In Web Design, the Right Aesthetic Means More than Mere Images
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Online DivisionWhether you're just starting out or are a seasoned professional, you can jump-start your career with an associate's or bachelor's degree from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Online Division.
Request information
by Ellen Foster
Web Design School Review Columnist
How does a professional Web designer choose his or her fonts? The answer often involves more than meets the eye. Web designers must consider the visual impact of text on a local level (a particular Web page), as well as a global level (an entire Web site). While Web aesthetics are subject to debate, sometimes a trained eye can make all the difference to a successful Web design.
Effective Web Design Typography: A Question of Contrast
Squint as you look at your computer screen—it can help emphasize the role contrast plays in Web design. When a Web site’s content is mostly text, typography needs to provide the visual interest of a Web page. The contrast should grab the visitor’s attention. Although it’s sometimes tempting to overuse heavy fonts or boldface, the density can become monotonous. Effective typography tends to achieve a balanced interplay between fonts, blocks of text, and empty space.
Patterning a Web Design
When you squint at your computer screen, you can also see how contrast between text and image or text and background creates a pattern. Maybe you see a checkerboard effect or possibly something more lopsided. Neither is ideal. You want your Web design to be heterogeneous enough to pique visitor interest, but homogeneous enough that the patterns created by typography and background provide visitors with navigational cues.
Reach a New Level with Web Design School
In Web design school you could have a chance to work with industry professionals who’ve made Web typography their life’s work. While it can sometimes be effective to choose font based solely on your intuitive sense of what looks good, you can take your skills to a whole new level when you understand the thought process and aesthetics behind typographic Web design decisions.
Source
About the Author
Ellen Foster is a freelance writer and teacher. She has taught students age 5 to 45.
Posted at 12:24 PM on March 27, 2007
Previous: Teaching and Training: Web Design that Gets the Job Done
Next: Look Both Ways: Web Design School Teaches Designers Two-way Communication
