4 principles for clean and beautiful web design

This article will discuss these 4 principles as they relate to web design. As long as you keep these four principles in mind, you will be able to design cleaner and more beautiful web pages.

1. Contrast effect

Good contrast effect design can give users an excellent first impression. If the user’s eye doesn’t have a focal point, their attention will get lost in an interface filled with the same-sized elements and typography. Designers need to design very obvious and prominent visual elements to guide the user's experience. You can create a good contrast effect by choosing pictures, colors, fonts, etc.

Image contrast

This method works well when you need to display a large illustration behind many smaller elements. Well, I mean, for example:

The Invoice Machine

This page uses a large image to grab the user's attention. At the same time, the natural monochrome color of the web makes the few blue applications have a better effect.

Instabox

What's the first thing you notice when your eyes land on this page? The most likely one is the star on the box. Like The Invoice Machine , they both create a focal point by using a large image and minimal color.

Color contrast

Using small amounts of color appropriately is another effective way to create visual contrast on a web page. You can use different colors in the header and text copy of a web page, or you can apply it within the colors of an image or illustration.

Fatburgr

This website is an excellent example of the application of all design principles . For color contrast, let’s look at its large yellow head and small light gray text. The principles of arrangement, image contrast, repetition and classification are all done thoroughly.

I Love Typography

How amazing it would be if a website that showcases typography could show us an excellent typography effect in its own header! I like the font they used and their good teal and dark grey color combination.

Font contrast

If you want to create contrast through fonts, you should avoid using two fonts that are very similar in appearance and size. Fonts that look alike can cause confusion and blur the design . But making the font size very different can be very effective, or combining the lightest and boldest versions of the font together. Likewise, if you put two fonts that look very different side by side, you’ll be amazed at the visual impact they create. Put a san serif font and A handwritten font put together is an example.

Fixie Consulting

Wow, I really like the typography and colors used on this website. Pay attention to the size and strokes of their slogans. I really appreciated the water effects and the use of a little bit of blue on the page.

2. Repetition Principle

The principle of repetition is more common in book design than in web design , but it’s equally effective in both. Repeating design elements can make a page appear coherent and enhance your brand. In web design , one way to achieve this is to repeat elements in the header and footer of the page. Take a look at the following examples.

Ten24 Media

Ten24 Media uses creative illustrations in both the header and footer.

Silverback

This website is absolutely amazing! I could definitely use this as a good example in the “ contrast ” section above, but it’s also a good example in the “repetition” section because it’s clearly applied in both the interface style and branding. If you look closely, you’ll see that it uses a banana as the icon at the front of the list, and there are forest illustrations at the head and feet.

3. Arrangement principles

Alignment principles play a complex role in whether your website looks amateurish or professional. Lately I've been a big advocate of using grids when designing web pages. Doing this will keep your design clean and also provide a nice design framework. If you’re interested in learning more about grid design , check out my recent post (I’m just bragging a little bit), Design A Fresh Blog Theme On The 960 Grid

Black Estate Vineyard

This site is featured on the 960 Grid website . Its layout is coherent and eye-catching. I like how it keeps the main content neatly on the left, although some of the large headers break this rule and flow into the left sidebar. The generous use of white space and the use of font contrast and size are both very good.

A List   Apart

A List Apart The visual grid used in is very distinctive. The columns inside are well designed , making all the included content easy to read. Studies have shown that columns that are too wide can cause serious reading difficulties. Your eyes get tired when following the text in a column that wide. A List Apart

4. Classification principles

The final principle is classification . This principle is only used when grouping related elements and separating unrelated elements. If you group everything into the same block of text, it will absolutely ruin the user experience. That’s why using header tags and proper spacing is so important.

Envato

The site does a great job of organizing its content neatly into three main categories, which are clearly and neatly defined.

Paradigm Reborn

This website is well structured. The head is neat and simple. The white space is well left and the content is separated very logically.

Final Thoughts

When you keep these four basic principles in mind, you’ll notice incredible improvements in your designs. There are certainly many other things to consider, but your design will go a long way with contrast, repetition, arrangement, and classification as a foundation.