Web Design 99designs

[Reney Shammo]

Theprinciples of design are the rules you must follow to create an effective and attractive design composition. The fundamental principles of design are: Emphasis, Balance and Alignment, Contrast, Repetition, Proportion, Movement and White Space.

Graphic design, like any discipline, adheres to strict rules that work beneath the surface to make the work stable and balanced. If the design is missing that balance, it will be weak and ineffective.

Learn more about the 7 basic principles of design by watching the video below or reading the rest of the article. Either way, knowing these principles and how to use them will make your next project stand out.

Symmetrical design creates balance through equally weighted elements aligned on either side of a center line. On the other hand, asymmetrical design uses opposite weights (like contrasting one large element with several smaller elements) to create a composition that is not even, but still has equilibrium.

If you plan to work with type, understanding contrast is incredibly essential because it means the weight and size of your type are balanced. How will your audience know what is most important if everything is in bold?

Repetition can be important beyond one printed product. Anyone thinking about a startup knows one of the first things you need is a strong logo to feature on your website, business cards, social media and more. Brand identity? Another term for repetition.

Even more exciting, it can communicate an entirely different image or idea from your main design that will reward your audience for engaging with it. The logo above uses active negative space to communicate multiple ideas in one fun, creative design.

The elements of a design should be viewed as moving parts that combine to tell a story. As you approach your design project you must first familiarize yourself with these principles of design. Only then will you be able to break these graphic design rules to create your own signature style.

1. Follow the rules of the brainstorm: Brainstorming is about getting all ideas out (even those really really bad ones) and writing them down. Even a horrible idea can spark a conversation that leads to a genius solution.

2. Think like your audience: Make a list of words that describe your brand and how you want it to be perceived. Think like a person in your target demographic and always remember what would be important to them.

3. Get everyone involved: A one-person-brainstorm is fine, but only diversity will make the magic happen. Bring in people from every department or even friends and business partners. The more perspectives, the better.

Be sure to clearly set yourself apart from your competition. If all the other businesses in your industry are going monochrome, maybe you should opt for some color to stand out. If everyone else is traditional, maybe a fun and modern logo will attract attention.

There is a reason why vintage and retro designs have been on trend for quite some time now. They instantly remind you of the past and evoke romantic feelings of nostalgia. A vintage logo tells customers that history is important to you and that whatever you sell is done right. Worn and hand-illustrated logos in brown and beige color palettes fit this aesthetic beautifully.

Brands often choose a clean and minimalist style to communicate how fresh and modern they are. This style uses a lot of whitespaces, minimal details and simple lines often resulting in sleek, pared-back logos. A minimalist and modern style shows your customers that your brand is up-to-date, cool and knows what counts.

Handcrafted style transports a clear message: this brand is individualistic and stands for handmade quality. The style works well in combination with other aesthetics, like vintage, to really drive the message home. But it can be combined with minimal and fun styles as well for a simple and sophisticated or a bright and youthful look.

In addition to the overall style, there are 7 main types of logos you can choose from when you are creating your logo. You can pick the one that suits your company name or overall aesthetic best, or combine them to create something unique.

Lettermark logos can be great to streamline your company logo, especially if your name is very long or hard to remember. Lots of businesses choose to go by their initials, just think of HP, CNN or H&M. These monograms can be great for minimalist logos, but remember that they are not very good at expressing what your business is about.

Mascot logos are a fun way of giving your brand a personality. They are often colorful, cartoonish characters that represent your business in a family-friendly and approachable way. To learn more about the ins and outs of mascot logos, take a look at the video below.

A combination mark does exactly what it says on the tin: it combines a symbol with a word mark to create an easily recognizable logo. The brand name is either placed next to the symbol or is integrated into the graphic element. People will associate both elements with your brand, which allows you to use them both alone or together.

Similar to combination marks, emblem logos are also often a combination of word and pictorial elements. They usually consist of text integrated with a symbol or icon, such as badges, seals or crests. These traditional shapes can give you a very old-school and classic appearance.

Colors can have a ton of different meanings. The psychology behind color is complex, but to keep it short, colors have certain emotions and ideas attached to them. To learn more about color theory be sure to check out this in-depth guide on logo colors and their meanings.

Script fonts are reminiscent of handwriting. From elegant calligraphic fonts to relaxed and down-to-earth scripts, there is a huge variety out there. Use them to make your logo look more individualistic, like the Moon Rabbit logo above.

Now that you have an idea of all the different elements your logo consists of, you need to make sure that they work together. You want to pair them in a way that is harmonious to create the vibe you are looking for.

The logo for skincare brand Voany leaves no doubt that it is an elegant, natural high-end brand, using a combination mark in an organic shape, a classic serif font and a natural brown and beige color palette. Reflect Academy on the other hand looks disruptive and eye-catching by combining a modern font with colorful and abstract shapes for a fresh and unique look.

We might be biased, but we think a logo design contest is the best way to get a logo. To make sure your design comes out perfectly, the first rule of working with your designer is to communicate clearly. Writing a clear creative brief is your chance to make your designer understand who you are and what you need. Make sure to give them as much information about your company and style as you can, so they can create something really unique for you.

I don't know about the 99design packages to be honest. But it's better for you to try out shopify with some test images and see what you need and what you don't need so you can be specific when asking.

Yup, that would be enough. Get the logo in color, white, and black. If your business grows in the future, some websites that want to feature you will ask for the logo in black or white so they have consistent logos in their logo collection. (if this is something that you can anticipate happening to you)

So sadly, I am still a little bit confused: If the "Cover Image" is used if you share your site, then what is the difference to the "Social sharing image" (Shopify description: "When you share a link to your store on social media, an image is usually shown in your post.")?

Shopify Cover Image ? There's no official term like this. I'm thinking it's the banner photo in the homepage when users come into the site for the first time? That's called the hero image or banner image, but I've not heard anyone call it the Shopify Cover Image. Best to clarify that with 99Designs.

I think it's more for the "Shop" feature not for the website. I've built so many stores and never touched that section at all. If you have a website, that's not really necessary because you'll put it all in the theme. And for facebook, x, linkedin page cover photos you can upload it yourself.

Thank you very much! Things clear up a little bit :-). So would you say, that for a basic webstore launch, we are good if we get designs for the following components: logo, favicon / square icon, social media sharing image, Facebook cover?

Much like the impact of photography on the art world in the 19th century, we find ourselves in the midst of a profound change in the world of graphic design trends. Artificial Intelligence is at the center of this creative shift, altering both our methods of creation and our visual styles.

This 2024 design trend, Future Fusion, is all about juxtaposition. The color palette shifts dramatically, with deep browns, blues and blacks as the foundation, punctuated by vibrant neon purples and pinks to infuse vitality into your brand within the digital realm.

Textures embrace a gritty, dark aesthetic incorporating glitchy elements, sharp edges and digital fonts that are balanced with vibrant colors. This approach harmonizes the cutting-edge with the human, making your brand more relatable and approachable in the ever-evolving tech landscape.

The Bento box grid trend in graphic design revolves around the artful arrangement of boxes in varying sizes to house fragments of information or graphics. When these pieces come together, they form a cohesive larger box, resembling the compartments of traditional Japanese bento boxes.

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