Design Fundamentals
There are alot of designers and design theorists out there writing about good and bad design, usability and conformity, colour theories and so on. And so on. And designers should read these articles, even if its rehashed, there is always a point being made. So here is a rough breakdown of some of those points....
White (blank) space isn’t a waste of space.
In fact its a subtle and sometimes vital element which can highlight and strengthen the surrounding content. Let your content breathe!
Font choice isn’t an accident.
A typeface suggests an emotion, driving the site’s character. An incorrect use of a typeface can kill a site’s worthiness. And yes, you can use Comic Sans, if only to suggest you don’t.
Boxes aren’t just shapes.
Boxes bond information together, they separate content for easier scanning. Subtle uses of rounded edges or sharp edges can strengthen the contents message, the use of solid or gradient colours can also emphasise the information within.
Hierarchy means just that.
Larger elements on your page (in theory) stand out more so than smaller ones. Large type is powerful. Large images are too. Smaller information suggests detailed content. Readers know this, they have been reading (and scanning) media for many years and understand the relationship between hierarchal layers. So begin to understand it and follow it.
I shall stop now, this is just a teaser, in the following years I shall be returning to see how you’ve progressed. So put down that meat pie, get off the couch and get learnin’
