5 Things That Makes a Good Design Great | Colin Cross (2024)

Design is an incredibly complex subject; what one person loves, another may hate. Like most art, design can be incredibly subjective and it is often difficult for many people to create a design that they are happy with. In other words – there’s no such thing as a “good” design.

However, as specialists in printing in Lancaster, we’d like to dispel this myth. Although many people may have differing views as to whether they like a design or not, it doesn’t necessarily make it a bad one.

So, what do we think makes a good design great?

It Is Successful

The whole purpose of designing something is to get people invested in it. It needs to be able to tantalise, convert and get people talking in order to fulfil its purpose.

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It needs to be completely tailored to the intended audience in order to be able to attract the most attention, as well as be able to convert the person viewing the design to commit and invest in it. This goes for any type of business or product branding, which relies on catching the eye of potential new customers or clients.

It Is Unique

In order to become successful, your design will need to prove it can hold its own in a world full of design work. That means having a strong, unique presence which will make people want to pick your brand over the others in front of them.

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Choose unique colours which match the personality of your brand appropriately and harness the power of visual design; the more attention you can bring to your brand where your audience begin to recognise you, the better!

It Is Consistent

It is especially important that the design that you choose is consistent throughout, no matter what platform or media you will be using it on.

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You want your brand to look cohesive so that it can be easily identified; whether it’s a brochure, business card, or even your company website, it’s important for your target audience to be able to recognise that this product is from your business.

It Can Be Adapted

Although the design has to be consistent so that it can be well recognised of various different platforms or media, it’s also important that it can be adapted to that it fits in with the media or platform it is being used on.

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For example, branding a website is a completely different process with different design requirements than if the design is being placed on a brochure.

You need to strike a balance between adaptability and consistency that advocates recognition of different media platforms.

It Can Stand the Test of Time

Designing with longevity in mind is highly advised, no matter what you are designing. Rather than having to redesign or rebrand every few years, try to go with a design which can be successful with minimal – or even no editing at all over time.

Take a look at brands like Starbucks; their branding has hardly changed a great deal over the years, proving that their design is timeless – making it more recognisable and therefore successful

Design is something which requires a great deal of thought, especially when branding your business. Getting it right first time is a sure fire way to help your business or products become successful, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with our expert designers here at Colin Cross Printers today if you require help with your business branding or design.

5 Things That Makes a Good Design Great | Colin Cross (2024)

FAQs

5 Things That Makes a Good Design Great | Colin Cross? ›

The elements are your tools or raw materials, much like paints are the basics to a painter. The five elements of interior design include space, line, form, color, and texture. The principles of design relate to how you use these elements and are balance, emphasis, rhythm, proportion and scale, and harmony and unity.

What are the 5 elements of design? ›

The elements are your tools or raw materials, much like paints are the basics to a painter. The five elements of interior design include space, line, form, color, and texture. The principles of design relate to how you use these elements and are balance, emphasis, rhythm, proportion and scale, and harmony and unity.

What are the characteristics of a good design? ›

The main qualities of a good design incorporate innovation, functionality, aesthetics, user-friendliness, unobtrusiveness, honesty, durability, attention to detail, environmental consciousness, and simplicity. For products and services, user-friendliness is paramount, ensuring accessibility and intuitive interactions.

What you think makes a design great? ›

Great design is defined by the experience it creates for a user. It is the feeling they get when they are interacting with or thinking about a product or service. But users are individuals, with different thoughts, feelings, and experiences that affect their perceptions and influence their interactions.

How to determine a good design? ›

Here is a brief overview:
  1. Good design is innovative.
  2. Good design makes a product useful.
  3. Good design is aesthetic.
  4. Good design makes a product understandable.
  5. Good design is unobtrusive.
  6. Good design is honest.
  7. Good design is long-lasting.
  8. Good design is thorough down to the last detail.

What are the 5 keys of design? ›

The five stages of design thinking are:
  • Empathize: Understand your users' needs.
  • Define: Identify the needs and problems.
  • Ideate: Develop potential solutions.
  • Prototype: Transform your idea into a tangible solution.
  • Test: Test your solution.
Jul 14, 2021

What are the five 5 principles of design? ›

As someone in the field of design, it's important to understand and utilise these principles: balance, contrast, alignment, hierarchy, and repetition. These principles serve as the foundation for creating designs that are not only visually appealing but also functional.

What are the five qualities of a good designer? ›

These 10 qualities are the building blocks of a successful career in graphic design and can help designers create unique and impactful designs.
  • Creative Thinking. ...
  • Strong Communication Skills. ...
  • Attention to Detail. ...
  • Technical Skills. ...
  • Time Management Skills. ...
  • Open-mindedness. ...
  • Patience. ...
  • Problem-Solving Skills.
Jun 24, 2023

What defines good design? ›

Good design makes a product understandable. Good design is unobtrusive. Good design is honest. Good design is long-lasting. Good design is thorough down to the last detail.

What is the 7 elements of design? ›

7 Elements of Design and Rule of Thirds

Design elements are the basic units of any visual design which form its structure and convey visual messages. The elements of design are line, shape, form, space, texture, tone (or value) and color, "These elements are the materials from which all designs are built."

What makes a design beautiful? ›

Aesthetics is a core design principle that defines a design's pleasing qualities. In visual terms, aesthetics includes factors such as balance, color, movement, pattern, scale, shape and visual weight. Designers use aesthetics to complement their designs' usability, and so enhance functionality with attractive layouts.

What's an example of great design? ›

A Scissor is a good design as it is simple, easy to understand and use, it is unobtrusive in nature and serves the purpose it is designed for in an efficient way.

What defines a successful design? ›

The definition of successful design:

To plan, prepare, and execute the preliminary sketch (or plans) for work with a specific function that accomplishes one's goals and has a desired outcome.

What is the most important factor in a good design? ›

Keep it simple. Avoid clutter and unnecessary elements, and focus on creating a clean, easy-to-navigate design. This will not only make your design more visually appealing, but it will also make it easier for users to understand and use. And that's the whole point of design!

What makes a unique design? ›

We look for inspiration in many places but the closest is what we can see and find at the moment. Many illustrators are inspired by the things they find around them. A different experience, a different feeling, a different meaning, and a different expression, that's what makes many designers unique.

What makes a good design process? ›

The five main steps in the design process are Empathize, Define, Ideate, Deliver, and Test. You might hear different names to describe these steps, but this is how most design processes unfold.

What are the 5 elements and principles? ›

These are line, shape, color, value, form, texture, and space. The principles of art represent how the artist uses the elements of art to create an effect and to help convey the artist's intent. The principles of art and design are balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity/variety.

What are the 5 art elements? ›

ELEMENTS OF ART: The visual components of color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value.

What are 7 design elements? ›

The elements of design are line, shape, form, space, texture, tone (or value) and color, "These elements are the materials from which all designs are built."

What is the 5 elements model? ›

The five elements are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water and they are connected in a cycle of creation, destruction, and transformation. This theory is used as an approach to health understanding in Chinese Medicine to understand how natural phenomena manifests in the body when in health or illness.

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