Seven Rules for Creating a Simple Design

1. Set One Goal Per Page

The first step in creating a basic design is to establish a project objective and certain goals for each page of the website. Except for the navigation and footer, each page should direct users to one action.

A landing page is a website dedicated to one action or conversion. It might be anything from clicking a link, entering information on a form, watching a video, or playing a game. Every page, however, should focus on only one user action or conversion.

Users can become overwhelmed if there are too many things to do. They may lose sight of which activities should be done and perhaps make the less desirable option. Make sure that each page leads visitors to a single objective.

The consistency in the actions these buttons perform on the same page should be identical. This consistency aids users in determining why they are at your site and what they are supposed to do; the simplicity of those options makes the design easy to understand.

2. Stick to Two Type Families

There are a lot of design principles that suggest using three typefaces for a project. You may even simplify it further by using two strong type families.

Look for a type family with many weight options and ample contrast between the normal and bold or black choices. For an extra pop of personality, pick a display option with a few alternate characters you can use in enormous headlines.

All that remains is to mix and match from a body typeface and a display typeface to create superb designs with lettering. Use two type families much as you would if you had more choices for certain weights or styles.

This will give you a highly readable and simple-to-use typography palette that’s easy to maintain, with visual consistency.

3. Use Consistent Alignment

It’s best to stick to the same alignment throughout a design, whether it be left, center, or right; whatever position you choose, maintain it. Aligning like things, such as text boxes and components that aren’t alike but work together in groups, is included here.

The text on the homepage slider in Adaptive is particularly effective at accomplishing this. Despite the fact that the images have different numbers of lines of text, each headline aligns precisely with the call to action button. Elements are also well-spaced.

Finally, because the rest of the page’s headline and call to action (CTA) pairings are in sync, so is its scroll.

The alignment is in line with the slider’s flow, which also moves in a parallel direction. The most frequent text element alignments are left and center, since they are the most legible. Left alignment is ideal for longer text.

4. Establish Hierarchy

Users should not need to consider what to look at or how to traverse a design. Even the most basic visual combinations should have a clear hierarchy.

The first impression is made with a striking visual. It might be an image, video, text display, or anything else that will make a strong first impression.

Then there should be some sort of text that explains to the user what the design and website are trying to communicate. This is generally done in the form of a simple tagline that complements the primary visual.

The fourth component is a secondary text or action for users to complete. The final visual element is a navigation menu. Users are accustomed to finding all of these components, and their eyes are trained to scan them in roughly this order. Make it simple for them by following these steps.

5. Give Elements Plenty of Space

If you haven’t already learned it, keep this in mind: White space is your friend.

Make sure each element has adequate area. Space will assist direct attention to distinct elements while also taking up “space” so you don’t feel compelled to fill the canvas and help create a coherent design.

The key to making effective use of space is consistency. Make provisions for the amount of room that will surround particular components or fit between words in the text. If your design looks too empty, you may need to back off on spacing a bit. When you open the design fresh and go straight to the locations where users are likely to look first, you may notice right away that there isn’t enough breathing room.

6. Amp Up Contrast

Even in the most basic of designs, a project’s high-contrast design features, from color choices to element sizes, may provide just the right amount of visual polish.

For a trendy alternative, choose a vibrant contrasting color scheme to pique user interest. A bright color scheme will make a basic design seem more complicated and intriguing than a black and white one.

To make the most of contrasting hues, choose colors from opposing sides of the color circle with similar saturations. If that option is too overwhelming for you, consider other color wheel-based combinations.

7. Use Consistent Icons and Elements

Design consistency is one of the most (and least) recognized secrets in design. It’s one of those things that gets neglected way too often when websites are adorned with a slew of button forms or social media icons that don’t match the rest of the site’s iconography.

User interface components should not be an afterthought.

It’s critical to have an icon and interface component set, as well as rules, in place from the start.

Choose a color for elements, use the same hover action or effect for each (one for clickable components and another for non-clickable ones), and size elements proportionately to their usage.

Conclusion

A basic design need not be entirely uninteresting. A simple design is one that is highly usable and clear, allowing users to interact without hesitation or complicated directions.

The KISS approach can help you create a more user-friendly website. Most website designs may benefit from the KISS method, even if they are more complex. Don’t overthink it, users won’t have to either.