If you’re starting a new business or beginning to market your business at some point you may find yourself being your own design team. Whether you are designing social media graphics or print materials, a couple of guidelines could be useful when you find yourself staring at a blank artboard. Listed below are 7 design mistakes to avoid for non-designers.
Mistake #1: Too Many Fonts
Limit the amount of font used in your design. Too much variation can be distracting and take away from the main point of the text.
Mistake #2: Bad Kerning
The space between your letters is called kerning, overlooking this simple rule could lead to a lot of confusion. Ever seen the vine “Free Sha Vaco dos?”
Mistake #3: Failing the Grid
Using a grid is the simplest way to create order and symmetry in design. Alignment grounds your design. Misalignment can lead to a product that looks messy and disorganized.
Mistake #4: Poor Color Contrast
Not using the correct color contrast in a design could be the difference between an effective design and an ineffective one. Incorrect use could make your design illegible and frustrating for your audience to read.
Mistake #5: Incorrect Hierarchy of Information
Understanding visual hierarchy can also make or break your design. It subtly communicates to the viewer the importance of each element in your design. If you are emphasizing the wrong words you could be sending the wrong message.
Mistake #6: Inappropriate Font Use
Like all other design elements, correctly used fonts communicate a message of their own. For example, there are fonts that communicate elegance or seriousness while others have more silly or lighthearted use.
Mistake #7: Not Enough Negative Space
An informed designer makes use of the white space (negative space) of a design. White space is not necessarily empty space. It is like any other important element, when strategically used it enhances the image. White space gives your other design elements space to communicate effectively.
So fear not the great blank page now that you know what design mistakes to avoid! Follow these guidelines to begin creating clean, effective designs. If you want to take the creative side of your business even further, contact us here at Crossroads! Our team would love to work with you!
Reader Interactions