Typography is essential for effective visual communication. Choosing the wrong fonts or using them poorly can make your design look unprofessional, cluttered, or even illegible. To ensure your typography is on point, avoid using too many fonts, ensure font pairings complement each other, establish a clear typographic hierarchy, and use font sizes and weights consistently. And most importantly, prioritize legibility!
Browse a selection of font resources: goproof.net/resources/design-toolkit-typography-resources
Color evokes emotion, sets the tone, and plays a crucial role in brand recognition. But a poorly chosen color palette can clash with your message, create visual confusion, or even turn off your audience. Limit your color palette, use a color wheel to ensure harmony, consider the psychological impact of colors, and maintain sufficient contrast between text and background.
Browse a selection of useful design tools: goproof.net/resources/design-toolkit-useful-tools
A cluttered layout can overwhelm the viewer and make it difficult to focus on the key message. Whitespace is your friend! Don't cram too much information into a limited space. Establish a clear visual hierarchy with headings, images, and calls to action. Use consistent spacing and alignment, and ensure sufficient white space to avoid a claustrophobic feel.
Design is not just about aesthetics; it's about creating user-friendly and effective experiences. Ignoring UX can lead to designs that are confusing, frustrating, or simply ineffective. Focus on creating clear and intuitive navigation, use prominent calls to action, design with accessibility in mind, and keep your designs simple and user-friendly. User testing can help you identify and address any usability issues.
Branding is essential for creating a strong and recognizable identity. Inconsistent branding can confuse your audience and dilute your message. Use your logo consistently, establish a clear color palette, and maintain consistent typography and messaging. Develop comprehensive brand guidelines to ensure consistency across all design projects.
Visual hierarchy guides the viewer's eye through the design, prioritizing information and creating a clear flow. Without it, your design can feel disorganized and confusing. Use larger and bolder elements for important information, guide the eye with visual cues like color and contrast, and prioritize content strategically.
White space (or negative space) is essential for creating a balanced and visually appealing design. It gives elements room to breathe and helps avoid a cluttered look. Use white space to create a sense of calm and focus, give elements room to breathe, and choose backgrounds that complement, not compete with, the content.
While stock photos can be convenient, overusing them can make your design look generic and unoriginal. Use high-quality, relevant stock photos sparingly, customize them to match your brand's style, and consider using original photography or illustrations whenever possible.
Browse a selection of stock image resources: goproof.net/resources/design-toolkit-stock-assets
With more people accessing the web on their phones, it's important to ensure your designs look good and function properly on all devices. Use a responsive design approach, test your designs on various devices, and optimize images for different screen sizes.
Typos and grammatical errors can damage your credibility and make your design look unprofessional. Proofread your work multiple times, have someone else review your work, and consider using online proofing tools like GoProof to streamline the proofreading and approval process.
It's generally recommended to use no more than two or three fonts in a single design to avoid visual clutter and maintain a cohesive look.
Consider the overall tone and message you want to convey, as well as the psychological impact of different colors. Use a color wheel to identify harmonious color combinations and ensure sufficient contrast between text and background.
Prioritize essential information, use white space effectively, establish a clear visual hierarchy, and utilize grids and guides to create a balanced and organized layout.
