Good Design in Action

Now that we have knowledge of the elements and principles of visual design, let’s see how they are in action! We’ll take a look at some Habi-made designs and know how they are applied to make a good design.

Habi Logo

Let’s first start with an easy one. Can you identify what design principle is most obvious in the Habi Logo?

If you’re thinking of a pattern, you’re right! The strategic use of repeating triangles with a similar color palette to form the letter h-a-b-i is a straightforward exemplar of pattern in design. This repetition of style also provides unity among the letters.
Did you also notice that the patterns in and the proportion of the text provide emphasis on the word Habi?

Habi Portfolio

Have you ever wondered how it’s possible that among all the elements in this design, you automatically read the phrase “Let’s grow together” the moment you saw it? Newsflash: that’s just the design principles in action!

This was made possible by the use of colors to create contrast, emphasis, and unity in the design. The application of contrasting colors inevitably allows your mind to group similar-colored text together and directs your eyes to the text with the most prominent color, which is red.

Habi Plus

You may think that this is a simple design, but it’s packed with lots of design principles in it!

Did you see the sensible application of contrast in the icon colors? The contrast makes the foreground elements pop from the background. Also, did you see the use of a hierarchy of the text and how it influences the movement of your focus from the title, to the subheading, to the Habi plus logo? Other than that, did you feel the harmony among all the elements because of the repeated use of colors and shapes?

Isn’t it nice to see how design principles can be applied even to simple designs like this?

Habi Folks Illustration

Let’s proceed to the next example and unpack what principles are evident in this design. One principle that can be perceived here is proportion – the size of a graphical element in the illustration relative to another, signaling the importance of an element. If we will apply this principle to the illustration, this means that the woman raising her hands at the center is the most important element given its size as compared to that of the others.

Aside from proportion, unity is also noticeable in this design. Although there is a variety of elements and there are spaces in between them, one can still perceive the illustration as a whole because of the use of similar colors, drawing styles, and textures.

Habi Poster

What principles do you see in this design? This poster exemplifies good use of balance,  hierarchy, movement, and white space in the design.

The placement of the title and key visual achieves what we call asymmetrical balance – although there are two different elements placed on both sides poster, the composition still looks complete and sensible.

Another design principle that is evident in this poster is a hierarchy. The varying font sizes and styles depict the importance or value of each piece of information in the design. This principle also directs the movement or the path the consumer takes through in viewing the design. 
Lastly, the white space greatly contributes to the function of the aforementioned principles as it gives the consumer’s eyes a place to rest, and allows one to focus on the important details in the design.