3 Common Design Elements to Avoid

It’s easy to get carried away with web design. Especially if you’re working on one of your first projects. Because of this, we wanted to give you a quick guide that you can always to refer back to. This is just a small list of design elements that are frequently used but should generally be avoided. As always, use your best judgement as this is your website and project. What works for some may not be the best for others. Web design is an art and therefor has no true parameters.

online-942410_960_720

  1. Don’t over-do graphics. 
    Know what is appropriate. Graphics absolutely do add to a website and they are very necessary. Without the use of graphics, websites would be very dull, making it difficult to catch your audience’s attention. However, there is a limit to how many graphics are used. Keep it to somewhere around 2-3 visible graphics at all times. Anything more than this is likely clutter. Of course, as mentioned above, use your best judgement on this as rule is not set in stone. Just keep in mind that simple is often far better than clutter.
  2. Stay away from over-using capitalization and italics.
    This may seem like a small point, but in actuality, it really matters. Italics and capital letters are used to get a point across and grab the reader’s attention. However, if either of these tools are overused, your point does not get made the way you intended it to. You want to keep it to a minimum so that there is substance to these tactics when used.
  3. Don’t add anything unnecessary.
    As discussed in our post on “4 Keys to Successful Web Design,”, the most important part of your website is the content and information you provide. It’s this information that people visit your page for in the first place. You want to make sure everything on your page has a specific purpose. If someone were to ask you why you have a specific quote or photo on your homepage, you should be able to explain exactly why to them with no trouble. the most user-friendly websites are those that are clean and simple.

Keep these few tips in mind as you continue creating or conceptualizing web designs. And feel free to subscribe to our blog to stay up to date on our latest posts and pieces.