Everything you need to know to create professional websites. From fundamental principles to advanced techniques used by experienced designers.
Before you open Figma or any other design tool, you need to understand the four fundamental principles that underpin any good design. These principles were formulated by Robin Williams in the book "The Non-Designer's Design Book" and are just as relevant today as they were 30 years ago.
Contrast creates visual hierarchy and makes design interesting. If two elements are not identical, make them very different. Don't be timid - weak contrast looks like a mistake, not a design choice.
Contrast can be achieved through:
Practical example: On a call-to-action button, don't use gray on gray. Use a vibrant background (orange, blue) with white text. The button needs to "pop" from the page.
Every element on the page must have a visual connection to another element. Nothing should be placed arbitrarily. Alignment creates order and professionalism.
The golden rule: choose one type of alignment and stick to it. If text is left-aligned, all text should be left-aligned. Centering is okay for short titles, but avoid long centered paragraphs - they're hard to read.
Common mistake: Many sites have the logo aligned left, the menu centered, and the contact button on the right, with no visual logic. The result? Disorder.
Repeat visual elements throughout the design: colors, fonts, button styles, spacing. Repetition creates coherence and makes the site look "finished", professional.
This means if you've decided that primary buttons are blue with rounded corners, all primary buttons should look the same. If titles are in Montserrat Bold, all titles should be in Montserrat Bold.
This is where Design Systems come from: Large companies have design systems precisely to ensure repetition and consistency across all pages and products.
Elements that are conceptually related should also be visually close. Grouping creates organization and reduces visual clutter.
If you have a form with fields, the label should be closer to its field than to the previous field. If you have a section with a title, description, and button, these should be visually grouped, with more space from the next section.
Practical rule: The space between grouped elements should be 2-3 times smaller than the space between different groups.
Colors aren't just aesthetic - they communicate, create emotions, and influence user behavior. A well-chosen color palette can make the difference between a site that converts and one that people abandon.
Each color evokes certain emotions and associations. Here's what the main colors convey:
An effective web palette usually has 5-6 colors:
There are several mathematical approaches to creating harmonious schemes:
Monochromatic: One color in different shades. Safe, elegant, but can be boring.
Complementary: Two opposite colors on the color wheel (blue-orange). Dynamic, contrasting.
Analogous: Neighboring colors on the wheel (blue, blue-green, green). Harmonious, calm.
Triadic: Three colors at equal distances on the wheel. Vibrant, but hard to balance.
It's not enough to look good - colors must also be accessible. WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) requires a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
Use tools like WebAIM Contrast Checker to verify. Light gray text on white background may look elegant, but if people can't read it, it serves no one.
Typography represents 90% of web design. Seriously. Think about it: what does a site do? It presents information. And information is mainly text. If typography is wrong, the whole site suffers.
For most sites, you need a maximum of two fonts:
Safe combinations that work:
Hierarchy helps users understand the relative importance of information. It's created through:
A good typographic scale for web:
Line height (the space between lines) makes the difference between readable and suffocating text:
Letter spacing: Large headings can benefit from slight negative letter-spacing (-0.02em). Caps lock text needs positive letter-spacing (0.05-0.1em).
Lines that are too long are tiring. Lines that are too short interrupt rhythm. Ideal: 45-75 characters per line, with 66 being considered optimal.
For a text column, this usually means max-width: 650-750px.
Layout determines how elements are arranged on the page. A good layout guides the user's eye naturally, without conscious effort.
The grid is the invisible skeleton of the page. The most popular is the 12-column grid because 12 divides nicely: 2, 3, 4, 6.
A typical desktop layout:
White space isn't "empty space" - it's a design element. It gives elements room to breathe, reduces cognitive load, and makes content easier to process.
Rules for space:
F-Pattern: Users scan the page in an F shape - they read the first line, go down and partially read the second line, then scan down the left edge. Perfect for text-heavy pages.
Z-Pattern: On simpler pages (landing pages), the eye follows a Z - top left, top right, goes down diagonally, bottom left, bottom right. Place important elements on this trajectory.
The visible area without scrolling ("above the fold") is the most valuable real estate on the site. It should contain:
This doesn't mean everything should be crammed at the top - just that the main message should be clear in the first seconds.
Over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. If your site doesn't look good on phone, you're losing most potential customers.
Mobile-first means designing first for the smallest screen, then adding complexity for larger screens. Why?
Breakpoints define where the layout changes:
Fluid grids: Use percentages or fr units instead of fixed pixels.
Responsive images: Use srcset to serve different sized images. A 2000px image on mobile is a waste of bandwidth.
Fluid typography: clamp() allows fonts that scale smoothly between sizes: font-size: clamp(1rem, 2.5vw, 2rem)
User Experience (UX) is about how the user feels when interacting with the site. A beautiful design that's hard to use is a failed design.
Hick's Law: The more options there are, the longer the decision takes. Reduce options. A menu with 5 items is better than one with 15.
Fitts's Law: The time to reach a target depends on distance and size. Important buttons should be large and easily accessible.
Von Restorff Effect: Elements that stand out are easier to remember. A single colored button in a page of text is more visible than 5 colored buttons.
Jakob's Law: Users spend most of their time on OTHER sites. Respect conventions - logo top left, menu right, footer bottom.
Every click, every field to fill, every second of waiting is friction that can make the user leave.
People don't buy from sites they don't trust. How to build credibility:
Images can make or break a design. A high-quality photograph can instantly communicate what words cannot. But poorly chosen or optimized images can slow down the site and ruin the experience.
Images are often the biggest "cost" of a web page. Optimization is crucial:
Authentic > Generic stock: A real photo of your team is more powerful than a stock image with smiling people in suits.
Relevant > Beautiful: The image should support the message, not just look good. If it doesn't add value, don't use it.
Stylistically consistent: All images on the site should have a similar style - either all photos or all illustrations, with a consistent color palette.
Video increases engagement, but comes with challenges:
Micro-interactions are those small animations and feedback that make a site feel "alive". A button that changes color on hover, an icon that rotates when loading, a message that appears smoothly - all these improve the experience.
Hover states: Buttons, links, cards that react to hover
Focus states: Visual feedback when an element is focused (crucial for accessibility)
Loading indicators: Spinners, skeleton screens, progress bars
Page transitions: Fade in/out, slide between pages
Scroll animations: Elements that appear as you scroll
Form feedback: Real-time validation, success/error states
Easing controls the acceleration of the animation:
A Design System is a collection of reusable components, guidelines, and standards that ensure consistency across the product. For larger sites or teams, it's essential.
Tokens are design variables that can change throughout the system:
If you want to change the primary color, you change it in one place and it updates everywhere.
The "Atomic Design" methodology divides components into levels:
A site that looks beautiful but doesn't convert is just art - not business. Design must serve business objectives. Conversion-centered design puts the user and business goals at the center.
1. One goal per page: Each page should have a single main CTA. If you want them to buy AND sign up for the newsletter AND follow you on social media, the user will do nothing.
2. Clear visual hierarchy: The eye should be guided naturally: headline → benefits → CTA. Nothing should distract from this flow.
3. Reduce options: The paradox of choice - too many options paralyze. Offer 2-3 options, not 10.
4. Eliminate distractions: On landing pages, remove navigation menu, sidebars, external links. Everything that doesn't serve the main objective must disappear.
The CTA (Call-to-Action) is the most important button on the page. How to optimize it:
Don't guess what works - test. Elements to test:
Web design is constantly evolving. Here are the trends defining 2025 and how to apply them without becoming a victim of passing fashion.
Inspired by Apple dashboards, the Bento layout uses asymmetric grids with cards of varying sizes. Creates visual interest and clear information organization.
Translucent elements with background blur, creating a "frosted glass" effect. Elegant when used subtly, but don't overdo it - it can affect performance and readability.
More and more sites offer native dark mode or even have it as default. Reduces eye strain and looks modern. Important: design for both modes from the start.
Huge titles (100px+) that make a statement. Works for strong branding, but watch responsiveness - large text becomes problematic on mobile.
Stylized illustrations instead of stock photos. Blobs, gradient meshes, organic shapes. Creates personality and differentiation from competitors.
Cursor effects, scroll-triggered animations, subtle parallax. Done well, they add refinement. Done poorly, they distract and slow down.
Designs that adapt in real-time based on the user - images, copy, layout. The technology exists, but implementation is still in early stages.
"Green" design - optimization for reduced energy consumption (dark mode, optimized images, efficient code). Some hosting providers already offer carbon-neutral hosting.
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Color palette generator. Lock the colors you like and generate combinations.
Free web font library. Over 1500 font families, easy to integrate.
Inspiration from professional designers. See what's trending and what works.
Check color contrast for accessibility. WCAG compliant.
Visualize the site on multiple devices simultaneously. Perfect for responsive testing.
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