But ones that are very powerful in creating successful designs. Many of these ideas apply from anything to painting to architecture to sketching. The cool thing about these tricks is that they are easy to do, and you don't need to be an artist to understand or implement them.

Power of the Odd
Odd numbers are great to use whenever possible. Even numbers are boring and predictable, so try to avoid them if possible, unless using them for a direct purpose (such as comparing elements). What do I mean? Well, check out Infopop.com. I have used ONE powerful image, FIVE bubble arrows and THREE content blocks. Odd numbers just seem to fit better together. Also, try cropping photographs with odd numbers of people, they tend to look a lot nicer.

Symmetry
Symmetry is an important element, too. I find it's better to avoid using symmetrical page layouts for two reasons. One, your eye competes over where to go to , because each area is the same. Two, lack of movement. Without elements of variable sizes, your eyes do not travel as well through the info. Take a look at Infopop.com. The main content block is biggest, your eye should read that first, then the features second, then news.

Emphasizing the Necessary
This is a big one. I see people all the time, especially on the web, trying to emphasize absolutely everything on the page. Every color is bold, text is bolded everywhere, things are flashing in your face, what a nightmare! The way I think about a page is this: A page needs to flow like a good story or a piece of music. You have powerful, dramatic elements and softer, weaker ones. The trick is deciding which should be which. I always make a list of every graphical element and every text element planned for the page on paper, or just in my head. Then I think which of these has the highest priority, or which element is most useful to the user, then you can easily emphasize what's at the top of the list and work your way down.

I hope this has helped anyone who struggles with design, or just wants to know more about it. I am by no means the all-knowing authority, so don't take what I say as commandments, but I feel I have a pretty good understanding about my job, so if it helps you, great, if not, hey, eat drink and be merry, cuz life is good!

Whack-fa-la-de-rab!

Power of Odd - okay now the researcher in me is going to seek some background on that one But, I agree "pairing" is easier to learn and therefore recall from memory. It's more familiar to us. Odd challenges the brain which is processing the visual input.

Symmetry - Ah yes, I term this as variability, a subject I studied in graduate school visa human performance and product design. Our human systems thrive on some variability, it challenges us, it helps us adapt to our environments and manage stress more efficiently.

I think given the symmetry of many websites, elements of asymmetry are valuable to enhancing user experience. Though pay attention to breaking certain aspects of users'trained web experience (cumulative web experience) can create user dissatisfaction. An example, logos, most web users now expect them in upper left hand corner of a website; search in the upper half of a website; things like that have become patterns primarily because of learned behaviors resulting from consistent web designs. (and other human factors issues as well).

I know there would be some debate on where to apply symmetry or not from other designers and the usability folk; and likely users as well.

Emphasizing the necessary - excellent tip

Having seen much of your design work, Judd, you have a great talent and apply these well:)

Judd roolz! I'm pretty sure that the logo up top was borrowed from newspapers. The blueprint for web pages was print media, and the some of that schema has carried right on through. Even "jump" stories in newspapers and magazines are the precursor to html jumps. The net of course gives the whole process more KA-POW!

Craig

Craig Liebendorfer
Infopop™ Support Enthusiast
I am here to you.

Amen Craig! I always sound like an old foggie (how does one spell that?) when I bring up "print standards that web designers and developers feel they invented" so I won't ;-)

...and don't even get me started on Jakob Neilson - or Celeste and I will have to "take it outside" ;-) It's all in good fun tho.

The power of odd is actually used in Feng Shui. Not that I am a big Feng Shui expert, but and odd number of say candles is easier to arrange than 2. Sometimes with 2 or 4 it's hard to get the arrangement correct. The same is true for flowers. If you put 2 or 4 tulips in a vase, it wont look as nice as say 3 or 5 or even just one. In my opinion the power of odd is more natural and flowing than trying to make everything even, riged and contrived.

Totally! Hey - there are 5 tulips in a vase at my home - and 3 pots of kitty grass in front of the fireplace on the floor...Even IKEA knows the power of odd. The sold the pots in packs of 3!

Usually you want to arrange things in triangles. Triangular shapes increase the effect and help to keep the users eyes moving naturally (Without being annoying or making them really realize it).

At least that is what my high school art teacher told us.

Jonmark Weber
Technology Group
Infopop Corporation