Design Basics

From the Small Business Growth Strategies Series

Presented by

“Everything is design. Everything!”

- Paul Rand

Design can be the difference between a thriving and

failing business.

Questions to Ask

Who are we speaking to?

What are we trying to communicate?

How do we want our audience to experience what we’re

presenting?

Elements of Design

Balance

In design, balance refers to the equal distribution of visual weight. Proper balance results in an aesthetically pleasing design.

Symmetrical Balance

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Asymmetrical Balance

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Rule of Thirds

With two pairs of imaginary lines, the rule of thirds divides pages into thirds vertically and horizontally, resulting in three rows, three columns, nine sections and four

intersections.

Rule of Thirds

The most important elements of a photograph or image should placed near

one or more of the four intersections highlighted below.

Rule of Thirds

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Visual Center of a Page

The center of a page and the visual center of a page are not the same thing. The visual center of a page happens to be slightly above and to the

right of the actual center of the page.

Visual Center of a Page

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White Space

Also referred to as negative space, white space is the portion of a page that is left

unmarked. White space is actually a bit of a misnomer since the space does not

necessarily need to be white.

White Space

White space can be used for a variety of reasons. It can be used to create a more elegant design, remove clutter or focus

attention on a specific spot.

Google Uses White Space

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Contrast

Contrast is the use of different colors, sizes, fonts and other visual elements to demand and

keep attention. Contrast allows designers to create a visual hierarchy of importance.

Color Contrast

Color is not only the most popular way to demonstrate contrast, but arguably the most

powerful. The three most common ways to use colors together are in a complementary,

analogous or triad fashion.

Complementary Colors

Opposite each other on the color wheel and create the strongest contrast. When mixed

together in the right proportions, they produce either black or white. Blue and yellow, for

example, are complementary colors

Analogous Colors

Adjacent each other on the color wheel. Warm colors could be used next to other warm

colors, or cool colors next to other cool colors. For example, red, orange and yellow are

analogous colors.

Triad Colors

Equally spaced apart on the color wheel and can be used together to create a theme.

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Designers for Hire

99 Designs

List what you need and how much you’re willing to pay and let designers compete for

your business.

Fiverr

Find a broad range of services, including design services, starting at $5 and pay a

freelancer for what you need.

Design Software

Photoshop The most popular image editing software in existence. Manipulate images in a variety of

ways, from simple formatting options to balancing colors and tones.

Biggest downside: it’s expensive

GIMP Open-source piece of image editing software.

Stands for the GNU Image Manipulation Program. In recent years many experts have said

there’s no longer much of a downside to the Photoshop alternative.

Biggest upside: it’s free

Design-Friendly Website Builders

  Like Paul Rand said, design is everything, and it’s everywhere. We encourage you to look for

the design elements we covered in everyday life, use what works best for your business and play around with some of the tools we mentioned.

Conclusion

“We  hope  you  found  this  informa2on  useful.  If  there  are  any  other  topics  

you’d  like  to  see  us  cover,  please  let  us  know.  And  if  taking  this  approach  helps  your  small  business  succeed,  we’d  love  to  hear  about  it.  You  can  reach  us  at  support@acuityscheduling.com!” Acuity Scheduling

@AcuitySchedulin

Acuity Scheduling is an online scheduling platform that saves thousands of small businesses time by allowing their customers to book appointments online, on their own time,

at any time, from anywhere in the world. For more information about services and pricing, visit

AcuityScheduling.com.

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