Let's have the talk: Safe text and image design

These next issues that we are going to discuss are the birds and bees of design. Really, they are things we should have known long before we knew that we needed to know them. So, without further ado, I give you a rundown on six design principles that will have you yelling for more.

1 // Balance

This one is imperative. Balance refers to the visual weight of objects and how they are placed on a page to best please the eye. There are a few key rules that need to be taken into consideration when looking at balance, which we have outlined here thanks to Diana Reep (2006, p.135).

• Big weighs more than small.
• Dark weighs more than light.
• Colour weighs more than black and white. 
• Unusual shapes weigh more than simple circles or squares.

When an object or colour weighs more it is important to give the object white space around it, giving the eye room to breathe.

2 // Proportion

Here we're looking at the size, placement and format of text and images. Each image should be the size that is helpful for the reader to comprehend, rather than making all images an identical size for the sake of consistency. The same rule applies to text. Headings can be different sizes and thicknesses depending on the importance of the heading. 

3 // Sequence

A reader's eyes will enter a page at the top left hand corner, and move from left to right, top to bottom scanning the information. The best designers use this to their advantage, and highlight different important parts of the page by sequencing their information to the best effect. It keeps the reader interested and helps them to easily confirm the important facts. 

4 // Consistency

I can't believe how many people seem to get this wrong. Consistency is simple. For the ease of the reader, keep margins, fonts, font sizes, colours and weights all the same. This doesn't make your work boring, it makes it possible for other people to look at it without feeling as though they're being hypnotised. 

5 // Use headings

Throughout this post I have made use of headings to break up the slabs of text. This can help to call attention to a particular topic, help readers find the specific information they're searching for or to show the change in sections. If there is one thing readers love, it's text broken up into readable sections, with headings explaining exactly what you will read underneath. 

6 // Use white space

White space is a designer's best kept secret. It refers to the areas that we leave blank in design, whether it be a paragraph indentation, space around a title or image, or a wider margin. This is imperative to ensuring that your design is easy on the eye and helps instigate the Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) principle. 


There you have it. Six principles that are fantastic springboards into the world of design.