Scribd
Upload
20 views15 pages

Design Fundamentals

Uploaded by

Mark Anthony Mabuti Sarmiento
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
20 views15 pages

Design Fundamentals

Uploaded by

Mark Anthony Mabuti Sarmiento
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 15

Design Fundamentals

An Introduction
Outline
 What is design?
 Designing web pages (later...see
Chapter 6)
 Designing web sites (later)
 Your web site design (quarter-long
evolution)
What is “Design”?
 Many elements around us are designed
 Communities, buildings, landscapes, road
systems, information systems, web pages, web
sites, lectures…
 The word design can be a noun (check out
my design) or a verb (I need to design my
web site)
 So what does the term “design” mean?
 Ever take the riverboat tour of Chicago?
What is it like? What did you learn?
Design Perspectives on the
web
 “Design is about creating something with a
purpose.”
 “Design is that area of human experience,
skill and knowledge which is concerned with
man’s ability to mould his environment to
suit his material and spiritual needs.”
 “Design is more than just technology, it is a
problem solving process in which the form of
the final product must occupy a function. “
Is it possible to teach design?
“While
basic sciences rely on the scientific method
and testing of hypothesis, and
the arts depend primarily on intuition,
design is somewhere in between;
it borrows from both disciplines, developing
methods and predispositions for acquiring
knowledge, skills and attitudes that respond to
the complexity of real life situations.”
Design Talking Points
 Design is a process that produces some sort of
solution.
 A design solution combines two things:
 A perception of the environment held by the designer, e.g.
who the audience is, how they will use your site, and
 Features of the solution such as colors, page layout, fonts,
animation, styles, etc.
 The designer’s goal is to match the features of the
design to the environment.
 Note, designers all perceive the environment differently!
Why we go through iterations of
designs
 The quality of the design solution is a
function of this fit between the environment
and the design’s features.
 It is difficult for people to describe good
design.
 It is MUCH easier for people (e.g. users) to
detect examples of POOR fit.
 “The adequacy of a genuinely designed
form can only be evaluated by noting its
misfits with the context in which it is placed.”
(Alexander, 1964.)
True or false
 Design can be taught.
 Different people can arrive at different
solutions, all of which can be
considered ‘good design’.
 Most DePaul students’ web sites will
look similar as long as they follow
good design principles.
Good Design Principles
 Alignment
 Means that items on the page are lined
up with each other.

 Key
 Choose one alignment and use it on the
entire page
Good Design Principles
 Proximity
 The principle of proximity refers to the
relationships that item develop when they
are close together, in close proximity.
 When two items are close, they appear to
have a relationship, to belong together

 When items that belongs together are


grouped closer together, the information is
much more organized and easier to read
Good Design Principles
 Repetition
 The concept of repetition is that
throughout a project you repeat certain
elements that tie all the disparate parts
together.
 Each page in the web site should look like it
belongs to the same web site, the same
company, the same concept – repetition
makes it happen.
Good Design Principles
 Contrast
 Contrast draws your eye into a page, it pulls you in.

 Contrasting elements guide your eyes around the page, create a


hierarchy of information, and enable you to skim through the vast
of information and pick out what you need.

 Colors, graphic signposts, or spatial arrangements

 To be effective, contrast must be strong – don’t be a wimp

 Exceptions
 No need for contrast when you want to present a continuous text,
in a novel or article
Good Design Principles
 Contrast
 Create a Focal Point
 On screen, package, paper, etc
 Dressing
 etc

You might also like