What are design principles?

Design principles are biases, guidelines, and other considerations that serve as fundamental pieces of advice for designers.

The principles themselves are the result of the accumulated knowledge and experience of professionals from areas such as physics, sociology, ergonomics, and behavioral science.

When these principles are applied to websites, videos, banners, web content, or even product development, designers can predict how the user will most likely react to them.

Experienced designers also know how to emphasize their intended message without incorporating elements that detract from the message.

With that in mind, some of the most fundamental design principles are explained in the following sections.

Component	Description
Definition	Design Principles are fundamental guidelines or rules that inform the process of designing products, systems, experiences, or any creative work. They serve as a foundation for making design decisions that lead to effective and visually pleasing outcomes.
Purpose	The primary purpose of design principles is to ensure that design solutions are functional, aesthetically pleasing, user-friendly, and aligned with the intended goals and objectives. They provide a framework for creating well-designed and coherent experiences.
Flexibility	Design principles can vary across different design disciplines, such as graphic design, industrial design, user interface design, and architectural design. However, they share common elements related to layout, balance, hierarchy, and user experience.
Universality	Some design principles are universal and apply broadly across various design contexts. Examples include principles of alignment, contrast, proximity, and simplicity, which are relevant in graphic, web, and user interface design.
Specificity	Other design principles are specific to certain domains. For instance, the principles of ergonomics are crucial in industrial design to ensure the comfort and safety of users, while architectural design principles focus on spatial organization and aesthetics.
Key Principles	– Simplicity: Keep designs clear and straightforward to avoid confusion. – Consistency: Maintain a uniform style and layout for coherence. – Hierarchy: Organize content or elements by importance or relevance. – Balance: Distribute visual weight evenly for stability. – Contrast: Create distinctions to highlight important elements. – Alignment: Position elements in a coordinated arrangement. – Proximity: Group related elements for clarity. – Emphasis: Accentuate focal points or key information. – Usability: Prioritize user experience and ease of interaction. – Accessibility: Ensure designs are inclusive and usable by all.
Applications	Design principles are widely applied in various fields, including: – Graphic Design: Creating visual materials like posters, advertisements, and logos. – User Interface (UI) Design: Designing software and app interfaces. – Industrial Design: Developing physical products and devices. – Architectural Design: Planning and constructing buildings and spaces. – Instructional Design: Designing educational materials and courses. – Web Design: Creating websites with user-friendly layouts and navigation.
Benefits	– Enhances User Experience: Design principles lead to user-friendly and intuitive products. – Increases Visual Appeal: Well-designed items are aesthetically pleasing. – Ensures Consistency: Maintains a cohesive and professional look. – Facilitates Communication: Effective design communicates messages clearly. – Solves Problems: Design principles help solve design-related challenges.
Iterative Process	Design is often an iterative process where principles guide initial concepts, but designers continually refine and adjust their work to achieve the best results. Successful design often requires a balance between adhering to established principles and exploring innovative ideas.

Table of Contents

Focus on alignment and balance

Alignment is at the top of this list because it is one of the most important design principles.

Proper alignment – whether it be left, right, or center – ensures harmony between the various components of the design itself.

Balance ensures that these components are pleasing to the eye and direct the user in a way the designer intended.

To that end, every component has a certain weight owing to its texture, size, or color that must be balanced with similar qualities in other elements.

One way to achieve optimal balance is to align equally weighted, symmetrical components on either side of a center line.

Components with opposite or contrasting weights can also be aligned asymmetrically to create a sense of equilibrium.

Use hierarchy to assist with focus

Hierarchy enables the user to make sense of the numerous visual elements in a design.

In other words, it clarifies the most important message(s) and shows them where to focus their efforts.

Hierarchy is critical to the user experience – particularly in website navigation where it is used in dropdown menus.

However, the same effect can also be created with bold font or by using certain shapes to frame the most important points. Including the most salient information at the top of the design is also effective.

Leveraging contrast to accentuate important elements

Contrast allows designers to emphasize the most important aspects of the design and create space between them.

Most people think of black and white when they picture contrast, but the effect can also be created by modern and traditional, thick and thin, or large and small.

Users are naturally drawn to contrasting elements, but it should be noted that overuse of contrast can detract from the user experience.

When used effectively, it attracts attention, controls visual flow, and keeps the user engaged.

Include repetition

The design principle of repetition refers to any element that is repeated across a design – whether that be a specific color, font, word, shape, or motif.

Designs that are strong and simple will often incorporate repetition out of necessity. Indeed, there are only so many ways a designer can recombine three colors and two font choices.

However, repetition should never be shunned because it has the ability to unify and strengthen a design. In this way, it forms a key part of content strategies and assists in brand recognition.

Make room for white space

Also known as negative space, white space is the region between design elements that does not contain any colors, text, or images.

The name of this principle is somewhat of a misnomer since negative space has positive implications for design and does not need to be white.

Instead, it creates a balanced and harmonious layout that is free from clutter and overcrowding.

White space comes in two forms.

The first is active white space, which describes space that is deliberately left blank for a more optimal layout.

Passive white space, on the other hand, is space that is a by-product of the layout process such as the blank areas inside content.

Key takeaways:

Design principles are biases, guidelines, and other considerations that serve as fundamental pieces of advice for designers.
Alignment and balance are critical design principles because they ensure harmony between the various design elements. They also play a role in superior user experience.
Hierarchy, contrast, and white space are also important design principles to emphasize certain elements. Repetition is a principle that companies use to strengthen brand recognition.

Related Frameworks	Description	When to Apply
Dieter Rams’ Ten Principles	– Dieter Rams, a renowned industrial designer, established ten principles of good design, emphasizing factors such as usability, simplicity, and sustainability. These principles serve as guidelines for creating products that are functional, aesthetically pleasing, and user-friendly.	– When designing products or experiences, adhering to Dieter Rams’ principles can help ensure that designs are user-centric, intuitive, and timeless.
Material Design Principles	– Material Design, developed by Google, provides a set of design principles and guidelines for creating visually consistent and intuitive user interfaces. Material Design principles focus on elements such as layout, typography, color, and motion to create cohesive and engaging user experiences across platforms.	– When designing digital interfaces for web or mobile applications, following Material Design principles can help maintain consistency and usability across different devices and platforms.
Atomic Design Principles	– Atomic Design, proposed by Brad Frost, is a methodology for creating design systems by breaking down interfaces into smaller, reusable components. Atomic Design principles emphasize the importance of modularity, scalability, and consistency in design, enabling teams to create flexible and maintainable design systems.	– When developing design systems or component libraries, applying Atomic Design principles can streamline the design process and ensure consistency across different parts of an interface.
Universal Design Principles	– Universal Design focuses on creating products and environments that are accessible and usable by people of all abilities, ages, and backgrounds. Universal Design principles emphasize factors such as inclusivity, flexibility, and simplicity to ensure that designs accommodate diverse user needs and preferences.	– When designing products, services, or environments, incorporating Universal Design principles can help make designs more accessible, inclusive, and user-friendly for a wider range of users.
Responsive Design Principles	– Responsive Design is an approach to web design that ensures websites adapt and respond to the user’s device and screen size, providing an optimal viewing experience across various platforms and devices. Responsive Design principles emphasize fluid grids, flexible images, and media queries to create responsive and adaptable layouts.	– When designing websites or digital interfaces, following Responsive Design principles can ensure that designs are accessible and visually appealing across desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
Human-Centered Design Principles	– Human-Centered Design, also known as Design Thinking, is an approach to problem-solving that focuses on understanding user needs, ideating solutions, and iterating based on user feedback. Human-Centered Design principles emphasize empathy, collaboration, and iteration to create solutions that address real user needs.	– When solving complex problems or developing products or services, applying Human-Centered Design principles can help ensure that solutions are user-centric, innovative, and effective in meeting user needs.
Grid System Principles	– Grid Systems provide a framework for organizing content and designing layouts in a visually pleasing and structurally sound manner. Grid System principles define guidelines for spacing, alignment, and proportion to create balanced and harmonious compositions in design projects.	– When designing print materials, websites, or digital interfaces, utilizing Grid System principles can help create visually appealing and organized layouts that improve readability and user experience.
Accessibility Design Principles	– Accessibility Design focuses on creating products and environments that are usable by individuals with disabilities. Accessibility Design principles emphasize factors such as perceivability, operability, and robustness to ensure that designs are accessible to people with diverse needs and abilities.	– When designing digital interfaces, applications, or physical spaces, incorporating Accessibility Design principles can ensure that designs are inclusive and comply with accessibility standards and regulations.
Sustainable Design Principles	– Sustainable Design, also known as Green Design, aims to minimize the environmental impact of products, services, and systems throughout their lifecycle. Sustainable Design principles focus on factors such as resource efficiency, material selection, and waste reduction to create environmentally friendly designs.	– When designing products, buildings, or systems, following Sustainable Design principles can help minimize environmental impact, conserve resources, and promote sustainability throughout the design process.
Visual Hierarchy Principles	– Visual Hierarchy refers to the arrangement and organization of visual elements in a design to guide users’ attention and convey the relative importance of information. Visual Hierarchy principles involve factors such as size, color, contrast, and typography to create clear and effective visual communication.	– When designing interfaces, layouts, or graphics, applying Visual Hierarchy principles can help prioritize content, improve readability, and guide users’ attention to key elements or actions within a design.