite horizontal direction would go a long way toward allowing a quick layout that adheres to these conventions.
For more background on the reasons this layout is desirable see the “Aesthetics - Order”, “Bent Lines”, and “Layering” sections of this article:
https://www.essentialstrategies.com/publications/modeling/makingrd.htm