Design day two: Design your Idea!

As you can see this is the second part of three day design lesson.

In first part I was talking about an Idea of design. In this part I’m gonna give you a few tips on how will

you turn that idea into a computer, some program (most likely Photoshop).

Now let’s start with Design day two - Design your idea.

You’ve probably noticed that I’m gonna talk about graphic design in this article.

What do you have to do now?

You have to turn your idea into a layout in some graphic program.

I prefer Adobe Photoshop.

So start off by opening your program. Make a new document.

I suggest you to do layouts with 800 x 600 or less pixels.

Why is that?

Because it will fits in everybody’s resolution. There is still some users that are using 1024 x 768 or even 800 x 600.

You’re making a layout, design for whole world not just for yourself. Am I right? Off course I am.

Now when you’ve made your new document all you see is a white clean space with nothing on it. That’s why I told you to draw your design on your paper.

Oh, yes, I won’t guide you how to make yourself an layout design in Photoshop, I’ll just give you a few tips of graphic layout design.

I’ll try to make things easier for you.

If you want detailed step by step guide check out my Photoshop Tutorials.

Some important things in  layout design:

• The point of your layout design is to make a good design. Not just to put pictures here and there, text here and there.
  
  You should use your graphic the best way you can, not just make it to look like an only part of your site.
  
  You have to leave space for content. That space must be clearly visible at visitors first sight.

• Do not let graphic elements to push your content outside of an visitors first eyeview.
  
  Do not make them wide and big. Simple things are way better then some complicated bunch of useless graphic.
  
  Sometimes “Less is more”. That’s how things work.

• When you got your idea you’ve probably imagined which colors you will use.
  
  Now it’s time to play with them. Try a couple of colour schemes.
  
  And yes, I won’t tell you what colors should you use. You have to decide it by yourself.
  
  Use simple colors, no high contrasting, and the most important is that your content text must be readable.
  
  I really hate when I see blue text on red or green background. High contrast is a big no no.

• Optimize your pictures when you’re saving them. Try to make them as smaller as you can (I’m talking about kB not about pixels).
  
  It’s just not good to make your site loads long. You will lose a lot of visitors.
  
  OK, let me tell you once again, a bit simpler, try to make your site to load as fast as you can, but do not loose on quality of your design.

• Get inspired by others. That’s an habit that a lot of designers have. That’s OK, as long as you don’t copy their stuff.
  
  You can get inspired by some other layout, but don’t copy it. You will loose your reputation.
  
  You will get a stain that will follow you always.

• Experiment. Last and important. You won’t improve yourself if you don’t experiment.
  
  Use this, use that tool, make this make that. Just experiment. As long as you have patience to experiment and practice there is no fear that you’ll become a good designer.

I didn’t told you anything about the tools in graphic design programs. I just  gave a few tips that will make your designing trip easier.

You can learn about the tools all over the Internet, even at my Photoshop Tutorials section.

But don’t worry.

Go step by step, practice and only sky is your limit.

OK, second part is over, huh, I’m getting sleepy. It’s late…Good night.

(http://www.tutorials007.com)