A different approach to laying out views. Designed for Swift, works in ObjC

ViewPlace.swift

//
//  ViewPlace.swift
//

import UIKit

extension UIView {
    /**
     Add `self` and `otherView` to a new view and align them along the provided `edge`.
     - Returns: A new view that is now the superview of `self` and `otherView`
     */
    @objc func place(edge: ViewEdgeRelationship, _ otherView: UIView, offset: CGFloat = 0) -> UIView {
        
        // make sure self and otherView don't already have a superview
        if self.superview != nil || otherView.superview != nil {
            assertionFailure("views already have superviews. this feature is not handled yet")
        }
        
        // add self and otherView to a container view
        let containerView = UIView()
        self.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        otherView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        containerView.addSubview(self)
        containerView.addSubview(otherView)
        
        // pin self to the passed in edge and its perpendicular edges
        let perpendicular = edge.perpendicular
        containerView.match([perpendicular.0, perpendicular.1, edge], to: self)
        
        // pin otherView to the passed in edge's inverse and perpendicular edges
        containerView.match([perpendicular.0, perpendicular.1, edge.inverse], to: otherView)
        
        // pin self and otherView to each other with the provided offset
        containerView.align(self, edge: edge.inverse, to: otherView, edge: edge, offset: offset*edge.offsetMultiplier)
        
        return containerView
    }
}

/**
 Helpers for adding layout constraints
 */
private extension UIView {
    
    private func match(edges: [ViewEdgeRelationship], to otherView: UIView) {
        for edge in edges {
            align(self, edge: edge, to: otherView, edge: edge)
        }
    }
    
    private func align(view: UIView, edge: ViewEdgeRelationship, to otherView: UIView, edge otherViewEdge: ViewEdgeRelationship, offset: CGFloat = 0) {
        addConstraint(NSLayoutConstraint(item: view, attribute: edge.attribute, relatedBy: .Equal, toItem: otherView, attribute: otherViewEdge.attribute, multiplier: 1, constant: offset))
    }
}

@objc enum ViewEdgeRelationship: Int {
    case LeftOf
    case RightOf
    case Above
    case Below
}


private extension ViewEdgeRelationship {
    /**
     Associated NSLayoutAttribute value.
     */
    var attribute: NSLayoutAttribute {
        switch self {
        case .Above:
            return .Top
        case .Below:
            return .Bottom
        case .LeftOf:
            return .Left
        case .RightOf:
            return .Right
        }
    }
    
    /**
     The opposite edge of self.
     */
    var inverse: ViewEdgeRelationship {
        switch self {
        case .Above:
            return .Below
        case .Below:
            return .Above
        case .LeftOf:
            return .RightOf
        case .RightOf:
            return .LeftOf
        }
    }
    
    /**
     Multiplier to use when applying offsets.
     - Note: This makes it so provided offset values don't need to be negative
     */
    var offsetMultiplier: CGFloat {
        switch self {
        case .Above:
            return -1
        case .Below:
            return 1
        case .LeftOf:
            return -1
        case .RightOf:
            return 1
        }
    }
    
    /**
     The two edges that are perpendicular to self. For example: Above and Below are perpendicular to Right (and Left)
     */
    var perpendicular: (ViewEdgeRelationship, ViewEdgeRelationship) {
        switch self {
        case .Above:
            return (.LeftOf, .RightOf)
        case .Below:
            return (.LeftOf, .RightOf)
        case .LeftOf:
            return (.Above, .Below)
        case .RightOf:
            return (.Above, .Below)
        }
    }
}

ExampleUsage.h

UILabel *label = [UILabel new];
label.text = @"hello world";
label.backgroundColor = [UIColor purpleColor];

UIButton *button = [UIButton new];
[button setTitle:@"asdf" forState: UIControlStateNormal];
button.backgroundColor = [UIColor redColor];

UIView *composite1 = [label place:ViewEdgeRelationshipLeftOf :button offset:0];

UILabel *label2 = [UILabel new];
label2.text = @"qwerty";
label2.backgroundColor = [UIColor greenColor];

UIView *composite2 = [composite1 place:ViewEdgeRelationshipRightOf :label2 offset: 4];

UIButton *button2 = [UIButton new];
[button2 setTitle:@"layers" forState: UIControlStateNormal];
button2.backgroundColor = [UIColor orangeColor];

UIView *randomView = [composite2 place:ViewEdgeRelationshipAbove :button2 offset:0];

ExampleUsage.swift

let label = UILabel()
label.text = "hello world"
label.backgroundColor = UIColor.purpleColor()

let button = UIButton()
button.setTitle("asdf", forState: .Normal)
button.backgroundColor = UIColor.redColor()

let composite1 = label.place(.Below, button, offset: 0)

let label2 = UILabel()
label2.text = "qwerty"
label2.backgroundColor = UIColor.greenColor()

let composite2 = composite1.place(.RightOf, label2, offset: 4)

let button2 = UIButton()
button2.setTitle("layers", forState: .Normal)
button2.backgroundColor = UIColor.orangeColor()


return composite2.place(.Above, button2, offset: 0)