Principles of Design and how to use them
There is considerable disagreement about how many design principles exist. However, when it comes to design principles, numbers aren’t everything.
Design principles provide designers with a set of guidelines for creating visually appealing compositions that provide excellent user experiences.
You can create digital products and graphic designs that people enjoy using by adhering to basic design principles such as hierarchy, balance, unity, and variety.
Here is a list of 11 design principles every designer should be familiar with:
- Hierarchy
- Balance
- Alignment
- Emphasis
- Proportion
- Movement
- Negative Space
- Contrast
- Repetition
- Variety
- Unity
Keep reading as I shed some light on five of these principles.
Hierarchy
Visual hierarchy is an essential component of good design. If everything on your page appears to be of equal importance, then nothing is important. You must use visual cues to tell people what to focus on first, second, third, and so on.
You do this by using Scale (the relative size of elements) and color to create visual hierarchy. Different typefaces, sizes, and font weights can be used to create typographic hierarchy.
Remember the goal is to make the most important element on the page stand out from the others.
Balance
Balance within a composition can be achieved in a variety of ways. The most straightforward is symmetrical balance. It is achieved when the elements on either side of a central vertical axis are nearly identical. Two text blocks on either side of the page, for example, would create symmetrical balance even if their content was not identical.
When the elements on either side of a central axis are not the same, asymmetrical balance is achieved. For example, a large image on one side could be balanced out by prominent text on the other. It is also possible when the vertical axis that separates two elements is not directly in the center of the page. The narrower element should have been used in that case.
Alignment
The arrangement of text or graphic elements on a page is referred to as alignment. This can refer to their alignment with respect to the composition as a whole (left, center, or right-aligned) as well as their alignment with respect to one another.
When elements are not properly aligned, especially in relation to one another, the composition becomes chaotic. It appears haphazard and disorganized.
When it comes to this design principle, make sure that elements are properly aligned in relation to one another and that the alignment of various elements is consistent, such as always centering headlines.
Emphasis
Emphasis is a part of a design that draws the user’s attention — a focal point, in other words. Ideally, this should be the most important part of the design, whether that’s the headline, an image, or a CTA. However, this does not always occur.
Inexperienced designers may inadvertently emphasize the wrong parts of the page, leading to user confusion.
Make sure to highlight the sections you want your users to look at first. Scale, white space, color, shadow, pattern, and other techniques can be used to accomplish this.
Proportion
Proportion, also known as scale, refers to the relative size of objects within a design. Elements that are larger in comparison to others will stand out more and appear to users to be more important. Smaller elements appear to be less significant.
Draw the viewer’s attention to specific visual elements within your designs to create visual interest.
Just keep in mind that too much difference in scale can cause the smallest items to be completely lost, or the largest ones to appear comically large.
Conclusion
Learning and adhering to established graphic design principles allows you to create more cohesive designs that delight users and provide exceptional user experiences.
Ignoring these design principles should be done with caution and only after you have a thorough understanding of them and the functions they serve.
Stay tuned for part 2!
