15 September 2007

NED12 Designing a unified interface

Another important element of design - unity. Coherence, usability, better communication. Psychological studies have shown that users want to see unity, if they don't see this they lose interest.

Unified design needs a consistent visual style throughout the document/site. Visual devices include visual style, alignment, balance, flow, and a grid.

Creating unity with visual style:
* Use similar colors
* Use similar shapes
* Use similar line weights
* Use similar typography
* Use similar photographs
* Use similar illustration styles
* Use same artist for all graphics
* Repeat the elements above you use throughout your site

Further reading:
Some examples of unified design through repetition, proximity, continuation.
Unity - Basic principles of design, from About.com

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