Graphic design has always been an essential component of web design, which involves creating a website’s visual and aesthetic elements to make it more engaging and user-friendly. And apparently, its role goes beyond just making the website visually appealing.
Graphic design establishes a balance between aesthetics and functionality and helps transform beautiful websites into powerful marketing tools.
In this article, we’ll explore the different aspects of graphic design that affect web design and how they contribute to creating a better user experience.
Typography
Typography refers to the art and technique of arranging fonts to make written language legible and appealing when displayed. Logically, there’s no successful graphic or web design without typography, because it can impact the website’s readability and overall design. When chosen wisely, fonts make a website easier to navigate, while bad typography makes the page confusing and hard to perceive.
When designing a website, fonts should be chosen based on their legibility, size, spacing, kerning, and leading. Pretty much, ain’t it? It’s also vital to consider trends and ensure the font comes in Web Format. An excellent way to find the right type for a website is by using font finder tools, which serve designers to detect the font from images or search them based on specific criteria.
Color Theory
Color is another powerful tool in all creative fields, not just graphic or web design. It can convey emotions and moods and impact the overall perception of a website. It also helps create a visual hierarchy and guides the user’s attention to essential elements of the website, which are one of the primary design principles you should remember when working on your website. For example, a call-to-action button should be highlighted to make it stand out and easy for the user to identify — a contrasting color is used for that.
Using the right color palette for a website is essential, as it can help create a unique brand identity. In contrast, the wrong color palette can negatively impact the website’s user experience. There are different color schemes that designers can use, such as complementary, analogous, monochromatic, and triadic color schemes. With the examples from Pinterest, Instagram, or Dribbble, you can create custom solutions or use ready-made ones (plenty of those already tooled for web design).
Visual Hierarchy
Visual hierarchy is the arrangement of elements on a website that guides the user’s attention and emphasizes important content. It makes the website more organized and can be obtained via the elements’ size, color, and placement. For example, larger font sizes and bold typography draw the user’s attention to important headings and subheadings. And smaller font sizes and muted colors make less important content recede into the background.
Imagery
Imagery is another crucial aspect of graphic design actively used in web design. Images might serve to break up the text and communicate information in a more engaging and visually appealing way. Images can also establish a website’s tone and personality, making it more memorable and attractive to users. And they are obviously used to showcase the goods and services or develop a human connection with the audience.
When using images on a website, designers should pay attention to quality, size, and placement. Graphics that are too large or too small can affect the website’s load time and overall design, so make sure all the images are optimized for the web.
Usability
Usability is the ease with which users navigate and interact with a website. Good graphic design can make a website more intuitive and “human,” while poor design can make it confusing and frustrating. Designers should create a user-friendly interface that allows them to quickly and easily find the information they need. A website’s usability is impacted by a variety of design elements, including layout, navigation, and the white space.
Layout
The layout refers to how the website’s content is arranged. It should be easy to scan and navigate, with a clear content hierarchy. Using grids can help create a consistent and organized layout that is visually appealing and easy to use. Designers should also consider content placement on the page and use white space effectively to avoid clutter.
Navigation
Navigation sets the way in which users move around a website to find the information they need. The navigation should be intuitive, with clear labels and links guiding the user to the content they seek. Many techniques affect navigation: drop-down menus, breadcrumbs, search bars, icons, and buttons.
White Space
White space, also known as negative space, refers to the area around and between design elements. Effective use of white space can create a clean and organized layout that is easy to scan and navigate. White space serves to draw attention to important elements of the design and make the website more visually appealing.
Conclusion
Proper graphic design and respect for design principles make a website more visually appealing, intuitive, and user-friendly. Designers should focus on minor elements and aspects, including typography, color theory, visual hierarchy, imagery, layout, navigation, and white space, to create a cohesive and practical design that meets the needs of the website’s users.
