Visual Communication - Keeping Design "Clean"
When presenting information visually, design is key. Design is what allows the information to be easily read, understood and remembered. Readers tend to only give themselves a minute or two to scan all the information you are presenting.
A commonly used phrase when discussing websites, posters, or other media presenting information is "clean design". The meaning of clean in this context is that the information presented is organized, sized and aligned in a visually pleasing and easy to understand way.
Remember when old websites would have elements like a patterned background or whole paragraphs of stylized fonts? Compare those to websites today and it's easy to see why good design matters.
Of course the difference between bad design and a better, clean design can be as drastic as this example, but generally isn't. This guide will help breakdown some simple and easy to apply principles to help keep all your designs clean and dynamic.
This guide is designed to help anyone learn simple visual communication and design principles, particularly when creating powerpoint presentions, infographics, visual abstracts, and research posters.
Review the left hand navigation for information on visual thinking, sizing and alignment, color and font choices, and pictorial elements (like clipart or icons).
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