Chapter 1: The Distinction of Web Design

Principles and variables of a visually appealing layout

Creating the ideal, aesthetically pleasing, distinctive design seems like an impossible task to many. While most web industry fields have their own methodology to improve and yield results in the layout and the structure of the content, a few basic defining concepts underpin the whole process of forging beautiful designs. Essentially, the goal is to achieve maximum impact on users.

Within this first chapter, I highlight the justifications for creating a distinctive design, the variables affecting the end users, and the importance of visibility. In addition, I provide a solid introduction to critical basic design concepts, including neutrality or balance. I also explain how to emphasize the right content, how to prioritize and analyze content in order to clean up an interface (using tools like minimalism), and how to avoid conflict and inconsistencies with websites.

Taking You Back to Basics

Within the realm of user experience, complexity has become the enemy of the people. Often at the most basic level, the need to create more intrinsically dynamic and functional designs causes website visitation (and the users who browse those sites) to suffer. Although the concept of “designing with purpose” is nothing new, how people read and recognize objects, and how much attention people give to some components within a layout compared to others, can be summed up in the four words shown in ...

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