Paul Kurucz's Visual Tutorials

How to design GREAT looking web pages... a primer for non-professional web page designers

Designing great looking web pages is easy if you follow this simple 4 step process: (1)

1. Contrast	Make sure your pages have good contrast in your choice of colors.
2. Repetition	Repeat elements of your design from page to page.
3. Alignment	Align objects on your web pages.
4. Proximity	Move related information closely together (in close proximity to each other)

Each of these principles are really very simple. Apply them to your web pages and see immediately how your colorful, wacky creations become powerful, clean-looking web pages with clear messages. It's that easy!

Let's look at some simple examples:

1. Contrast	Two pages - one with colors that are too close and one with cleanly contrasting colors
2. Repetition	Elements not repeating themselves on one page and nicely repeating elements on another
3. Alignment	One page with mixed alignment and another with good alignment
4. Proximity	Related information spread around on one page and close together on another

(1) - This 4 step process liberally adapted from "The Non-Designer's Design Book" by Robbin Williams and "The Non-Designer's Web Book", by Robbin Williams and John Tollett. An investment in these books will pay off handsomely in well-designed web pages on your site!

This primer produced by Paul Kurucz, November, 2001. Most recent update: January 2005.