There are 5 primary principles of effective web design. All five concepts are essential to excellence, thus it is rare to see them used individually. Rather each one must be woven through the others like the threads of a fine tapestry.
Because a basic understanding of these concepts is fundamental to the most successful web design, I do not wish to rush through this content. I am crafting this sequence with special care and spreading the lesson over five parts.
This is part 2: Repetition
Repetition strengthens web design by stringing together separate elements on the page and cementing an association between them.
Another word for repetition is consistency. By reiterating the best elements from an already solid web design, you are gilding each page with an instantly familiar identity. This repetition across the pages provides your web design with unity and makes it clear to visitors that they are still on the same site, regardless of what page they are on.
Whenever a visitor clicks a link, they must be able to recognize the new landing page as belonging to the same site without ever approaching having to think twice.
You can find this method of repetition everywhere in print media; magazines, newspapers, and television all pay tremendous attention to achieving and then maintaining a recognizable style. Thumb through any magazine and you’re sure to happen upon the same thing – the longer you search, the more uniformity your eyes will find.
Whether it’s page layout, fonts, writing style, use of color, titles, headers, lines, images, etc. All of these disparate design elements coalesce to provide a single purpose: recognition.
In web design, repetition is the major factor in the unification of multiple page websites. Whenever a visitor is navigating through a website, thickened by multiple pages, they should be able to jump around without ever growing confused. They should be able to see the consistent use of grid, type style, font size, color, etc. as evidence that though they may have left the home page, they are indeed still at home.
Repetition can also be used to design new elements such as graphic patterns, though designers should be wary of their designs becoming too overwhelming. It is important for things to blend seamlessly. Subtle contrast is fine, but if your disparity is too opposing, then your design will imbue the website with an unfriendly feeling.
Employing intelligent repetition has many advantages. If you are designing a website using repetition in the proper manner, then you are building a skeleton that others can then easily add to. You won’t have to stress over the details such as individual page layout or navigation as you have created the scaffolding that will render it easier for others to build upon with their own brick and mortar.
In part three of the series, “The 5 Primary Principles of Potent Web Design,” we’ll explore Contrast and the most effective way to create emphasis and impact with your design.
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