Design Principles & Psychology

Design Principles

Unity & Variety

Unity is a force operating within a design that gives it the appearance of oneness or resolution. Unity ensures no single part is more important than the other.Variety is used to show a lack of resolution or differences between elements.

Balance (Symmetry & Asymmetry)

The visual weight of a design needs to have balance. It’s like putting two objects on a seesaw: If one side is too heavy, the viewer’s eye goes directly to the heavy part. If it’s weighted with all things equal, the seesaw is perfectly suspended without either side touching the ground.Balance can be implied by size, shape, or even contrast.While it can utilize symmetry or equality, balance can also be achieved through asymmetry.

Hierarchy

Hierarchy is a way to visually rank your design elements.Hierarchy is not based on design styles, but rather the order of importance. A good design leads the eye through each area in priority order.A good rule of thumb for hierarchy is that your most important elements should be the most prominent.

Contrast

The difference between two or more objects in a design is referred to as contrast. The difference in objects could be light and dark, thin and thick, small and large, bright and dull, etc.Like hierarchy, the most important element in a design should have the most contrast.A bright blue button on a stark white background with a lot of white space is considered high contrast.

Emphasis

Emphasis can be created by size, weight, position, color, shape, and style.Sometimes referred to as dominance, emphasis might seem similar to contrast, but it’s not quite the same. Contrast deals with the difference between two objects, and emphasis deals with the impact of an object.Adding emphasis to an object creates a focal point, which grabs an audience’s attention. It’s where you want the viewer to look first, but doesn’t overpower the rest of the design (or it would be out of balance).A simple example is a long hallway or corridor, where your eye is drawn to the end of the hallway. Imagine painting a bright wall at the end: That’s your focal point.

Repetition

Repetitive elements can be used in conjunction with other principles to create a design that leads a user’s eye to a focal point, has continuity, or flow.A repetitive element could be repeated lines, shapes, forms, color, or even design elements.

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https://www.invisionapp.com/defined/principles-of-designSource: InVision

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Psychology of Design