It’s important to know the basics of design because it’s not just designers who are involved in the content creation process. It’s also writers, editors, and strategists. Every piece of content that you create has some sort of design element to it, whether it’s a blog post, a video, or an infographic.
If you’re a content creator, understanding the basic principles of design will help you create better content.
Let’s dive in.
1. Alignment
Alignment is one of the most basic and important design principles. It creates a sharper, more organized design.
Nothing should be placed on your page arbitrarily. Every element should have some visual connection with another element.
This doesn’t mean that all your elements have to be exactly the same. But it does mean that there should be some visual tie between them.
There are four types of alignment:
1. Edge alignment: This is when you line up the edges of your elements. In the example below, the text is edge-aligned.
2. Center alignment: This is when you center your elements. In the example below, the text is center-aligned.
3. Grid alignment: This is when you align your elements to an invisible grid. In the example below, the images are grid-aligned.
4. Path alignment: This is when you align your elements to a line. In the example below, the text is path-aligned.
You can also use a combination of these types of alignment to create a more interesting design.
In the example below, the text is aligned to a grid and to the right edge of the image. This creates a more visually interesting design than if the text were aligned to just the grid or just the image.
In general, you should avoid center alignment. It can create a more boring, static design. Use edge, grid, or path alignment instead.
2. Consistency
Consistency is the design principle that makes sure all your elements are the same throughout your design. This includes colors, fonts, and image styles.
Consistency helps create a sense of wholeness and harmony. It also helps to build brand recognition and trust.
For example, if you’re creating a presentation, make sure all your slides are consistent in design. Use the same color palette, fonts, and image styles throughout.
3. Gestalt Theory
Gestalt theory is a German word that translates to “shape” or “form.” It refers to the concept that the human eye perceives objects on a page by their shapes. We tend to see objects as a whole before identifying the individual shapes that make them up.
There are six main principles of gestalt theory:
1. Similarity: Objects that look similar to one another are perceived as part of a pattern. People will see them as related or as part of a group.
2. Continuation: Elements arranged on a line or curve are perceived to be more related than elements not on the line.
3. Closure: The brain is likely to fill in gaps in an image to create a single, recognizable shape.
4. Proximity: Objects that are close to one another appear to form a group.
5. Figure and ground: The human eye separates objects from their background.
6. Symmetry and order: People tend to group elements that are symmetrical or in closed forms.
4. Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is one of the most basic principles in photography and design. It is a simple technique where you divide your canvas into nine equal sections by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines. The rule of thirds suggests that the most important elements in your design should be placed along these lines or at the points where they intersect.
In the example below, you can see how the bottle of wine is placed at the intersection of the top and right third lines. This creates a more visually pleasing design than if the bottle was placed in the center of the image.
5. Typography
The art of arranging type is known as typography, and it’s a crucial skill for any designer to master. But you don’t need to be an expert in typography to make good choices about which fonts to use in your designs.
For example, if you’re creating a poster for a children’s playdate, a fun, playful font like Comic Sans might be a good choice. But if you’re designing a business proposal, you’d want to use a more professional font like Arial.
In addition to the font style, you’ll also want to consider the size and spacing of your text. A good rule of thumb is to use no more than two font sizes in a single design. And make sure to leave plenty of white space around your text so it’s easy to read and doesn’t look crowded.
6. Color Theory
Color theory is a vast and complicated topic, but it’s not as intimidating as it sounds. When you approach color theory as a beginner, it’s all about the basics.
This principle becomes especially important when designing digital interfaces such as a product configurator, where color choices impact usability, brand perception, and visual hierarchy. When designing for the web, it’s also crucial to consider how color affects accessibility and ADA compliance.
Let’s start with the color wheel. The color wheel is a visual representation of how colors relate to one another. It’s made up of 12 colors, and is typically separated into three categories: primary, secondary, and tertiary.
The primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. These colors are the building blocks for every other color.
The secondary colors are purple, green, and orange. These colors are made by mixing the primary colors together.
The tertiary colors are made by mixing a primary color with a secondary color. For example, mixing blue with green makes teal.
Color theory is the study of how colors interact with one another. Different color combinations can create different effects, and the way you use color can influence how people feel about your design.
7. F-Pattern Layout
The F-Pattern layout is based on the natural pattern the eye follows when reading content.
The eye starts in the upper left corner of the page and moves across the page in a horizontal movement. The eye then moves down the page slightly and moves across the page again, but not as far as the first time.
The eye then moves down the page again and moves across the page in a very short horizontal movement.
This creates an F-Pattern.
You can use this layout to organize your content so that the most important information is at the top of the page, and the least important information is at the bottom of the page.
This is a great way to make sure that your content is easy to read and that your audience will get the most important information first.
8. Hick’s Law
Hick’s Law is a simple idea that says the more choices you give someone, the longer it takes them to make a decision. This is often used in web design, where it’s important to keep navigation menus as simple as possible.
The idea is that if you offer too many options, users will become overwhelmed and leave the site. If you have a lot of products, consider using filters to help users narrow down their options. You can also use a drop-down menu for your navigation, so you can still offer a lot of options, but they don’t clutter up the page.
9. White Space
White space is an important design principle that helps you create a balanced, harmonious layout. It can also help you make the most important elements in your design stand out.
White space doesn’t necessarily have to be white. It just refers to the open, empty space around the elements in your design. This can be space between the letters in a headline, the space around a logo, or the space around the copy in a print ad.
When used effectively, white space can help you create a clean, sophisticated design that’s easy to look at and easy to understand. And it can help you avoid the opposite: a cluttered, confusing design that doesn’t know where to look.
10. The Golden Ratio
The Golden Ratio is a mathematical ratio. It’s commonly found in nature, and when used in design, it fosters organic and natural looking compositions that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
The Golden Ratio is a ratio of approximately 1:1.618. When a line is divided into two parts (a and b), the longer part (a) divided by the smaller part (b) is equal to the sum of (a) + (b) divided by (a), which both equal 1.618.
This ratio can be used in any design to place elements and create dimensions that are visually appealing and make sense. You can use it to create a layout, to size your typography, or to size images.
11. The 8-Second Rule
If you have a website, you have about eight seconds to capture a visitor’s attention before they leave. That’s why it’s so important to have a clear, concise message and a captivating design “above the fold” (the first section of your website a visitor sees before they start scrolling).
You can use the 8-Second Rule to improve other marketing materials, too. The key is to focus on the most important information you want to communicate and make sure that’s what people see first. Tools like the best Wix affiliate apps can help you highlight and promote that information more effectively.
Conclusion
In the end, a well-designed product is a usable, accessible, and beautiful product. Keep these 11 principles in mind as you create, and you’ll be well on your way to doing just that.
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