What are the most important principles of web design?

You want to build a website and before your meeting with your web design agency, you have prepared yourself. However, the very mention of phrases like “page load speed” and “responsive design” befuddle you and you are not sure where to begin. Here at Magenta Design, we recognize this dilemma of business owners. In recognition of that, we put together this very basic guide to web design principles. So, let’s get started!

Navigation

Navigation helps visitors to find their way around your website. A good navigation helps visitors to find what they’re searching for easily and quickly. When you want to retain visitors on your website, you must pay attention to website navigation.

If the navigation is confusing, unclear or complex, visitors will simply choose to leave your website in search of another site that can offer a better experience. For best results, keep the navigation simple, consistent and intuitive.

Grid Systems

Since the first century, the grid has guided how we read. Numerous variations have evolved, with different permutations and combinations of arranging columns and rows.

So what’s a grid? Visualize the way images and text are arranged in a newspaper, book or magazine. The same style has been carried over to the web, and it works. If you are wondering what the buzz is all about, it’s worth noting that several designers have tried avoiding the grid for the sake of creativity and such websites have ended up finding their way into oblivion!

We are in a world that’s mobile, almost literally! Whether we want to go shopping, research a topic or make a banking transaction, the smartphone has become the favored choice, when we want to use the web. This preference for mobile devices means that your website should boast responsive design.

What does responsive web design mean? It means a design that can seamlessly adapt to the screen size of small devices to create a smooth, hassle-free browsing experience for users.

Here at Magenta Design, we build bespoke, grid-based, mobile responsive websites to deliver the best experience to your visitors.

Visual Hierarchy

Visual hierarchy is all about arranging graphic elements in a website in order of their importance. The visual weight spells the importance of each element in the design, which in turn signals to the viewer what to focus on and in which order.

In short, the most important elements of the website are placed such that the visitors’ eyes are drawn to them first.

So how do you decide where to place an element?

Let’s go back to how we read. People in most cultures read from left to right and from top to bottom. Within this framework, there’s a typical reading behavior that most users follow. And when it comes to reading content online, users “scan” the content rather than reading it entirely.

And a good website design leverages such reading patterns and places the most important elements such as the call to action, logo or an important imagery along the areas that visitors are most likely to scan.

Most people scan website content in either a “Z or “F” pattern. By placing your most important elements along this pattern, you can get your message across whilst ensuring that the readers engage with your website.

Visual hierarchy is about communicating to visitors what to read first and what to next. In addition to placing elements in a “Z” or “F” pattern, other strategies can also be implemented. These include spacing, font size, font pairing, color highlights and direction.

Simplicity

Keeping things simple is important to deliver the best user experience to your visitors. Here are some important ways to keep things simple through website design.

• Fonts – Typography plays an important role in website design. Fonts grab attention and help highlight your brand’s voice. Be sure to use legible typefaces. And avoid using any more than 3 different fonts.
• Colors – Use a minimalist color palette. Use no more than 2 or three colors. Moreover, the colours should reflect your branding whilst highlighting the important areas. When choosing color pairings, be sure to consider color blindness when choosing colors. After all, 5% of the male population is color blind. So don’t ignore those users.
• Imagery – Imagery refers to all the visual elements used in communications. This includes photography, video, graphics, and illustration. Only use imagery that is expressive and captures the company culture and distills your brand personality in the best possible manner. Avoid imagery that move. Optimize the file size to ensure the load time is not affected.

Looking for the Perfect Toronto Web Design Company?

Get in touch with Magenta Design today. Our web design experts will work with you to craft a bespoke website that delivers the results you seek. Whether you want to generate leads or sell online, we can build a winning website for you. Talk to us today to further discuss about which are the most important web design principles to you!