Lala C. Ballatan |
Lala C. Ballatan
is a 26 year-old Communication Arts graduate.
With writing, she felt freedom – to express her viewpoints
and assert it, to bring out all concerns -- imagined and observed,
to bear witness http://www.ucreative.com.
|
Lala C. Ballatan
has written 2 articles for WebKnowHow. |
View all articles by Lala C. Ballatan... |
Are you fond of applying and scrambling old and new design cliches in one helpless web page? Are you one of the thousands not yet enlightened that "too much of a good thing is bad"? Are you too engrossed in improvising other designs and not coming up with your own?
Being a design
dinosaur is a common sickness among designers who tend to be exposed
and awed in latest design cliches coming out and copying
or improvising them to concentrate on making his / her original
design. But this practice isn’t entirely wrong, though. There’s
always some "monkey see, monkey do" in the design world.
Someone comes up with a great logo, Website, package and the next
thing you know, they’re everywhere.
What’s
bothersome in using most design cliches is that it implies
you're not using up your own talents as a designer. In graphic designing,
the ultimate creation to make you cry “Eureka!” may
come upon us on our thirtieth attempt. This moment will happen once
you really challenge and stretch yourself.
Here, we give
you several examples of design cliches which uses seem to
have gotten out of hand:
- Swooshes –
this logo was started by Nike and before we knew it, "swooshes"
were everywhere on the Net. It’s obviously been successful
for Nike. But if your Internet company try to use this swoosh along
with thousands, we can’t guarantee if anyone would remember
you.
- Beveled Anything
– this give depth to the appearance of your graphics and prevent
it to look flat and one dimensional. But avoid excessive beveling
just because Photoshop now makes it easy. Think about the company
you're designing for. What sort of image do they want to portray?
- Ambiguous
Icons – doubtful graphic icons for buttons which are supposed
to lead the user to an important link won’t help you in gaining
attention for your internet company. It would only serve to confuse
users and eventually leave your site. Remember -- if you can't come
up with a graphic that is easily identifiable with where the button
leads to, don't use a graphic — or don't use a graphic with
no text.
Some design
dinosaurs are fond of Flash - fading text and moving text is pretty
been there, done that. This effect can be seen everywhere and it's
a rare occasion when moving text really catches the eye. There are
also those who abuse drop shadows by having it go in different directions.
A drop shadow, indeed gives depth to a page but if you won’t
be so consistent the whole idea is spoiled.
If
you don’t want to be a design dinosaur, don’t be too
dependent on design cliches. The only way to achieve an original
and outstanding design is by thinking about your design and deciding
what’s really best for it. You have to challenge yourself
and stretch your design muscles. Who knows? You might be the next
one to make a design cliche. |