Design is all around us. Everything we use, from snack boxes to the websites we visit, is crafted to look good and be simple to understand. But how does a good design look? Why do people make things that look good and work well?
In this post, we’ll talk about some important design ideas you should know. These make everything look clean and great, from a website to a business card to an ad. You can use colors to make something stand out, keep it balanced, and make it easy for everyone to use.
No matter how long you’ve been making designs or how new you are, these tips will help you make ones that people will love. There are some simple rules that will help you do your work better.
Things we design can change the world and what we see and do. Some big names in the game are with me because I worked on it with them. It has been a great trip. My job is to brand things for big, foreign companies and make apps for tech companies that are easy for their people to use. What makes a job interesting are the parts that are hard.
It looks like style is more than just making things look good. Things need to be fixed and made to work. Pages, brands, and handouts that I make are made with how people will use them in mind. It needs to look good, be helpful, and be easy to use.
Working with famous people has taught me a lot about how important design is. Good design can make a product or service better and help a brand stand out in a crowded market. A business can get better results and change how people feel about it if it has the right style.
I’ll talk about some design rules that have helped me as you read this. Have you been making things for a long time or this is your first time? These ideas can help you make designs that stand out. Let’s talk about what makes a design great.
Difference
The thought of difference is a big part of design. Putting together different types of design elements, like dark and light, hard and soft, or big and small, is what it means. When you use contrast well, you can draw attention to certain parts of a picture by making focus spots. You can make buttons or calls to action stand out on a website by giving them different colors.
Things You Should Know About Contrast:
- Use different colors for words to make them stand out from the background.
- To keep the eye excited, use things that are different sizes, shapes, or weights.
- It should have enough contrast so that even people who have trouble seeing can use it.
Making Use Of It Again
When you repeat something, you use the same parts or ideas over and over in a design. Putting things in order and making them feel like a whole helps people see the parts better. It’s possible to copy any shape, color, style, or picture.
- Do not change the fonts or colors used in different parts of a design. Instead, use the same ones over and over.
- Patterns or themes that show up over and over can help tie together different parts of a plan.
- Things can look dull if you say them over and over again.
Balance
To “balance” something means to make it look like it’s the right size. Forms and weights that are even or not even can be used for this. Things that aren’t the same on both sides of a center line are called uneven. In spite of not mirroring, this makes it look like there is balance. When the balance is right, the parts on both sides of a line are the same.
- To sum up, uneven balance makes you feel more alive and busy, while symmetrical balance makes you think of formality and order.
- Check the weight of the pattern to make sure it’s spread out right.
- You can wear them with many things and they look more stylish.
Hierarchy
It lets you know which parts of a plan are the most important. It also helps them learn and understand what they read. Most of the time, changes in style, size, color, and font weight set the order.
- The headers need to be bigger. Headers and body text should use smaller sizes.
- The color of something tells you if it’s important or not.
- People start to read a page when the most important things are on it.
White Space
There is space between the lines on a picture. This is called white space, which is another word for empty space. It makes everything look clean and nice. Plan parts don’t seem too crowded or busy, and they can “breathe” in empty space.
What You Need to Know About White Space:
- Give each part or area its own space by leaving blank spaces.
- If you leave enough space between words and pictures, you can read them better.
- Leave some empty space to keep things simple and stylish.
Color
It changes the mood and makes things look more interesting and stand out. Color is a big part of style. Colors can make a design look and feel different to different people. Think about what color you pick because it can change how you feel and what you remember.
- Colors can give a room a mood or a theme. Dark colors put you to sleep, and light colors wake you up.
- It’s interesting to think about how different colors can go together.
- The colors you pick should be clear to everyone, even those who can’t see them.
Alignment
Things look skilled and put together when you line them. Things don’t look like they were thrown together when they’re lined up right; they look like they fit together. The shape is given by it, and it looks better too.
Do not forget these important facts about alignment
- Place things next to each other on the same axes, like left and right.
- Use squares or lines to make sure that everything in a design lines up the same way.
- Having more than one column? Pay attention to how they are set up for a neat look.
Emphasis
Emphasis is all about drawing attention to certain parts of a design. By pointing out certain parts, you can get their attention and make your point. To make something stand out, you can change its size, color, font weight, or style.
- To make something stand out, use big letters or bright colors.
- Put the most important parts of a plan where you can see them, like in the middle or at the top.
- You can change the text’s weight and size to make it more or less important.
Proximity
When people plan, they put things next to each other. This is called their “proximity.” Putting things close to each other that go with each other can make people feel like they are part of the same group. Getting things that aren’t tied together makes things easier to do.
What You Need to Know About Proximity:
- To show a link, group things that go together, like menu links.
- By taking the different parts apart, you can see things better.
- There should be empty room between groups of things to show where the edges of those groups are.
Movement
It looks like something moves when you use a design. People can look at the plan in a certain way. This helps the story move and is easy to understand.
Moving Things:
- Use lines, curves, or signs to direct the viewer’s eye in the right way.
- Use things in your design that make you think of movement, like straight lines or curves that flow into each other.
- Make the steps clear so that everyone can see how to follow the plan.
Rhythm
You can make something feel stable and sure by using visual elements or themes that show up over and over again. Like the beat in music, rhythm tells the piece what to do and how to do it.
What You Need to Know About Rhythm:
- To make a graphic rhythm, use patterns, colors, or shapes that appear over and over again.
- Always use the same grid structure to keep the rhythm steady.
- Quicken it up so the idea doesn’t get old.
Scale and Proportion
Based on other parts of the work, scale tells you how big or small something is. On the other hand, proportion is how the different parts of a whole fit together. Scale and sound help keep things whole and even.
What you need to know about size and proportion:
- Use bigger sizes to draw attention to important parts. Cut things down to show off less important parts.
- Make sure the lines fit together well and look good.
- Sometimes, use too-big sizes to draw attention to something or make it more interesting.
Typography
Typography is the art of putting words together to make shapes. It helps you read a lot and looks good. Picking the right fonts can make a big difference in how something looks.
Type Facts You Should Know:
- Pick types that match the picture’s main style and mood.
- Make sure the text can be read by choosing the right font size and style.
- Use types like bold and uppercase to make things pop out and show that they are in order.
- If you use too many styles, everything will look the same.
How Grids Work
When you’re putting together design pieces, grids help you keep everything in order. That helps make sure that everything is correct for both print and the web.
- Grids are useful for making plans that stay on track and keeping things in order.
- Grids can help you make sure that everything is spread out right.
- Patterns have a lot of parts or places that are hard to understand. For those styles, grids work really well.
Accessibility
Making your design available will help as many people as possible use it, even those who have trouble. Think about how easy it is for people to use when you make something. This helps you reach more people.
Accessibility Facts You Should Know:
- People who can’t see well or are blind should be able to read.
- Picture books and other non-writing things can help