Whether you dabble in web design or depend on the trained eye of a professional, it pays to understand the basics. In short, web design is the preparation and creation of a website. It includes the site’s layout, navigation, colors, fonts and imagery. Ideally, all of these elements work together to promote the brand’s goals.
Here are three valuable principles that can help you improve your design game or at least explain what you need to a design professional.
Balance
How text and images are distributed across a page is known as balance. For example, where a symmetrical design is balanced from left to right, almost like a mirror image, an asymmetrical design is more abstract, often containing odd numbers of elements in different shapes and sizes. How your webpages are balanced affect how visitors perceive your content.
Color Theory
The science and art of color, how they complement each other or clash, and how they influence viewer perception is referred to as color theory. How you choose and create your brand colors can have a huge impact on how website visitors feel about your business.
Typography
The arrangement of the letters and characters on a web page is its typography. It includes the selection of point size, line length and spacing. As with color theory and balance, typography choices affect brand perception and can influence how well you get your message across.
These are just a few of the basics of web design. If you’d like to learn more, you can find a wealth of information online, including HubSpot’s helpful glossary of 63 web design terms.