Getting it right: Principles of Design

Within a split second, we make decisions which can determine whether we want to engage with something, or simply let it pass us by. Design and branding can be crucial here…

It might not be apparent straight away, but we are exposed to ‘design’ throughout each and every day of our lives. Think about it, everything from the cleverly designed user interfaces on our phones, the large billboards we pass on our way to work, right down to the packaging which protects our lunch from our preferred coffee shop… Everything will have gone through some form of design consideration or process.

Design can be subjective. What appeals to one person, may not necessarily appeal to another. A well-designed advert on a social media feed may encourage one person to take action, but some may simply continue to scroll to the next item on the feed. A winning combination of design and messaging play a role in helping to create that engagement with the viewer and it’s important to consider the use of colour, imagery, font, typography, the layout of the elements on the artboard. Each aspect contributes to the overall ‘design’, look and feel.

The design (visual element) and marketing (message) need to work hand in hand and the effective combination of these will encourage engagement and spark action. First impressions count and can pave the way for a long-lasting and successful engagement. Building brand consistency and good use of design principles in marketing and design will help to achieve a better solution which is fit for purpose.

A few things to consider…

“Design is thinking made visual” – Saul Bass

Colour

Selected colours and palettes help to represent a brand and are a crucial element for any design created. Colour should be carefully selected through a design and strategy process, before being used to represent the brand across any future design communications. An understanding colour theory can really help here as different colour combinations can trigger different feelings and emotions. They should resonate with the audience in one way or another.

Consistency

Being consistent across helps to ‘build’ the visual brand and identity across touchpoints. It’s important to think broadly across colour, typography and graphic elements to name a few. Aligning all will develop a consistent visual connection to the brand.

Typography

Typography is a key element to think about and even experiment with. Typography choices can help to communicate a message or emotion. What is the message that needs to get across? Does it need to be professional or corporate? Or is a more playful, lighthearted approach required? Understanding this will allow a better choice of typography to be selected and determine the direction of the design.

Hierarchy & Alignment

Hierarchy is one of the most powerful principles of design and it’s about understanding the relationship between elements and information which need to be presented. What detail or information need to be prioritised? Different weights, sizes and placement can be used to give more, or less emphasis.

Consider how everything is connected on the page. This will help to establish a stronger visual connection to the brand which is pleasing to the eye.

We have just scratched the surface on some of the principles of design and layout which we use in our work. These can be applied to print and digital design. There are a number of other considerations, including, texture, balance, imagery, psychology, composition, interaction, shape. The list goes on…

Taking the above into consideration can help achieve a better visual connection between the design and the audience which is being reaching out to.