Fear of Bad Digital Design: 

How to Use {CARP} Basic Design Principles

Alyssa Puhacz

If you’re the type that gets nervous upon starting a creative project because you just don’t know where to begin, you’re not alone. Maybe you don’t feel like you have the artistic knack, and even dread interior design in your living space. You know what looks great, but you’re not sure how to bring elements together to achieve the style you love.

I have never considered myself an artistic person. Art was always my least favorite class in school, and I feel like kids produce better artwork than I could ever think up. So, how can those with a fear of design jump into a creative web project? CARP is a great place to start. With CARP you have very easy to follow principles that will guide you in designing presentations, websites, and even synchronous meetings.

CONTRAST

Contrast can really help your audience understand what’s important, whether they’re live or those who will visit your site over time. You can use contrast by way of highlighting, enlarging or stacking important information. In terms of photography, contrast can be used to draw attention to unlike things that mesh together. This idea should be implemented in your web content. You can contrast with complementary colors (refer to a color wheel), text, and images. 

ALIGNMENT

Think of how the creators of Microsoft Word carefully planned for us all to easily type out and read documents. Similarly, you will need proper alignment for your digital elements throughout your presentation or website. You want your design to flow while your audience is viewing it.

REPETITION 

Randomness is not the way to go with your project, unless it’s intended. Keeping your font, colors, and design repetitive, is key. Stick with the same ‘header’ for all of your pages. Follow the same color scheme you use throughout your entire digital presentation. If you’re implementing an element like a hexagon in your presentation, use hexagons all the way through, without throwing in a circular element.

PROXIMITY

Proximity involves grouping your important items in a visually pleasing way, bringing all the design principles together. You don’t need to fill your entire page or website with content in every corner, as this can be overwhelming to the eye. Ensure that you have your elements connected and grouped together accordingly. 

Even with these guiding principles, it can be intimidating to start a new digital project. So, my advice is to utilize awesome design sites that specialize in user-ease. Stick with the templates and don’t veer from their settings too much. Having worked for Prezi.com, I know how much the designers put into creating easy-to-use outlines and styles. If you do utilize sites like Prezi, Wix, and Yola, you’ll see CARP in the bones of their templates and layouts, helping you on your way to design success and harmony!