The 4 Principles of Design

As my website says … I love design. I find it awe inspiring and love the way a client’s face lights up because they are so happy with the design. It’s a fantastic feeling! A great deal of thought and hard work goes into design work and there isn’t a line, colour or font placed without a reason behind it.

How do you create the perfect design?

Before you even hit a keystroke or point your mouse, it is very important to have a basic understanding about what makes a great design. What are the ‘rules’ when it comes to good design?

Over the past few weeks I have been revisiting some great design books. A great little book that really sets out the fundamentals of a good design is The Non-Designers Design Book by Robin Williams (the graphic designer not the comedian ).

Robin tells us that there are 4 basic principles of design – all of which are interconnected. It is very rare that you would apply one principle without the others. These principles are:

• Contrast
• Repetition
• Alignment
• Proximity

The unfortunate acronym for these principles is C.R.A.P. – but for once if your design is C.R.A.P. it would actually be a good thing! So, what do these principles really mean?

Contrast

On your brochure, business card or website can you see a distinct difference between your logo, headings, content and contact information?

The idea behind contrast is to avoid elements on the page that are merely similar. If the elements (eg. font, colour, size, line-thickness, shape, space etc) are not the same, then make them very different. Contrast is often the most important visual attraction on a page – it’s what makes a reader look at the page in the first place.

Repetition

Does your marketing material have a consistent theme throughout? Do you use the same colours, fonts and styles or do you chop and change?

Visual elements of the design should be repeated throughout the piece. You can repeat the colours, shapes, textures, spatial relationships, line thickness, fonts, sizes, graphic concepts etc. This develops the organisation and strengthens the unity.

Alignment

Have a look at your brochure, newsletter or website. Is everything uniformly aligned or do you have a mix of left aligned, right aligned or centred on the page?

Nothing should be placed arbitrarily on a page. Every element should have some visual connection with another element on the page. This creates a clean, sophisticated, fresh look.

Proximity

Can customers find what they are looking for in your marketing material easily, or do they have to go searching for it?

Items relating to each other should be grouped close together. When several items are in close proximity to each other, they become one visual unit rather than several separate units. This helps organise information, reduces clutter, and gives the reader a clear structure.

So, do you think that the design of your marketing material is C.R.A.P. or does it need a little work?

I often get asked to fill an empty space, or have something fill every corner. There seems to be a common fear of empty space. When the page is filled with elements scattered all over this can clutter and make the design unorganised.

By sticking to these basic design principles, you can be sure that everything on the page is there on purpose. Your design will be clear, concise, and easy to navigate through and hopefully, create a lasting impression on your customer.

If your business needs help with design – be it graphic, logo, web or other – I’d love to work with you. Contact me at info@icreatesolutions.com.au or visit my website www.icreatesolutions.com.au to see samples of my design work.

Note: Information for this blog taken from The Non Designers Design Book by Robin Williams, Third Edition 2008, Chapter 1 ‘The Joshua Tree Epiphany – The Four Basic Principles’)

soniakeen
Hi, Sonia Keen here, owner of iCreate Solutions. I am also a graphic and web designer, passionate about helping your business succeed with outstanding design that helps your business grow.