Strong user interface design has slowly improved over the years as designers have become more familiar with design and development tools. Competition is very strong today due to so many designers providing quality design at affordable prices. Design is being increasingly recognized as an essential element for businesses looking to step up their web site presence or redesign their brand identity.

1. Concepts and sketching:

Begin with a concept and your design will have a stronger message that establishes credibility your customers will value. After you’ve decided on a strong concept, start with rough sketches to explore different design possibilities. Try not to be too exact or careful with your initial sketches. They are meant to be used as a starting point to hone in on the good ideas and weed out the bad.

Once you feel you have explored a sufficient amount of ideas, move on to a few sketches you feel are strong and further refine these to a more polished state. Really begin to focus more on detail and think about what your final product might begin to look like. You still may be working out a few bugs, but it’s time to start committing to solid ideas to begin your compositions.

2. Simple and clean:

Typically a good design is easier and more intuitive to navigate. Clutter on your web site tends to clutter the minds of your users. A clear path to your important content is essential and is what your user is there for. A confusing initial visit may result in a speedy exit from your web site. Be clear and concise about your message and make it obvious where content is located. Successful interface design will have the perfect combination of well designed navigation and content organization.

3. Grid versus free flowing:

Grid based design provides users a predictable site layout for users to learn and find content quickly. For designers, it provides us with a method of organizing content to create systematic layouts for CMS sites, applications, blogs, etc.

Free flowing design is less about columns and more about visual harmony and content flow. Each page may have a unique layout for its content. There may not be an apparent plan or system in place for organizing the content. Many portfolio and showcase sites that are more about presentation than discussion will typically use a free flowing design.

4. Page and space:

There are many ways to avoid rigid and static looking content. Pull quotes are a great way to add emphasis to break up long columns or create an interesting use of type. These can systematically be used in a blog post or a regular content page. Like pull quotes, images can also be used to break up space to add visual rhythm and emphasis to certain areas. A good approach is to use images consistently in two to three places in your template for a more predictable layout.

5. Type and images:

Two of the strongest elements at your fingertips are type and images. Images used properly help balance what may be an initially rigid page design. An offset is used with overlapping page elements to unevenly break up spaces throughout the design. Template headers and footers are good areas for images and can be excellent locations to use these offsetting elements.

Typography is one of the strongest and most difficult ways to create rich design in your layouts. When you have reached your limits with the handful of web-safe fonts, there are many ways to change the look of headers, navigation links, body copy, etc. Since this post is about design, I will not dig into all of the possibilities. Just keep in mind that some methods are more elaborate than others, so work within your capabilities and you will be much happier.

An immediate mood can be established with a well selected font that compliments the content and overall concept of the website. A clean san-serif or fancy serif font can give two completely different personalities to your web site content. Keep in mind that your core design concept should have a substantial influence on your serif vs. san-serif choice and further your selection within these two categories. For example, a more sophisticated casual site could use the fonts Caslon, Baskerville or Georgia. A professional corporate site could use Avant Garde, Franklin Gothic or Avenir. Or a combination of the two can be carefully used in certain situations, but limit the number of fonts you use.

To achieve good rhythm and harmony with your web layouts, use these tips as a guide to get you started. Be smart and make conscious decisions throughout your process. Keep in mind that every decision you make affects your end product. That said, let loose and experiment early with your designs to generate unexpected results that will set you apart from other designers.

There are many methods designers use to achieve success in their web design.

What methods have you mastered along the way as a designer?

Red Web Designs to Inspire You

http://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/50-red-web-designs-to-inspire-you

Beautiful and Very High-Resolution Wallpapers

http://sixrevisions.com/resources/40-beautiful-and-very-high-resolution-wallpapers/

Nuzzles: Wooden Name Puzzles

http://grainedit.com/2010/05/19/nuzzles-wooden-name-puzzles/

40 Excellent Fabric Textures for Your Next Designs

http://www.youthedesigner.com/2010/05/25/40-excellent-fabric-textures-for-your-next-designs/

Beautiful Human Portrait Typography Art Designs

http://www.onextrapixel.com/2010/05/18/35-beautiful-human-portrait-typography-art-designs/

Creative Website Design Showcase for Inspiration

http://blog.karachicorner.com/2010/05/50-creative-website-design-showcase-for-inspiration/

25 Church Websites

http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/church-websites-4/

Beautiful Biz Cards

http://blog.howdesign.com/2010/05/17/BeautifulBizCards.aspx

Letterpress Invitations for Inspiration

http://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/a-showcase-of-letterpress-invitations-for-inspiration

Fresh And Creative Logo Designs for Design Inspiration

http://www.instantshift.com/2010/05/18/55-fresh-and-creative-logo-designs-for-design-inspiration/

Examples of Login Form Designs

http://www.youthedesigner.com/2010/05/14/30-examples-of-login-form-designs/

Contrasting effects of Day and Night Photography

http://www.graphicdesignblog.org/contrasting-day-night-photography/

Minimal and Super Clean Web Designs to Inspire You

http://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/60-minimal-and-super-clean-web-designs-to-inspire-you

I focus mainly on building websites these days, but I haven’t forgotten how important business cards are at representing my business. We do most of our communicating via email, phone, instant message, and social media sites. Think about how unique or almost strange it is when you get a hand written letter or something personally prepared and delivered. Delivering a business card by hand or my mail is almost a novelty today and can be memorable to a client prospect or current clients. Take advantage of the old way of doing business and it might surprise you.

First impression

Nothing can replace that first meeting in person. It’s a habit of mine to hand a client a card at the end of a meeting with hopes that they’ll remember my work or maybe consider a call when they need my services. There is value in putting a face to a name when business opportunities arise.

Paper lasts

Paper lasts for hundreds of years vs. an email that may get deleted or filed to never be seen again. Although email is great, hit prospects up multiple times with printed items to keep you fresh in their mind. A combination of digital and printed items can keep you at the top of a clients mind.

Quick look

An easy reference may be the simplest way to get you work. A couple of page flips or the turn of the card holder for some may be the quickest path for your prospect to make that call. Make it easy and have a card that stands out.

Services

Your business card is a calling card. Have your services or products on your card so that it can be referenced quickly. Your name, phone, and address are good, but take it further and remind your potential clients what you are good at by putting it on your cards.

Website

Your website could be the most viewed or thought of element in your marketing campaign. If you’re not putting your website on your cards, do it now. A website is the closest item to your business card that prospects will see. Display it and be proud.

Networking

While networking, you have a very short window to say who you are and what you do. After 10-15 introductions during a networking session, faces begin to fade and you begin to blend into the background. A well designed business card will leave the lasting impression you are looking to make.

Check out the entire collection here!

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Vintage Posters
http://grainedit.com/2010/01/25/vintage-calendars/

Brent Couchman
http://grainedit.com/2010/01/22/brent-couchman/

20 Fonts Ideal for Big and Powerful Headings
http://webdesignledger.com/freebies/20-fonts-ideal-for-big-and-powerful-headings

30 Creative and Inspiring Blog Designs
http://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/30-creative-and-inspiring-blog-designs

30 Websites with Lovely Layout and Typography
http://www.thedesigncubicle.com/2010/01/30-websites-with-lovely-layout-and-typography/

Color Theory for Designers, Part 1: The Meaning of Color
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/01/28/color-theory-for-designers-part-1-the-meaning-of-color/

I met with two great people this morning over a cup of coffee about a small video we’re working on. Although it was a quick meeting about a very small project, I left feeling energetic and inspired about our what we were going to do and how we were going to make it fun. It was about the ideas and potentials of not only this project, but what it could lead to or generate.

Big projects are great, but we all have to take on the small projects as well that may not have the proper time allowance or budget to work with. This is when the real creativity kicks in. What are you going to do with that logo design that needs to be done the same day. Or the brochure that can only be black and white with no bleeds. What are you kidding me? A $50 banner design due tomorrow? This happens all to often in the design industry since clients are looking to save money and stretch their budgets.

Look past this small project too see what’s next on the horizon. What kind of great project could this lead to? What potentials are there for other work? Don’t be afraid to be generous with your hours from time to time. Good clients will appreciate your short term sacrifice and will reward you with more work in the future. Sometimes a good supply line of work at a slightly lower rate can be in your favor long term.

Be passionate about every project you take on. Big projects and especially the small projects. Bring those small projects to life and give them that extra shine and polish that your clients will love. Make them feel comfortable with you so that when that big project does come along, they’ll think of you first.