there was a time when design felt a bit… well too predictable too safe.
Like everyone was playing it safe with the same old patterns.
But then designers started experimenting pushing boundaries and that’s when things got really exciting. How to Block Websites on Google Chrome
We delved into the science behind how people interact with designs understanding their behaviors and what they truly resonated with. 12 Steps to Take Before Launching Your WordPress Site
And that’s where these 20 design elements and principles come into play.
They’re the foundation of impactful design the tools we use to create truly engaging experiences.
20 Design Elements and Principles Every Designer Should Know
Think of them like a secret code a language we use to communicate with our audience.
It’s about understanding how each element affects a viewer’s emotions how it guides their gaze and ultimately how it inspires them to take action.
Let’s dive into each of these elements and explore how they can make your designs truly sing.
1. Lines: Defining Form and Evoking Emotion
You can’t escape lines. How to Live a More Creative Lifestyle
They’re everywhere from the edges of your screen to the strokes that form each letter on your keyboard.
And that’s exactly what makes them so crucial. How to Optimize Your WordPress RSS Feed
They define the shapes the outlines the very essence of everything we see.
But lines go beyond just defining form.
They have the power to evoke emotions to tell a story without a single word. Empower Your Development: The Breakthrough Features of WordPress 6.5 Unleashed
A straight vertical line can convey strength and order while a squiggly line might suggest chaos and confusion.
This is incredibly powerful for designers because we can use these subtle cues to guide the viewer’s emotional response making them more receptive to our message.
Imagine a website with bold straight lines leading the viewer’s gaze directly to a call to action button.
This subconscious connection between lines and emotion can be the subtle nudge your audience needs to take that next step.
2. Scale: Creating Drama and Emphasizing Hierarchy
Scale is all about size.
It’s the difference between a tiny ant and a towering dog the way we use size to create a sense of perspective and drama in our designs. Shopify For WordPress Alternatives
We can make elements stand out creating focal points that draw the eye or we can subtly guide the viewer’s attention by scaling certain elements down to create a sense of hierarchy. WooCommerce TikTok Integration: A Quick Guide
Think about movie posters. Full Site Editing: What Does it Mean for Web Designers?
The stars of the show often have their images enlarged not because they’re physically bigger but because their characters are more prominent in the story. The Best WordPress Gallery and Slideshow Plugins
This same principle applies to web design.
You can use scale to highlight key pieces of information such as statistics or important headlines by making them significantly larger than the surrounding content.
It’s a simple yet powerful way to emphasize what matters most. WooCommerce API Keys: A Comprehensive Guide
3. Color: Evoking Emotion and Building Brand Identity
Color is powerful. 14 Halloween Marketing Campaigns That’ll Leave You Eerily Inspired
It can evoke a whole spectrum of emotions from excitement to calmness and it plays a huge role in brand identity. WP Engine Development Best Practices
Imagine a sustainable company using only black and white. WooCommerce vs. Squarespace vs. Shopify: How to Choose the Best eCommerce Platform
It would feel jarring right? Or a business aiming for a professional feel using neon colors.
The mismatch is glaring. Stripe vs PayPal vs Apple Pay for WordPress
Think about Coca-Cola.
Can you imagine them using any other color than red? It’s a powerful reminder that color is an essential component of building brand recognition and creating a lasting impression. The Best WordPress Gallery and Slideshow Plugins
Consistency is key. 7 Fantastic Free Design Resources
Using the same color scheme across all marketing materials from website banners to office reports reinforces the brand message and helps create a unified experience. How to Use Ninja Forms
4. White Space: Creating Breathing Room and Encouraging Engagement
White space often called negative space is the empty space around elements in your design.
It might seem like wasted space but it’s far from it. WooCommerce TikTok Integration: A Quick Guide
Think of it as breathing room for your design. Getting Started with the Genesis Framework and WP Engine
It allows the eye to rest creating a sense of clarity and drawing attention to the key elements.
The magic of white space lies in its ability to create visual hierarchy to give certain elements the breathing room they need to stand out.
By strategically using empty space you can highlight specific sections of your design leading the viewer’s gaze through the content in a natural way. How to Effectively Negotiate a Value-based Pricing Structure
5. Symmetry: Finding Balance and Creating Harmony
Symmetry is that inherent sense of balance that draws our eyes to certain designs. The WordPress Designer’s Glossary
It’s the reason we find logos like Target and Chanel so memorable. Never Miss a Payment Again With These Invoicing Tips
They create a sense of harmony a visual equilibrium that feels inherently pleasing to the eye.
But symmetry isn’t just about perfect mirror images.
It’s about finding balance in a design even if it’s not completely symmetrical. How to Add a Responsive Google Map in WordPress
You might have a page with a single image on one side and a block of text on the other. 20 Design Elements and Principles Every Designer Should Know
Even though these elements are not identical you can still achieve a sense of balance by arranging them thoughtfully making sure their visual weight feels equal.
6. Opacity: Creating Depth and Layering Effects
Opacity is like the “see-through” factor of a design element. The Best SEO Tools for WordPress
It controls how transparent an element is allowing us to create subtle layers and add depth to our designs. Prevention is Better Than the Cure: Securing Your Sites With WP Engine
Lower opacity makes elements appear lighter while higher opacity makes them more solid. Removing Unused WordPress Plugins
It’s a powerful tool for creating a sense of movement layering different elements on top of each other without completely hiding the ones underneath.
Imagine a web design with a subtle overlay where the text slightly fades into the background image. Enhancing WordPress Scalability for High Traffic Websites
Opacity adds that layer of depth creating a more dynamic and engaging visual experience. Adding the Disqus Comment System to WordPress
7. Texture: Adding Depth and Engaging the Senses
Texture adds a sense of life a tactile quality to your design.
It’s the difference between a smooth flat surface and a rough textured canvas. Mastering Migrations–Faster, Easier, and Safer Ways to Move Your Site From A to B
Texture can bring an image to life making it feel almost tangible.
While not every design needs texture it can add a touch of sophistication and enhance the overall experience.
Imagine a background with a subtle grain adding a subtle depth that wouldn’t be possible with a flat surface.
You can also create textured effects by using embossed elements giving your design a raised almost three-dimensional quality. Creating Gated Content With WordPress
8. Balance: Creating Visual Harmony and Stability
Balance while often confused with symmetry is about creating a sense of visual stability and harmony within a design. How To Defer Parsing of JavaScript in WordPress
It’s about ensuring that the elements on a page feel balanced that they don’t tilt the visual weight too heavily to one side.
Imagine an about page with a single image on one side and a block of text on the other. Free Photoshop Plugins to Improve Your Creative Workflow
Balance is achieved when these elements feel visually equal even though they’re not identical.
It’s about making sure the eye feels comfortable finding a sense of equilibrium within the composition. Halloween Design Trends (That Aren’t Overused)
9. Hierarchy: Guiding the Eye and Emphasizing Importance
Hierarchy is all about creating a visual order about emphasizing certain elements over others. How to Build an Incredible eCommerce Site with WordPress
It’s not about making some elements less important but about giving those that are most crucial the visual prominence they deserve.
Think of it like a pyramid with the most important information at the top and progressively less important elements as you move down. An Introduction to Accessibility: Part 2
You can use color size or positioning to create this visual hierarchy. How to Add Autocomplete Search to Your WordPress Site
Imagine a website with a bright bold headline at the top followed by subheadings in a slightly less prominent color and smaller font.
This visual hierarchy naturally guides the viewer’s eye through the content making it easy to understand the flow of information.
10. Contrast: Creating Visual Interest and Enhancing Readability
Contrast is the magic of opposites. 3 Plugins to Help Scan Your WordPress Site for Malware
It’s the difference between light and dark big and small. DE{CODE}: Best Practices for Site Deployment With Local
It’s about making certain elements stand out creating visual interest and drawing the eye to specific areas.
But contrast goes beyond just aesthetics.
It plays a crucial role in readability.
Imagine using two similar colors for your text and background.
It would be nearly impossible to read right? By creating strong contrast between the two you ensure the text is easy to read preventing eye strain and improving the overall user experience.
11. Framing: Drawing Attention and Creating Focus
Framing is like putting a border around your design elements creating a visual enclosure that draws attention to the content within.
It’s about establishing boundaries highlighting specific elements and making them the focal point of the design. The Benefits of Creating a One-Page Site (and How to do It)
Think of a single quote surrounded by a subtle box outline instantly making it stand out from the surrounding text.
Or a beach-themed poster using a frame of shells to highlight the main text. How to Design and Set a WordPress Homepage
Framing is a powerful tool for creating visual interest and guiding the viewer’s eye to the most important elements. 12 Creative Ideas to Escape Designer’s Block
12. Grids: Creating Order and Achieving Visual Harmony
Grids are the unsung heroes of design. How to Create Your First Blog With WordPress (In 4 Steps)
They provide structure a framework for arranging elements in a way that feels visually appealing and easy to understand.
Think of the columns on a magazine page or the sections in a newspaper.
Grids create a sense of order and balance ensuring that elements are aligned in a way that’s pleasing to the eye. The Business of WordPress
They help us create visual flow making it easy for the viewer to navigate the design and understand the information presented.
13. Breaking the Grid: Injecting Spontaneity and Creating Visual Surprise
While grids are excellent for creating order sometimes breaking the rules can create a sense of excitement and surprise.
It’s about introducing a touch of chaos to an otherwise predictable design.
Imagine a page with a perfectly aligned grid and then suddenly a single element placed off-center. Outbound Link Tracking in WordPress
This unexpected break from the structure instantly grabs the viewer’s attention making the element stand out and creating a sense of visual dynamism. How To Defer Parsing of JavaScript in WordPress
14. Visual Cues: Guiding the Eye and Encouraging Interaction
Visual cues like arrows or pointing fingers are subtle hints that guide the viewer’s eye to specific elements. Agency Ignite: Reselling With WP Engine—Take Your Agency to the Next Level
They’re like road signs subtly directing the viewer’s attention in a particular direction.
Imagine an image of someone pointing towards a call-to-action button. How to Get an Alexa Rank for Your WordPress Site
It’s a simple but effective way to draw the viewer’s attention to that specific area encouraging them to click or interact with it.
15. Eye Movement: Understanding Natural Viewing Patterns
Our eyes naturally follow certain patterns when we view a page.
Studies show that these patterns often form an E an F or a Z shape.
This is why it’s best to place the most important information on the top left of the page as the eye naturally moves from left to right and top to bottom. Webinar: How to build a six-figure website maintenance program.
Understanding these natural viewing patterns allows you to create a more intuitive design making it easier for the viewer to find the information they need.
It’s about creating a flow leading the eye through the design in a natural and engaging way.
16. Breaking the Rules: Adding a Touch of Rebellion
While there are design rules sometimes breaking them can lead to some of the most creative and impactful designs.
It’s about pushing boundaries finding new ways to express ideas and break free from convention. How to Improve Your WordPress Site Speed and Performance
Remember breaking the rules should be intentional not random. WooCommerce Reporting with New Relic
It should serve a purpose adding a sense of surprise excitement or a unique perspective to your design.
17. Creating Movement: Bringing Designs to Life
Movement while a physical impossibility in printed designs can still be achieved through visual techniques.
We can create the illusion of motion through blurring motion lines wave effects or even using opacity. WP Engine Development Best Practices
Imagine a photograph of a moving car with a blur effect applied to the background. CMS Trends Report: Agility, Open Source, and the Role of WordPress in Modern Web Innovation
This simple technique creates the illusion of speed bringing the image to life.
18. Depth: Adding Dimension and Visual Intrigue
Flat designs have their place but adding depth to your designs can create a more immersive and engaging experience. How to Explain the Importance of Logo Design
It’s about making those two-dimensional elements feel like they’re popping out of the page.
There are a number of techniques for adding depth including layering shadowing and perspective. What Are WordPress Hooks?
Imagine a simple image with a subtle drop shadow.
It instantly creates the illusion of depth making it appear as if it’s hovering above the page.
19. Typography: The Art of Communicating Through Words
Typography goes beyond just choosing a font style and size. Using WordPress for Podcasting
It’s about using type to communicate your message effectively making your design visually appealing and easy to read. 10 Best Themes for SEO Performance
It’s about understanding the different styles of fonts their impact on a reader’s mood and how they interact with other elements in your design.
20. Composition: The Harmony of All Elements
Composition is the glue that binds all of these design elements together.
It’s the overall arrangement of all the visual elements ensuring they work together to create a visually cohesive and impactful design.
It’s about considering the relationship between elements their position on the page and how they contribute to the overall narrative of your design. How to Resell Web Hosting (and Why You Should!)
It’s about creating a symphony of visual elements each playing its part to create a harmonious and memorable experience.
Remember these design principles are not rules to be followed blindly.
They’re tools in your creative arsenal a set of guiding principles to help you create compelling and engaging designs.
So next time you’re working on a project keep these 20 elements in mind.
Experiment play and explore. DE{CODE}: Building WordPress eCommerce at Scale
See what happens when you push the boundaries and create something truly remarkable. Manipulating DOM in WordPress using JQuery