A layout of a standard cell is created by prioritizing routability characteristics of the standard cell layout. The routability characteristics are prioritized so that the characteristics that are more likely to enhance routing efficiency are emphasized in the cell layout. The prioritization of the routability characteristics can be indicated by a set of weights, with each weight in the set indicating the priority of a corresponding routability characteristic of the standard cell layout. The weights can be used to calculate a weighted sum of the routability characteristics of the standard cell, thereby providing a way to efficiently compare the routability of different standard cell layouts.