Consistency - Design elements and layouts
should be consistant with your purpose and style. A
uniform look and feel provides identity and familiarity.
Restrait - Simplicity, subtlety, and clarity
are crucial. Too many typefaces or images can be
confusing and distract from your message. Stick to a few
carefully choosen colors, typefaces, styles and
images.
Direction - Western readers scan a document
from the upper left corner to the lower right corner.
Place the most important information in the upper left.
Respect this natural tendancy of the eye to move across
and down. If you interrupt the flow or create a confusing
visual pattern, the reader may pass over and miss
important information.
Balance - Place the elements on the page
such that it doesn't feel too top heavy or weighted to
one side or the other. Dark areas are heavier visually
than light areas. A small dark area can be balanced by a
large light area. The same size object can feel heavier
on the right than on the left. Tension is created by
purposely unbalancing a page.
Contrast - The eye is drawn to contrast.
Difference draws attention. Black type on white is the
easiest to read. Try to create a variety of contrast on
the page. Large blocks of text read as grey.
Color - Pick a color scheme and stick to it.
Small areas of bright color draw attention. Certain
colors evoke certain emotions. Red means excitement or
danger. Green is relaxing. Blue is sublime. Lots of black
or dark colors create a dramatic or depressing mood.
White or light pastels feel happy or refreshing.
Space - Blank space is just as important as
text or graphics. Balance and contrast are affected by
the amount of plain space on the page. Readability goes
down if words or characters are placed too close to each
other. Attention can be drawn to an object by placing it
in plain space.
Line - A straight line divides up a space. The
eye tends not to cross lines. Also, the eye follows lines
and goes to the point where two lines cross.
Scale - A close-up is much more involving than
a long shot. Large objects generally draw more attention
than small objects.
Proportion - Relative sizes of objects
determine depth and importance. Large objects appear to
be in the foreground. Small ones in the background.
Pattern - The eye looks for and recognizes
patterns. Repeating shapes form patterns. Random patterns
can confuse the eye (think camouflage).
Sequence - The brain connects things in a
sequence. If one thing follows another, we assume that it
is caused by or at least connected to the thing which
went before. This can be an interesting phenomenon in a
non-linear medium such as the Web.
The
design principles used in print, painting, photography, film
and television also apply to the Web. The goal in applying
these principles is to clearly communicate ideas and
emotions.