Web design tips
Webmasters usually bemoan the notion that they do not have enough talent to pull off good website design. Unknown to them is the fact that the skills required in this craft are things that can be learned, even for people with negligible artistic talent. The common idea that artistry is an inborn trait is a myth.
In learning to design a good webpage, it is especially important to note that functionality should be an overriding aspect that should be factored in the design at all times. It is equally crucial to understand balance in all the different elements of a webpage design.
A Balanced Design is a Good Design
The human brain is hardwired to appreciate symmetry and orderliness in its visually-perceived surroundings. A balanced appearance implies natural stability and conveys a sense of completeness. Disorderly design, therefore, causes a sense of tension in viewers, who by default expect designs that are neat and crisp-looking.
Visual balance is thus critical to the overall aesthetics of a website. The artistic aptitude for balance is an advantage that successful designers have over their peers. It can be a subtle characteristic in a design that is difficult to put one’s finger into, but is there nonetheless. Balance lends itself well to website functionality, because it adapts the design to the natural patterns of human visual perception. In lay terms, a balanced design places items where viewers preconceive they should be, leading to a fluid interaction between user and website.
Different Approaches to Balance
To understand what balance is, it is necessary to first understand the different ways to achieve it in a design. There are basically three types of balance. These three are symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial balance.
Attaining Balance in a Design
The layout is where balance is typically incorporated in a website design. Easily the most fundamental way to achieve this is to use a centered layout, where the body of content is located in the center of the page, with symmetrical blank spaces on each side.
However, such a layout would look boring and unwieldy. To enhance it, strategically adding functional features such as navigation tools would have to be done. A popular method of doing this is to use color contrast, and by using a darker, heavier color in the tools, balance is achieved in that it complements a larger, predominantly lightly-colored space where the main body of content is located. The navigation toolbar area may be smaller compared to the rest of the page, but its darker color tends to give a balanced overall page appearance especially with the lighter shade of the other page areas.
Striking a balance in how the different elements of a design relate with each other therefore requires a proper bit of planning to make the task easier. It is recommended that a preliminary sketch is made of how content, navigation and other parts such as images are to be placed within the page. Focus should be to arrange these elements in a way that will avoid a lopsided look in the general appearance of the page. A few guidelines are shown below that can be useful in achieving a balanced feel to a web design.
1. Larger areas are visually heavier than smaller ones.
2. The darker the color, the heavier the area is visually.
3. The richer the shade, the heavier it is.
4. Thick, bold borders add weight to parts where they are applied.
5. Texture adds weight as well. The denser the pattern, the heavier it becomes.
6. Although a horizontal balance like in the example mentioned before can be used, there are other ways to achieve balance. Balance can be vertically or radially-oriented.
7. If neutral shading is applied to all colors, a warm, vibrant color will always be heavier than a cool one. Examples of warm colors are red and orange. Cool colors are green and blue.
Get Inspiration from Other Designs
At times when simply following a set of guidelines does not achieve the desired result, examining templates and samples of design is enough to give the individual an inspiration to come through with a solution. There are many websites that showcase website design examples. Browsing through these collections, concepts and ideas for the design to-be may be formulated from just seeing them.
A good eye to artistic website layout is something that is acquired through rigorous practice, and cannot be had through book learning. There are no step-by-step instructions to creativity, but only through experience can the subtle nuances and techniques be learned by the beginner in producing superbly designed websites. Most importantly, the few guidelines that do exist are just recommendations gathered from the experiences of designers who have been around the block a few times. These guidelines are not hard rules and should not serve to cramp artistic style. Again, people are programmed by nature to tend to what is visually-appealing, and this in itself is an artistic trait. By adapting a relaxed, natural approach, the individual will be surprised that he or she had been incorporating balance in the website design all along.
