If you missed it, we wrote Part III of this series and you can learn all about some key Design Techniques and where to use them right >here<.

This time, let's save some dollars in research and have a look at the top web company's Design Standards.

Design Standards to Set You Apart

The best thing about this section is that if you take these basic design practices into account, you can move your online experience up several notches very quickly. The big wigs have sunk millions of dollars into figuring out the right colors, fonts, layouts, and even animation to see what we as society find attractive, (at least the majority). Plus the kicker is they put this information out for free! I am going to be referring to this article put out by Google, so make sure to scan it and save for some intriguing info later.

• Bold, Graphic, Intentional. It's important to gain the user's attention with typography, colors, scale, and photos to guide the visual flow. They create a meaning when put together and that can be good or bad for you. A great combination makes the user's experience easy and intuitive. A bad combination of these can create disaster. Have a look at some of the ways to use color (here), typography (here), and layout (here) from our good ol' pals at Google. A few of these may seem mobile-oriented (apps and such) and there is a good reason for that. We are using our phones more. However, the core principles remain the same for desktop.
• Motion Provides Meaning. This is an amazing thing with Showit for the desktop websites. With motion, we can infer and imply things that were not previously able to be done with just a good static design. Design can transform as the user interacts with it, and it recaptures the focus of the user when they may start to wander. There are a few caveats to this however, and you should be sure to discover what kind of motion is the best and when to use it. For that check out this in depth guide.

All in all good combinations of colors, typography, and photos all at the proper sizes make many designs stick out from others. Don't be afraid of the space between your elements and make sure to use animations in appropriate chunks. Have you seen a stellar example of one of these design standards? Give a fellow Showiteer a shout out below!

Jason Toevs

Jason Toevs is the owner of 2BlokesDesign, a custom design firm in Kansas. When he isn't playing with his cats, gardening, or chasing the chickens away for his wife Shelbie, he is focused on gathering, testing and exploring the world to help you find the best online experience for your clients. As a Showit Design Partner & Editor for Showiteer.com he loves celebrating with photographers as their websites become more of who they are as they grow & evolve in their business! Meow.