5 techniques to improve your design
Anyone can design things, but getting the design correct and functional is not quite so easy! A great design is one that can raise itself above its competitors, while being simple and easy to understand. Here are five rules you should keep in mind when designing anything, from a page on your website to sharing a post on social media.
Rule One – Shapes
Shapes, not so important, right? Wrong! Shape psychology is a real and important part of design as different shapes can actually evoke different emotional responses in people. A good designer will know which shapes will provoke the correct reaction on the desired target market based on variables such as age, culture and society, making it crucial you pick the correct shapes for your brand’s image.
Squares
One of the most common shapes used in design. Squares are connected with the idea of structure, balance and order. Their simple, strong shape makes them hard to move or push over because of their flat sides and parallel edges, perfect for businesses in the construction industry, giving a sense of security and reliability to potential clients.
Circles
Circles can provoke the opposite response to squares. They are linked to thoughts of blissfulness, they are soothing and fluent. Their easy movement and smooth form contrast with the harsh, flat, and sharp edges of other shapes. Circles are often used in designs for companies working with children as they are calming and give the sense of protection, a friendly shape you might say.
Triangles
Triangles are thought to be a hard shape to work with because of their unbalanced sides, lack of space and pointy edges, probably not a good shape for a building company then. However, triangles create the impression of a sharp, strong and ambitious brand. Depending on the way the pointy bit (the technical design term…) is facing, it can also provoke the idea of progression. Triangles are often associated with movement hence why they are often found in designs for the sporting industry.
Rule Two – Colour
We already know that the colour we use in our designs is important, much like the shapes we incorporate in them. Colour can be one of the hardest elements to get correct. Colour is very easy to overuse causing a brand to look muddled and hard to understand. Too much colour can take away from the focus and make elements blend together. Take a look at this example, what could have been a clever design idea, using all the colours of the ingredients, ended up more likely to cause serious damage to the eyes….
So be wise and don’t use multiple colours, stick to 2 or 3 and use them consistently. It isn’t just about choosing the right colours. Creating a good contrast between brightness and saturation of a single element can help draw the audience’s attention and highlight its significance, in turn making it memorable and functional. Choose colours and shades that compliment each other.
Rule Three – Text
Make sure your text is legible! When creating anything with text it is critical to keep a uniform style throughout your text. It is standard practice to use two different text styles which pair well together, one for titles and a second for your standard paragraph text. This helps audiences differentiate between titles and paragraphs, making navigating websites or leaflets much easier on the eye.
Without uniform styling, text can be disjointed and hard to follow, creating a negative experience for the reader. You can see an example of how we use our text styles to form a unified style for our own titles and paragraphs.
Title text – “Nevermind Bold”
Size – 34px/24px
Line Height – 44px/31px
Colour – White/Black or Gradient colours.
Paragraph Text – “Karla Regular”
Size – 18px
Line Height – 22px
Colour – White/Black
Rule four – White space
White space may be a term you’ve heard thrown around a lot but are not sure what it actually means. In its simplest form, White space is the empty space around an element, although not necessarily white. Elements of a design need a certain amount of space to breathe. Although some may refer to White space as the negative space in a design, without it, it can make a design difficult to follow and look crowded. So, you may be tempted to cram in as much as possible in the design, but, trust us, Whitespace can make your branding look more sophisticated and professional.
Rule Five – Function over Design
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works”
– Steve Jobs
Every design has a function, and the function must work in order to deliver a successful design. Design should create a specific message and reaction in the target audience. If the design becomes over convoluted, then the design becomes pointless. Keeping your design simple to make it eye catching, easy to understand, and relevant will enable it to complete its function. Always check your brand guidelines for information on how you should use your fonts, shapes, colours etc. so that your branding is uniform and your design is flawless. Following the points in this blog and not over complicating your designs will make for guaranteed design success! Why not take a look at our portfolio for some examples.
If you are looking for help to create your brand, or update your current branding, get in touch with our creative Cherries today to see what we can do for you.