Discussion about Web Design in General, including Accessibility, Usability, Asthetics, Typography and more…
The vast range of design styles should be an indicator of just how different personal preferences can be. A style characterized by high gloss and polish may be loved by one group and hated by another. The design could be viscerally appealing and behaviorally enjoyable and still result in this outcome. Remember logic assigns meaning […]
Grids are a fundamental design tool that have been used since the modernization of visual design. Using a grid is such a de-facto standard that you may have never stopped to think about why grids improve your designs. I’d like to explore the psychology behind grids. Let’s start by examining what happens if you design […]
At one time every website feature was built from scratch. Even the programming languages used were in their infancy and required more effort to fulfill basic requirements. Today, we have an overwhelming amount of tools, frameworks and APIs to leverage. We can create feature rich websites and online application in less time and lower costs. […]
If you have designed a site that addressed five of the six layers of design you have surpassed most sites on the web. Even great designers will fail to address the first five layers in a design. Stopping here however, would ignore one of the fundamental aspects of being human, having emotions. Emotion is the […]
Visual design, like people, has a personality. I’ve said it many times before, visual design is communication. How a design is executed will tell viewers a story about the subject matter represented. The typography, colors, imagery, spacing all work together to form what we often refer to as visual language and design tone. Much like […]
If you’re a frequent reader of this blog you might have noticed I can be critical of visual design. The underlying implication that visuals received a disproportionate amount of attention during the initial stages of page layout and construction. A qualification is now in order: Visuals don’t make a design great, but they’re an essential […]
In an age of abundant user behavior data it’s advantageous to adopt a methodology of release, test, learn and iterate. Why spend six months redesigning your website or application based on speculation when you can launch quickly, continually make improvements, and learn what works and what doesn’t. What I’m describing are design sprints. Design sprints […]
Design is a critical aspect of website success, despite the abundance of “ready for you” templates and site builders. Using off-the-shelf WordPress themes or Square Space templates can be a quick way to get an attractive site up and running, but it doesn’t mean the website will be successful. This isn’t to say that these […]
When creating a new website, it’s important to consider how visitors will be able to navigate from page to page. There are many different formats (patterns) you can utilize. You can even create your own unique combination of a number of different options. So whether you opt for a basic navigation bar at the top […]
When people visit your website, there’s a good chance they have at least a basic idea of what they’re looking to find. To help them find the most relevant part of your website as quickly as possible, easy and intuitive navigation is essential. There are many things to keep in mind as you design this […]