8. Keys to Successful Mobile Design Understand the User Create Appropriate Content Use Device Capabilities Design for Device Constraints Understand Design Fundamentals
10. Who is Your Target Audience? Generation Y: 97% have a computer, 94% have a mobile phone. In the next 5 years more transactions will happen on devices over desktops.
11. Where are They? Development Inside Outside (partly cloudy) Outside (sunny)
12. When Will They Interact? Design for two minute tasks. Make navigation shallow and easy.
13. How Are They Holding the Device? 600x1024 ? ? One hand? Two hands? Portrait? Landscape? Both?
14. Why Will They Use it? Fun? Engaging? Informational? Helpful?
66. Typography “Typography has one plain duty before it and that’s to convey information in writing.” Emil Ruder, Founder of Basel School of Design Choose a font that fits the subject Don’t use more than three Font size around 24pt
67. Choosing a Font San-serif lack Serifs and are considered modern Understand type anatomy Understand type measurements
71. Color “Use color to emphasize importance, not decorate a page.” Alexander White Use color to create hierarchy, dominance, and balance Consistent use of a few colors makes a more cohesive design
72. Color Choose colors using The Color Wheel Warm colors bring elements forward Cool colors move elements back Find contemporary colors using Kuler
Avoid graphical applicationsThe temptation is to think “I have to do some design, that means I need to open Photoshop. That is what designers use”. Of course that is entirely true, designers do use graphic applications like Photoshop or Freehand. However, I would suggest that unless you are already familiar with these kinds of applications, you are just adding more complexity to the problem.Its hard enough to apply the principles of good design without adding learning a new application on top of it.You know code, so work with code. Build your site using CSS and XHTML and these are the tools with which you are familiar. Sure, it wont lead to outstanding design, but that is not the aim as I discuss next…Don’t try and be great; be invisibleDon’t try and produce a “creative” or “innovative” piece of design. Designers find this hard enough to do. The danger is that if you try and do this, you will create something that some people may love, but the majority completely hate. Instead, play safe. Try and make your design invisible. A good solid piece of design will not impress but neither will it offend. The idea is that the users will not even notice it, they just use it. If the user doesn’t acknowledge what you have produced it means it hasn’t caused them any problems and that is a good thing. Sure, you wont win any design awards but that isn’t very likely anyway!
Each section of an index finger, from the tip to the base of the wrist, is larger than the preceding one by about 1.618, fitting the Fibonacci numbers 2, 3, 5 and 8.The Fibonacci numbers and golden section are widely found in the plant kingdom. In nearly all flowers, the number of petals is a Fibonacci number. For instance, lilies have 3 petals, buttercups have 5, many delphiniums have 8, marigolds have 13, asters have 21, and daisies commonly have 13, 21, 34, 55 or 89. http://davidpratt.info/pattern1.htm
One of the biggest mistakes typical business people make with documents is going out of their way to seemingly use every centimeter of space on a page, filling it up with text, boxes, clip art, charts, footers, etc. Space, often called "white space," is good. Embrace it. Use it. Often, the more space you don't use on a page, the clearer your message becomes.Empty space is beautiful, yes. But empty space also implies importance, elegance, professionalism. This is true with graphic design, but you can see the importance of space (both visual and physical) in the context of interior design. Think of the retail space, for example. Target is dedicated to design although they are a discounter. They know about space. Target stores are well designed. They have more empty space than other discounters, Walmart, for example.
One of the biggest mistakes typical business people make with documents is going out of their way to seemingly use every centimeter of space on a page, filling it up with text, boxes, clip art, charts, footers, etc. Space, often called "white space," is good. Embrace it. Use it. Often, the more space you don't use on a page, the clearer your message becomes.Empty space is beautiful, yes. But empty space also implies importance, elegance, professionalism. This is true with graphic design, but you can see the importance of space (both visual and physical) in the context of interior design. Think of the retail space, for example. Target is dedicated to design although they are a discounter. They know about space. Target stores are well designed. They have more empty space than other discounters, Walmart, for example.
One of the biggest mistakes typical business people make with documents is going out of their way to seemingly use every centimeter of space on a page, filling it up with text, boxes, clip art, charts, footers, etc. Space, often called "white space," is good. Embrace it. Use it. Often, the more space you don't use on a page, the clearer your message becomes.Empty space is beautiful, yes. But empty space also implies importance, elegance, professionalism. This is true with graphic design, but you can see the importance of space (both visual and physical) in the context of interior design. Think of the retail space, for example. Target is dedicated to design although they are a discounter. They know about space. Target stores are well designed. They have more empty space than other discounters, Walmart, for example.
One of the biggest mistakes typical business people make with documents is going out of their way to seemingly use every centimeter of space on a page, filling it up with text, boxes, clip art, charts, footers, etc. Space, often called "white space," is good. Embrace it. Use it. Often, the more space you don't use on a page, the clearer your message becomes.Empty space is beautiful, yes. But empty space also implies importance, elegance, professionalism. This is true with graphic design, but you can see the importance of space (both visual and physical) in the context of interior design. Think of the retail space, for example. Target is dedicated to design although they are a discounter. They know about space. Target stores are well designed. They have more empty space than other discounters, Walmart, for example.
One of the biggest mistakes typical business people make with documents is going out of their way to seemingly use every centimeter of space on a page, filling it up with text, boxes, clip art, charts, footers, etc. Space, often called "white space," is good. Embrace it. Use it. Often, the more space you don't use on a page, the clearer your message becomes.Empty space is beautiful, yes. But empty space also implies importance, elegance, professionalism. This is true with graphic design, but you can see the importance of space (both visual and physical) in the context of interior design. Think of the retail space, for example. Target is dedicated to design although they are a discounter. They know about space. Target stores are well designed. They have more empty space than other discounters, Walmart, for example.
Using an elegant font does not make a site elegant.
The conscious use of color to create hierarchy, dominance, and balance in a design can be very effective.Remember that color is useful for achieving a more unified and organized design. But to do so one must be consistent with the use of color on a page. Consistency is easier to achieve if the designer (i.e., you) limits the use of color choices to just a few. Using many colors in a single design would be like using many different font types — this inevitably leads to a messy and confusing piece of work. Make your color choices at the beginning of the design process rather than at the end. Leaving color choice to the end will likely end up leading to a superficial application of color. Color, like good design in general, is not cosmetic or veneer. Color choice is fundamental.Good color usage can help you guide the viewer's eyes through the design. Color can be used to emphasize. For example, darker type is noticed first. Color (say, red on a white page with black body text) can be used to highlight elements on a page which are most important. Color can also provide direction. Warm colors bring elements forward; cool colors move elements back. Alexander White suggests using graduated tints since there are no flat colors found in nature. When it comes to color use, however, one thing is quite clear: The benefits of color usage quickly diminish when color highlights are used too much or too many colors are applied to a design.
The conscious use of color to create hierarchy, dominance, and balance in a design can be very effective.Remember that color is useful for achieving a more unified and organized design. But to do so one must be consistent with the use of color on a page. Consistency is easier to achieve if the designer (i.e., you) limits the use of color choices to just a few. Using many colors in a single design would be like using many different font types — this inevitably leads to a messy and confusing piece of work. Make your color choices at the beginning of the design process rather than at the end. Leaving color choice to the end will likely end up leading to a superficial application of color. Color, like good design in general, is not cosmetic or veneer. Color choice is fundamental.Good color usage can help you guide the viewer's eyes through the design. Color can be used to emphasize. For example, darker type is noticed first. Color (say, red on a white page with black body text) can be used to highlight elements on a page which are most important. Color can also provide direction. Warm colors bring elements forward; cool colors move elements back. Alexander White suggests using graduated tints since there are no flat colors found in nature. When it comes to color use, however, one thing is quite clear: The benefits of color usage quickly diminish when color highlights are used too much or too many colors are applied to a design.
The conscious use of color to create hierarchy, dominance, and balance in a design can be very effective.Remember that color is useful for achieving a more unified and organized design. But to do so one must be consistent with the use of color on a page. Consistency is easier to achieve if the designer (i.e., you) limits the use of color choices to just a few. Using many colors in a single design would be like using many different font types — this inevitably leads to a messy and confusing piece of work. Make your color choices at the beginning of the design process rather than at the end. Leaving color choice to the end will likely end up leading to a superficial application of color. Color, like good design in general, is not cosmetic or veneer. Color choice is fundamental.Good color usage can help you guide the viewer's eyes through the design. Color can be used to emphasize. For example, darker type is noticed first. Color (say, red on a white page with black body text) can be used to highlight elements on a page which are most important. Color can also provide direction. Warm colors bring elements forward; cool colors move elements back. Alexander White suggests using graduated tints since there are no flat colors found in nature. When it comes to color use, however, one thing is quite clear: The benefits of color usage quickly diminish when color highlights are used too much or too many colors are applied to a design.
Avoid graphical applicationsThe temptation is to think “I have to do some design, that means I need to open Photoshop. That is what designers use”. Of course that is entirely true, designers do use graphic applications like Photoshop or Freehand. However, I would suggest that unless you are already familiar with these kinds of applications, you are just adding more complexity to the problem.Its hard enough to apply the principles of good design without adding learning a new application on top of it.You know code, so work with code. Build your site using CSS and XHTML and these are the tools with which you are familiar. Sure, it wont lead to outstanding design, but that is not the aim as I discuss next…Don’t try and be great; be invisibleDon’t try and produce a “creative” or “innovative” piece of design. Designers find this hard enough to do. The danger is that if you try and do this, you will create something that some people may love, but the majority completely hate. Instead, play safe. Try and make your design invisible. A good solid piece of design will not impress but neither will it offend. The idea is that the users will not even notice it, they just use it. If the user doesn’t acknowledge what you have produced it means it hasn’t caused them any problems and that is a good thing. Sure, you wont win any design awards but that isn’t very likely anyway!
Avoid graphical applicationsThe temptation is to think “I have to do some design, that means I need to open Photoshop. That is what designers use”. Of course that is entirely true, designers do use graphic applications like Photoshop or Freehand. However, I would suggest that unless you are already familiar with these kinds of applications, you are just adding more complexity to the problem.Its hard enough to apply the principles of good design without adding learning a new application on top of it.You know code, so work with code. Build your site using CSS and XHTML and these are the tools with which you are familiar. Sure, it wont lead to outstanding design, but that is not the aim as I discuss next…Don’t try and be great; be invisibleDon’t try and produce a “creative” or “innovative” piece of design. Designers find this hard enough to do. The danger is that if you try and do this, you will create something that some people may love, but the majority completely hate. Instead, play safe. Try and make your design invisible. A good solid piece of design will not impress but neither will it offend. The idea is that the users will not even notice it, they just use it. If the user doesn’t acknowledge what you have produced it means it hasn’t caused them any problems and that is a good thing. Sure, you wont win any design awards but that isn’t very likely anyway!
Avoid graphical applicationsThe temptation is to think “I have to do some design, that means I need to open Photoshop. That is what designers use”. Of course that is entirely true, designers do use graphic applications like Photoshop or Freehand. However, I would suggest that unless you are already familiar with these kinds of applications, you are just adding more complexity to the problem.Its hard enough to apply the principles of good design without adding learning a new application on top of it.You know code, so work with code. Build your site using CSS and XHTML and these are the tools with which you are familiar. Sure, it wont lead to outstanding design, but that is not the aim as I discuss next…Don’t try and be great; be invisibleDon’t try and produce a “creative” or “innovative” piece of design. Designers find this hard enough to do. The danger is that if you try and do this, you will create something that some people may love, but the majority completely hate. Instead, play safe. Try and make your design invisible. A good solid piece of design will not impress but neither will it offend. The idea is that the users will not even notice it, they just use it. If the user doesn’t acknowledge what you have produced it means it hasn’t caused them any problems and that is a good thing. Sure, you wont win any design awards but that isn’t very likely anyway!