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The Principles of Beautiful Web Design
facture a sense of dimension. Take a look at the screenshot from Worry Free Labs in Figure 3.19.
The design of the home page for this Austin, Texas-based design agency is simple and fun, but
there’s a lot of inventive texture going on here as well. The “We Are Worry Free Labs” banner becomes
a focal point because of its contrast, but another area that gets a lot of attention is where the
mobile devices are displayed. There are long, dramatic shadows next to these devices, calling a lot
of attention to them. Without these elements, these images could be boring and mediocre. As it is,
though, the organic shape and realistic shadows make this a convincing representation of a 3D object
in space.
Figure 3.19. Worry Free Labs using a combination of shape and shadow to strong effect
Drawing from real-world inspiration is the key to adding believable depth to graphic elements.
Rather than settling for a layout filled with flat blocks of color, lines, and shapes, try to think of
ways in which you can incorporate three-dimensional space. Remember that the items that “stick
out” the farthest are likely to become focal points, and that perspective and proportion do very little
without the reinforcement of light and shadow.
Pattern
I still remember my first exposure to website design. I was in a tenth-grade typing class and the
instructor took it upon herself to teach us HTML. It was optional, but choosing between timed
typing tests and learning how to build web pages was an easy choice to make. By the end of that
year I’d created quite a few little websites. The common denominator among those admittedly
hideous creations was repeating backgrounds. You know the kind I’m talking about: those backgrounds
that tile seamlessly to give the appearance of a continuous water, stone, starry skies, metal,
or canvas texture.