C R E A T I N G . C O N T R A S T

For designers in all walks of the practice, but particularly web designers, contrast is at the root of pretty much everything. We are constantly trying to establish hierarchies of importance, draw people to certain areas of a page and communicate a clear and concise message at the very heart of our work. Creating relationships between different elements of a design is just about the most important thing that you can do. You’ve probably been doing it a great deal already, consciously or not.

Tim Van Damme makes superb use of color contrast in the GoWalla site design. Not only does the multi-colored border at the top of the page stand out and create visual interest by being different from the pale background, but he has also added extremely subtle 1px drop shadows to the text on buttons. The slightly darker orange really helps to create contrast between the white text and the orange background.

CHALKBOARD PAINT

Chalkboard paint is a type of paint which dries to a finish resembling that of a chalkboard. Once chalkboard paint has been applied to a surface, it can be used just like a regular chalkboard. For people feeling creative this paint can also be made at home. One of the advantages of homemade chalkboard paint is that it allows people to create their own colours. With homemade chalkboard paint a layer of primer should be applied to the surface beforehand. For every 250 ml (approx) of paint, two tablespoons of powdered tile grout can be added before the mixture is thoroughly stirred and then applied.

For designers in all walks of the practice, but particularly web designers, contrast is at the root of pretty much everything. We are constantly trying to establish hierarchies of importance, draw people to certain areas of a page and communicate a clear and concise message at the very heart of our work. Creating relationships between different elements of a design is just about the most important thing that you can do. You’ve probably been doing it a great deal already, consciously or not.

Tim Van Damme makes superb use of color contrast in the GoWalla site design. Not only does the multi-colored border at the top of the page stand out and create visual interest by being different from the pale background, but he has also added extremely subtle 1px drop shadows to the text on buttons. The slightly darker orange really helps to create contrast between the white text and the orange background.

CHALKBOARD PAINT

Chalkboard paint is a type of paint which dries to a finish resembling that of a chalkboard. Once chalkboard paint has been applied to a surface, it can be used just like a regular chalkboard. For people feeling creative this paint can also be made at home. One of the advantages of homemade chalkboard paint is that it allows people to create their own colours. With homemade chalkboard paint a layer of primer should be applied to the surface beforehand. For every 250 ml (approx) of paint, two tablespoons of powdered tile grout can be added before the mixture is thoroughly stirred and then applied.

For designers in all walks of the practice, but particularly web designers, contrast is at the root of pretty much everything. We are constantly trying to establish hierarchies of importance, draw people to certain areas of a page and communicate a clear and concise message at the very heart of our work. Creating relationships between different elements of a design is just about the most important thing that you can do. You’ve probably been doing it a great deal already, consciously or not.

Tim Van Damme makes superb use of color contrast in the GoWalla site design. Not only does the multi-colored border at the top of the page stand out and create visual interest by being different from the pale background, but he has also added extremely subtle 1px drop shadows to the text on buttons. The slightly darker orange really helps to create contrast between the white text and the orange background.

CHALKBOARD PAINT

Chalkboard paint is a type of paint which dries to a finish resembling that of a chalkboard. Once chalkboard paint has been applied to a surface, it can be used just like a regular chalkboard. For people feeling creative this paint can also be made at home. One of the advantages of homemade chalkboard paint is that it allows people to create their own colours. With homemade chalkboard paint a layer of primer should be applied to the surface beforehand. For every 250 ml (approx) of paint, two tablespoons of powdered tile grout can be added before the mixture is thoroughly stirred and then applied.