A-Z Popular Blog Design Search »
Design
Simplicable Guide
A-Z
Search
Popular
Sitemap
Advertisements
Related Guides
Design
Key Concepts
Design Concept

Design
Related Topics
Design Methodology

Design Culture

Design Philosophy

45 Principles of Design

 , May 05, 2016 updated on March 11, 2023
Design is the practice of creating things. This is a diverse practice that draws from synthesis, analysis, engineering, culture and art. Design is used to create visual environments, information, interactions, products, services, buildings, infrastructure and technology. The following are common principles of design.
Alignment
Positioning things in a line.
Hierarchy
Arranging things in a hierarchy of importance.
Contrast
Using visual contrast to create emphasis and draw interest.
Ban the Average
Not designing things for the mythical "average person."
Design to the Edges
Design things to be usable for as many people as possible including people with disabilities.
Human Scale
Designs are for humans and consider their characteristics such as how people perceive colors.
Space
Use negative space to make designs less loud and chaotic.
Essential Complexity
Only increase complexity where it adds value.
Minimalism
The philosophical as opposed to rational reduction of complexity.
Flexibility
Designs are broadly usable in as many contexts as possible.
Personality
Create designs that have an identity or feel to them.
Context
Designs consider context of use.
Audience
Consider user needs and perceptions.
More is Different
Complexity can add value .. avoid needless minimalism.
Unity
The elements of a design are arranged such that they look like they belong together.
Variety
Designs need not be homogeneous and can include elements that are distinctive and unique.
Balance
Make both sides of things appear to be in balance.
Repetition
Elements can be repeated to create consistency and unity.
Rhythm
Multiple elements can be repeated in a pattern.
Proportion
Find balance in the relative sizes of things.
Proximity
Group related things close together.
Emphasis
Design may draw attention to one element with techniques such as contrast.
Movement
Consider how the user's attention flows through a design.
Genius Loci
Design things to suit their time and place e.g. not copying historical styles.
Truth to Materials
Materials don't pretend to be something they're not. For example, a plastic phone that pretends to be gold.
Least Astonishment
Things work the way users expect unless there is a very good reason to change this.
Least Effort
Make things easy for the user.
Input is Error
The aggressive minimization of human input whereby having to ask the user is viewed as a failure of automation.
Scale
Design things to seamlessly scale up and down.
Keep it Simple
All else being equal, a simple design beats a complex one.
You Ain't Gonna Need It
Avoid too many functions and features. e.g. obscure gestures that few people use but people might trigger by accident.
Worse is Better
Avoid excessive quality. Designs can be launched and improved over time with user feedback.
Last Responsible Moment
Avoid making design assumptions or decisions too early -- let things evolve a little.
Defensive Design
Brainstorm the edge cases and worst cases and design for them.
Form Follows Function
Functionality drives design and not the other way around.
Modularity
Break things into parts that fit together
Interchangable Parts
Standardize parts for efficiency.
There's More Than One Way To Do IT
There is no perfect design just many good designs.
Learnability
If you have to explain a design feature to the user, it might be too complex or obscure.
Information Scent
Provide clues about how things work.
Attractiveness Principle
Aesthetics are personal .. there is no one design that everyone likes.
Empathy
Get to know the user and learn to feel what they feel to improve a design.
Conviviality
Designs can feel friendly or unfriendly.
Extensibility
Designs adapt well to future change.
Elegance
A design that feels simple, intuitive and appealing that is in fact extremely complex.
It should be noted that many of the design principles above are opposites:
Context calls for considering exactly how a design will be used but flexibility calls for a design that is broadly useful in contexts that you may not be able to imagine.
Minimalism calls for eliminating complexity for philosophical reasons while essential complexity supports making designs complex if there is some need for complexity.
Ban the average calls for designs that are broadly useful for all people while audience calls for designs that are for an identified group such as a target market.

Design

This is the complete list of articles we have written about design.
Adaptability
Aesthetics
Architecture
Balance
Charrette
Color Harmony
Color Temperature
Commercial Art
Complexity
Composition
Concept Design
Context Of Use
Crafts
Critical Design
Customization
Defensive Design
Design
Design Abstraction
Design Business
Design Concept
Design Constraints
Design Culture
Design Debt
Design Failure
Design Fiction
Design Flaw
Design Goals
Design Innovation
Design Management
Design Objectives
Design Philosophy
Design Process
Design Quality
Design Requirements
Design Research
Design Skills
Design Strategy
Design Styles
Design Testing
Design Theory
Design Thinking
Design To Value
Digital Design
Dominance
Edge Case
Elegance
Emergent Design
Emotional Design
Feature Fatigue
Fit For Purpose
Game Design
Gesamtkunstwerk
Graphic Design
Human Factors
Human Scale
Immersive Design
Industrial Design
Information Design
Input Is Error
Interaction Design
Iterative Design
Layout
Less Is A Bore
Less Is More
Lightness
Marketing Design
Minimalism
Modern Design
More Is Different
Moving Parts
Naive Design
Negative Space
New Complexity
No Design
Overengineering
Product Design
Prototypes
Safety By Design
Sensory Design
Service Design
Shape And Form
Silent Design
Slow Design
Space
Speculative Design
Stability
Structure
Style
Sustainable Design
Synthesis
Transition Design
Universal Design
Urban Design
Usability
UX
Variety
Visual Design
If you enjoyed this page, please consider bookmarking Simplicable.
 

Design Thinking

A list of design thinking techniques with examples.

Design Considerations

A list of common design considerations.

Design Business

A list of design businesses.

Design Culture

The definition of design culture with examples.

Design Examples

The common types of design.

Design Methodology

A list of design methodologies.

Design Philosophy

A list of design philosophies.

Design Quality

The common types of design quality.

Design Styles

A list of the foundational design styles.

Design Theory

A list of design theories that are potentially useful.

Information Architecture

A definition of information architecture with examples.

Types Of Design

A list of common types of design.

Universal Design

A definition of universal design with examples.

User Experience Design

A list of ux design techniques.

Design Talent

A list of design talents.
The most popular articles on Simplicable in the past day.

New Articles

Recent posts or updates on Simplicable.
Site Map