What are the 7 principles of web design?

Easily one of the most important principles in web design, visual hierarchy is the arrangement of important elements. When mentioning word balance, one of the first things that comes to mind is weight. You can imagine a classic scale that measures the weight of one object against another. When designing a website, keep in mind that the physical weight of a scale is equivalent to the visual weight of the items you use.

Your site is like any other composition, consisting of aesthetic and functional elements. To achieve balance, you must determine the weight of each piece and make sure that they do not overlap each other within the composition of your site. If there was a vertical line along your website, the symmetrical balance would imply that the visual weight is equal on both sides of that line. Symmetrical balance offers a visual experience that evokes consistency and professionalism.

By offering a broader perspective, the Gestalt theory would suggest another benefit of applying symmetrical equilibrium. According to the design principles of the Gestalt, symmetry is an ideal way to simplify the processing of visual data for the user. Asymmetric equilibrium is achieved when the visual weight of the elements is equal on both sides, but their arrangement and order vary (ie,. Using asymmetry is a great way to attract viewers and have a more dynamic web design, such as Sharon Radisch's site below.

The irregular design of the homepage creates an attractive effect while maintaining a sense of balance. The aesthetic decision also serves to separate the photo galleries of your online portfolio by category. Contrast means placing elements juxtaposed side by side so that one of them stands out. This effect creates emotion and demands the attention of the viewer.

When applying this principle to web design, think about specific elements you want to accentuate and how you will diversify them from the content that surrounds them. Perhaps the most obvious way to apply contrast is to work with the color scheme of your website and choose shades that complement each other. Contrast can also be expressed with fonts, images, and even the use of white space on your site. For example, using two different fonts from each other, for example, one with serif and one without serif will create an energizing contrast that can emphasize the content.

In the following example, the Modern Bakery restaurant website adopts a simple design and at the same time implements the principle of contrast. The juxtaposition between the pale yellow background and dark elements, such as text and images, results in an exciting and dynamic design. You can see that they have also used a variety of fonts, a modern sans serif is combined with a script to create a “pop” effect. The “lack of dominance” between a group of equal-weighted elements forces competition between them.

Readers must then discover their own entry point, which is an arduous task, wrote Alex W. White in his fundamental guide, The Elements of Graphic Design. In this regard, you need to find at least one specific element to highlight on your website so that visitors do not get lost, and this requires emphasis. Whether it's your logo, a call to action, or an image; if there's something on your website that you want visitors to prioritize, applying the emphasis principle will improve your design.

Making certain aspects of your composition visually dominant is also a good UX practice, as it will help visitors find what they need and complete their actions. Movement draws attention, captures the eye and guides it with an even more dynamic design. Achieving a sense of movement requires varying the elements and organizing them in a way that allows spectators to navigate a composition. In digital design (such as websites), this principle is even easier to apply, since technology allows us to easily incorporate animated effects directly into your pages.

One way you can apply the principle of movement is to include animation in your website design. For example, using a video background or scrolling and scrolling effects. But even without animation, a web design can have movement, tilting content diagonally, using F and Z design patterns, or scattering images on a web page are all ways to evoke an animated encounter with the website. When practiced correctly, the repetition principle will result in patterns that are highly satisfying to the eye.

In addition to this, repetition supports coherence, a crucial factor in reinforcing the unity of a composition. Next, the non-profit organization Heroines applies the principle of repetition with the help of a consistent color scheme. The same feminine shades that reflect your brand are used throughout the site. Due to this consistency, the website can also handle bold design options, such as scrolling banners and asymmetric pages, making it eye-catching, branded and professional.

Whenever you want something to stand out, color comes in handy. For example, using high-contrast colors for important texts and icons will help make them noticeable. White space refers to areas within a composition that are devoid of visual elements. This includes the margins of a web page, the spaces between the blocks of text, and the negative space between or around the images.

Although it is known as “white”, white space can encompass background photos, solid colors, or even patterns in a web design. This is a guiding principle in web design and there are multiple benefits to paying attention to it. For example, white spaces can be used to improve the user experience and make your website more readable. In addition, giving breathing space to certain elements will prevent clutter and result in a more balanced design, something that all visitors will appreciate.

In addition, white spaces can create more dynamic compositions. Check out the Bod Drinks website below. The principle of white space has a practical function here, since it creates a wide space between elements such as navigation elements and text. But white space is also used to establish an attractive move on the homepage, which will intrigue and direct the viewer's attention.

Unity is vital for a good website. This refers to the final result of how the different elements work together, which makes it perfectly deserving of its position as the final golden principle of design. To achieve unity, each element of a website must have a specific place and role in its composition. Nothing should be useless or random.

There are a lot of blog posts about how to make designs more intuitive. I recommend Jared Spool's great article What makes a design look “intuitive”? and article 15 Timeless Rules for Creating Intuitive Web Apps (With Examples) by Heidi Pungartnik to begin with. This principle is closely linked to the first principle, Equitable Use. Websites are, in general, sophisticated ways of transmitting information.

Make your content as easy to digest as possible. This is linked to the sixth concept of having little physical exertion by keeping your actions grouped together. How you use screen space is important for the overall in-app experience. You might also like our article, How to be an A11y - Accessibility Design.

Getting on the Internet, which makes it increasingly difficult to stand out from the crowd. And the fact that it takes between 5 and 10 seconds for users to scan a website makes the situation even more difficult. However, once you have their attention, they are likely to stay longer and even respond to your call to action. So how can you make your website attractive enough? How do you get users to stay? The answer lies in an attractive web design.

Website design isn't just art or science; rather it's a combination of both. It is based on some basic principles and also requires creativity for the effective implementation of those principles. We have listed the 7 fundamental principles of web design that are sure to help your website stand out. Like tangible objects, the elements of a web design also have a weight that must be balanced.

The concept refers to the distribution of visual weight around a vertical axis, which helps to achieve harmony in a design. Balance can be divided into two types: symmetrical and asymmetrical. A principle primarily associated with photography, Rule of Thirds is also valid for website designs. This concept requires you to break down a web page, using a 3x3 grid, that is,.

Important design elements should be placed along the lines or touch the points of intersection. Theoretically, intersection points are key areas where our eyes are automatically attracted. Notice how the object has occupied only a third of the area, but it draws all the attention. The color scheme of your web design can make or break its appeal.

With the use of contrasting colors for the background, text and images, the impact will be much greater. I prefer to use a mixture of light and dark tones as in the picture above. Or go for monochromes, but make sure there are some elements to balance it. It's essential to consider all of these design principles when creating a website for maximum impact.

If you do a web design company in India, you can use these points to state your requirements. However, you should know that some principles, such as Space, Color Scheme, and Typography, are applicable on all pages, at all times, but some of them, such as Rhythm, Unity and Balance, may or may not be applied together. For example, if you want to create an asymmetrical balance, it's impossible to include rhythm in the same design. So, use your common sense and creativity and have a remarkable online presence.

Unlike a pattern example, in which a thing is repeated continuously along a plan, redundancy is the repeated use of specific components, such as the tone, shape, or style of the text. When used correctly, repetition creates design consistency. This can be used as advice. For example, when creating accents, artists can also use contrast and vice versa.

The important principle that is needed in the design is the proportion. It is the visual size and weight of the composition of objects or elements that helps designers approach the design. Use it to select the section instead of selecting the entire page. The ratio is the combination of all the parts (size, quantity or number) that are always related to each other to make the right design.

Design elements can consist of anything, including typography, graphics, colors, contrast, weight, position, size and space. This series will provide information on several principles that explain their importance and why they are necessary to produce a quality and well-crafted design. Visual hierarchy refers to the design or presentation of elements in a way that implies importance. It is one more principle that draws the attention of the spectator.

Typically, the designer will make an area stand out by contrasting it with other areas. Emphasis can also be used to reduce the impact of certain information. The areas that may be different in size, color, texture, shape, etc. Emphasis on design is defined as an area or object within the artwork that draws attention and becomes a focal point.

Holding is defined as reducing or attenuating other parts of the composition to draw attention to the focal object. Therefore, the red circle (above) is the focal point of the design. In design, the pattern is important, since it is the repetition of an object or symbol throughout the artwork. In user interface design, pattern is a simple means of maintaining consistency through repetition, either visually or conceptually.

A geometric design is a type of pattern that is formed by geometric shapes and is usually repeated as a wallpaper design. In computer science, a software design pattern is a known clarification of a class of problems in programming. The repetition focuses on the same object that is repeated, the patterns are composed of different elements that are then repeated in the same way during the design. The scale consists of the distribution of visual weight, space, colors or texture.

There are some elements that have heavy elements and others that are lighter, which is an imbalance, or sometimes there are some pages that carry that kind of thing. But there must be a balance in design that seems appealing to the public. The purpose of minimalism is to expose the essence of a design by reducing all non-essential patterns, features and concepts. In web design, minimalism avoids possible distractions and eliminates parts in their most basic forms.

Most websites are designed according to a grid system. In essence, this divides a page into columns and rows. Grids ensure everything on your site is aligned, keeping designs clean and balanced. In addition, the page templates in your theme can help you create balanced layouts.

The colors used on your site can cause specific emotions, as certain colors make people feel a certain way. Contrast between several colors can improve readability and draw attention to certain elements. You can create a button with a contrasting color that stands out from the rest of the elements on your page. To change the colors of your theme, go to the Colors tab in the Customizer.

However, there are two important factors to consider when using graphics. First, limit the use of large images “above the page. This is the area of your site that visitors reach before they start scrolling down to see more content. Second, make sure you optimize your images so they don't slow down your site with long load times.

Typography includes the fonts and text sizes of your website. Typography affects the ability to read and understand your content. So what makes a good typography? The text should not be too small or too large. For the body of the text, 16px is optimal, with 12px being the smallest size that can still be seen on mobile devices, according to Google.

Consistency involves providing visitors with a cohesive experience by maintaining the same aesthetic style or design throughout the site. Balance is the way in which the elements within a composition are arranged symmetrically, asymmetrically or radially to create the impression of equality in weight or importance. This is an easy question: how big or small is something. Scale affects how you balance something.

The phrase “the bigger, the better” is not always the case in design. Sometimes small items can attract attention just as effectively as something big. It's the message you're trying to convey with design. Have you ever seen anything that makes your eyes hurt? A restaurant menu with a red background but a yellow type? Or an ad in a newspaper that can barely be read because the dark gray guy was printed in black ink? This is due to the lack of contrast, or the arrangement of the opposing elements.

Red and yellow are not far enough from each other on the color wheel to be distinguishable enough to the naked eye, so the colors conflict with each other and the result is literally a headache. The pattern is the repetition of specific visual elements, such as a single unit or multitude of shapes. Patterns can be used to create balance, organize surfaces consistently, or create contrast. An example of this is the tiles in the department store.

While they serve as decoration, they serve another purpose: to guide the customer throughout the store. Movement is the way the eye moves along the composition, drawing attention from one aspect to another. This can be achieved through the use of repeating or alternating elements or patterns. The frequency with which something repeats itself and the intensity of its contrast creates rhythm.

What happens when you put it all together? How do all these elements work together? The way in which the elements are arranged so that the image looks as a whole and, in general, creates a visually compelling composition is unity. Do you want to share a business opportunity?. Many website designs are overly designed, use too many colors, with a lot of elements on the page with pop-ups that open here and there. The site may look good and be full of features, but it is difficult to understand, it distracts visitors from the purpose of their visit to your website.

An effective web design should be simple and less annoying. To add more details on how to give your site a simple design, use white space. White spaces are the empty spaces on the page that separate text, images and graphics, and make it look less busy. The simple but innovative design and the use of white space will create a pleasant visual design, will be less distracting and help visitors to navigate your page easily.

A balanced combination of white space, simplicity and innovation will make your website more effective and productive. I realized how badly most designers have messed up this (even mixing the elements and principles in the same list and calling them the same way). Design principles are a set of guidelines adopted by modern designers, from architects to graphic designers and everyone in between. Some absolutely mind-blowing designs ignore one or more of the design principles to create an eye-catching and effective work.

Applying this principle to the design of a website requires you to think about which parts you want them to stand out the most and which are less important. Whether you're designing websites or buildings, these universal design principles will help us create better experiences for everyone. With this design principle, you can create a path for the beholder's eye to follow when looking at the design. The first of the 7 design principles is emphasis, which refers to the focal point of a design and the order of importance of each element within a design.

The 7 design principles can be used together to create attractive and effective visual designs, although you don't need to combine them all to achieve “good design”. . .

Gloria Foulke
Gloria Foulke

Wannabe twitter lover. Freelance social media maven. Friendly twitter nerd. Hipster-friendly zombie advocate. Avid zombie practitioner. Amateur baconaholic.