Visual and Interface Design

Visual design focuses on the aesthetics of a site and its related materials by strategically implementing images, colors, fonts, and other elements.1 User Interface (UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think ‘how are they doing that’ and less about what they are doing.) Design focuses on anticipating what users might need to do and ensuring that the interface has elements that are easy to access, understand, and use to facilitate those actions.2

Beth Soderberg: Color Theory and the Fundamentals of Design

December 23, 2016 — One of a series of flash talks


Hugo Baeta Tint, Tone & Shade

December 3, 2016 — Lightning talk on Color Theory and the Fundamentals of Design


Sonja Leix: Designing Without Color

December 13, 2016 — Removing color from design in the early stages of a project fosters better conversations and creates truly effective experiences for users.


David Hickox: Designing for Content

September 5, 2014 — This talk goes over the method I’ve created for designing websites from the content outward. I’ll cover aspects of designing in code, type choices, line height and typographic scale, creating a proper base style sheet for your child themeChild theme A Child Theme is a customized theme based upon a Parent Theme. It’s considered best practice to create a child theme if you want to modify the CSS of your theme. https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/advanced-topics/child-themes/., usability best practices, semantic structure, and more. Since the web is fundamentally a text-based, utilitarian medium, making good type choices is the most important aspect of web design. In this presentation, I’ll walk you through the things I’ve learned in my 15 years designing for the web.


Michelle Schulp: Beyond Whitespace – Designing for Complex Content

July 11, 2016 — We’re all enamored with the minimalist websites that employ only the most essential use of color, images, and space. But what happens when the volume of information can’t be boiled down to something that simple? We’ll explore how to use design principles to organize and display elaborate user experiences like mega-menus, massive news sites, high-information catalog pages, and multi-level interactions.


Karalyn Thayer: Introduction to Wireframing

August 14, 2016 — Wireframing is an important first step in creating a website. From creating a napkin sketch to brainstorm ideas, to communicating quickly and effectively with other team members and clients, wireframes are at the foundation of creating a good user experience. This presentation will be an introduction and overview of wireframing. Where we will go over the following topics:
– What are wireframes and the different types
– When to use each type of wireframe
– How wireframes can help you communicate effectively with clients
– The tools used (free and paid) to create wireframes


1 https://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/visual-design.html
2 https://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/user-interface-design.html

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