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20 ways of adding visual interest to a layout (including examples). This is part 1 of 3 of a series where I explore creative visual design ideas you can implement in your design project. You can implement these in web design, app design, poster design, marketing design, and more. Brought to you by Creatorfuel.
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This post was inspired by Anthony Hobday.
We’ll look at the following visual ideas:
Backgrounds are essential to visual design because they provide the foundation for all other elements to rest on. Whether it's a crisp, white canvas with minimal design, or a colourful, textured background, they establish the tone and atmosphere of a design. By carefully considering backgrounds, foreground items stand out and grab attention while improving visual hierarchy and information clarity.
A border serves as a visual boundary, guiding the eye and separating elements within a design. They can range from subtle, barely noticeable lines to bold and striking frames that draw attention to specific content. Whether it's a classic elegance or a modern edge, border style, thickness, and color impact the overall look and feel of a design.
Layouts use lines and dividers as both aesthetic embellishments and functional separators. They can be used to create structure, demarcate sections, and direct a viewer's attention. Straight, curved, or dashed lines, as well as decorative dividers, can contribute to visual rhythm and add an extra layer of detail to the composition.
Backgrounds, borders, lines, corners, shadows, text, images, colors, and balance work together like pieces of a puzzle, shaping the look and feel of everything we see. By understanding how each piece contributes to the whole, designers can create engaging and balanced designs that tell stories, evoke emotions, and communicate messages effectively. So, as you embark on your design journey, remember that even the smallest details can make the biggest difference in leaving a memorable impact.
Design tool used: Figma
I’ve learned that no amount of coaching, fancy apps, “creativity hacks & tips” etc, will make up for:
Get these right first.
They are the highest impact things you can do.
Ignoring these is like a student ignoring the fundamental concepts needed to ace an exam and instead focusing on color-coding their notes, using fancy study apps, and organizing their study space with intricate decorations.
Master the basics. Everything else falls into place.
Most nonfiction books should've been 1000-word articles.
I find myself abandoning a lot of books right around the 25-30% mark.
Not because they're bad, but because I fully get the gist by that point and it's right around when the repetition of examples and ideas begins.
I'm okay with abandoning a book midway now. Just a couple years ago, I would power through the whole thing in fear of missing out on some crucial ideas in the later chapters.
Now, I just have fun with it. If it piques my interest, great – I'll buy it, read the chapters that seem interesting, get what I came for and move onto the next one.
I think a lot of these authors are just trying to meet some sort of quota. I dunno.
There's elegance in brevity.
So many of these "gurus" telling us to take cold showers and cold plunges 😂 😂
If you’re tired all the time:
Stick to high-impact basics. These little micro-optimizations aren't going to change anything.
Enjoy your hot showers 🔥🚿
