10 Visual Design Tips
by Connie Malamed@elearningcoach
INTRO YOU DON’T NEED TO BE AN ARTIST TO BE EFFECTIVE AT VISUAL DESIGN.
©Connie Malamed, 2015
INTROVISUAL DESIGN AND ART ARE TWO DIFFERENT CRAFTS. Design has a utilitarian purpose and art is an end in itself. So, learn the basic principles of design, pay attention to design in the world around you and keep practicing. You will improve!
LAYOUTTwo ways to organize the elements of a slide are in a symmetrical layout and an asymmetrical one. A symmetrical design is stable and static. An asymmetrical design is dynamic. Choose the one that fits the tone you want to project.
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Cut out people courtesy of eLearning Art.
IMAGES—TRY SILHOUETTESConsider using silhouettes for some of your imagery needs. Silhouettes are subtle and suggestive. They add a gentle visual element without being too distracting from the instructional message. And they can be any color.
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Do all that you can to make new hiresfeel welcome on their first day.
Onboarding
Example of using a silhouette in an Onboarding course to express “Welcome.”
WORKING WITH ONE TYPEFACEIf you’re not sure how to combine fonts then just use one. Find a legible font family with a personality that matches your content and audience. Then make sure it has the styles and symbols you need.
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Roboto RomanRoboto ItalicRoboto MediumRoboto Bold
Roboto BlackRoboto LightRoboto CondensedRoboto Condensed Light
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Palette generated from the photo using Adobe Kuler.
Use a consistent color palette throughout a course. You can generate one from a sample photograph that has a pleasing set of colors. One of several palette generators is Adobe Kuler. You upload the image and it will generate a palette.
COLOR PALETTE
CREATE A VISUAL HIERARCHYThe visual hierarchy establishes the order in which a person views the elements of a slide. The most important element(s) should be the dominant ones. Use size or brightness or a position at the top to create dominance over the other elements.
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Sample learning portal menu shows how bright colorsdominate the other elements.
UNIFY WITH REPETITIONA unified design supports learning. A certain level of similarity can reduce cognitive effort because learners know what to expect. You can create unity by re-using layouts and by repeating elements, such as shapes, as shown below.
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The repetition of shapes and colors creates a unified design.
7You can use the visual language of contrast to create meaning. By contrasting the size, color or shape of elements, you create emphasis. This shows what is most important and helps to create a visual hierarchy.
USE CONTRAST FOR EMPHASIS
Contrast in size and color emphasizesthe main character in this scenario.
Group related elements together to help learners perceive relationships quickly and efficiently. For example, in this drag-and-drop exercise, the drag objects are in one group (bottom right) and the target objects are in another group (upper right).
8 GROUP FOR MEANING
Grouping similar elements makes it easier to understand the exercise.
Provide your audience with visual cues to control where they look. For example, people typically follow someone else’s eye gaze. Therefore, you can use a photo of a person looking up, to direct the eyes to something important, like a definition.
9 EYE GAZE DIRECTS THE EYES
Eye gaze works like an arrow, pointing to the important text.
10GO BEYOND THE BOXLearners get bored with the same old look. To add flair to your designs, position elements so they break through the borders of a box or other shape. The result is more dynamic.
Cut out person courtesy of eLearning Art.
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