I’m not an expert, but…
… I might still be able to say a thing or two about the design styles I like.
As I try to acquire some visual design principles, vocabulary and hopefully instincts, I’m tasked to give my opinion, using the appropriate language of design (balance, patterns, symmetry and whatnot) on some apps or sites of my choice and list the reasons why I find them appealing.
So, here we go.
Airbnb
My idea of style. And pure escapism.
Three Is a Magic Number, the Furies, The Holy Trinity, etc. The number THREE works: it has symmetry and balance.
A few reasons why I like this site:
- The home page shows a balanced three-section structure at the top. The tone is set by the three search boxes at the top. It’s a pattern that’s repeated further down
- Bold title containing something that might stem directly from a mission statement in a lot of negative space = clear your mind and start planning your get-away
- Nice calming pastel colours. The pink is another signature colour, immediately associated to the app
- Colours and rounded shapes, lack of sharp edges, seem to say ‘this is a holiday site, wind down, take a break, relax’
Shinola
Another clean, minimalist, almost Scandinavian website. All the attention is drawn to the product.
- The overall feel is natural, minimal and crisp; black text in stark, elegant contrast with the white background
- The photos are big and professionally made. There’s no distraction around the product. The backgrounds themselves are negative spaces in shades of grey or some neutral colour
- In each product category there’s some vertical balance with a big opening statement on a photo followed by a card for each product in non-aligned, slightly random positions, and another big photo to restore order
- Black (text) and white (spaces) are the main colours of whatever is not contained in a photo
Poncho
And now for something completely different…
Poncho has got nothing to do with the previous two sites, but I like it nonetheless.
- Is this Material Design Lite?
- The design includes very bold and mostly clashing colours and a lot of them. Negative space is still full of colour.
- No realism, the shapes in use are simple and flat, no 3D. However…
- … the shades do give an indication of different levels and a sensation of depth of field
- Buttons, though, are on the same level as the background, only recognisable by shape, a clashing colour and the magic word therein enclosed
- It might work well for kids, but I can see how this design can be irritating
