Principles of webdesign

I’m learning a bit about web design right now, as I have a new project and I’m more of a developer than a designer, but I’m getting ready to bridge the gap. This excellent article on the principles of web design has been a great help as a starting point.

I’m going to summarise a few of its points here today, but I would urge you to read the whole article to understand them, these are basically notes for me!

1. Design with a grid in mind, dividing the page into thirds, this follows grid theory
2. Make the content that covers 2 thirds less impactive than content covering one third, which could have a border, darker colour
3. Use unity to create an integrated design, matching colours, repeating themes
   1. Use proximity to group items that are similar together, make headings close to related content etc
   2. Use repetition to make the site appear solid, a common pattern used throughout such as a specific theme
4. Use emphasis to highlight certain points – book now for example
   1. Placement – the more central the better
   2. Continuance – lining elements up to guide the viewer
   3. Isolation – isolating the item away from everything else
   4. Contrast – using a contrasting colour
   5. Proportion – something out of place due to its size. such as a man stood next to a photo on your site
5. Left or right hand navigation is safe, but not hugely creative
6. Use white space, so left and right hand navigation is too much
7. Keep a file of snapshots of sites you see which could be an inspiration
8. There are some trends to look out for
   1. Put contact info, blogrolls, bonus navigation in the footer
   2. Use three columns on the homepage with the content on the far left
   3. Fixed width design gives more control

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