{"id":5318,"date":"2012-09-21T09:45:46","date_gmt":"2012-09-21T15:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.evolutionarydesigns.net\/blog\/?p=5318"},"modified":"2012-09-21T14:11:46","modified_gmt":"2012-09-21T20:11:46","slug":"avoiding-common-design-clichs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.evolutionarydesigns.net\/blog\/2012\/09\/21\/avoiding-common-design-clichs\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoiding Common Design Clichés"},"content":{"rendered":"

We live in a world where collaboration is important. It\u2019s natural to be influenced by others to a certain degree and sometimes, this is a great thing. In design however, it\u2019s way too easy to allow your influences to get a little heavy, to the point that all you\u2019re doing is jumping on the aesthetic bandwagon. Of course a little creative influence is necessary. Where would we be if we hadn\u2019t hero worshiped our idols? If we hadn\u2019t aspired to become as talented? Inspiration is a starting point, but we need to strive for originality! Be aware of these common design clich\u00e9s, and avoid them like you would Comic Sans.<\/p>\n

1. Stock Visuals (and clich\u00e9d images)<\/h2>\n

\"Stock<\/a>There is a lot to be said for stock photos<\/a> and stock footage<\/a> when used in the right context, but if you\u2019re going for cutting edge professionalism, try and give them a wide berth. Stock images and stock videos tend to be a little generic, so use with caution. Be careful not to use clich\u00e9s.<\/a> You know what they are, light bulbs for “ideas,” speech bubbles for “discussion,” globes to signify “international” etc. The problem with the first idea in your head is that it\u2019s the first idea in everybody else\u2019s, too. As a rule of thumb, it\u2019s good practice to discard the first idea you have, unless you\u2019re going to subvert it in an interesting and memorable way. Image Source: <\/em>It Looks Insoluble<\/em><\/a> \u2013 Flickr<\/em><\/p>\n

2. Poor Font Choices\"Hacking<\/a><\/h2>\n

Choosing the right font can make or break a design. You should take your time when settling on a font for a logo, headings, or general text. Research all the fonts that you could possibly use for your webpage<\/a>, and test them out and see if they work to emphasize the look or feel that you\u2019re going for. Fonts have personality, so make sure it sits well with your brand identity. If you\u2019re not happy with a standard font, buy a different one. Image Source\/Font – <\/em>Hacking the Plant<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

3. Zig Zag Borders\"zig<\/a><\/h2>\n

Borders can be extremely useful in web design and have the potential to finish off a page brilliantly. However, in the last few years, use of the “zig zag” border has reached epidemic proportions. Symptomatic of lazy design, anyone considering a jazzy “zig zag” edge should be quarantined immediately. Image Source: – <\/em>GMLV – Web Design Trends<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

4. Ribbons and Badges\"Glider<\/a><\/h2>\n

Currently, ribbons are everywhere. Forked and folded ribbons are especially prevalent and using them puts any design in danger of becoming dated extremely quickly. Similarly to “special offer” badges popularized in the mid to late 2000s, adding badges or ribbons to your site is just following a trend. Ask yourself why you\u2019re doing it. Is it really adding anything? Try something different. Image Source: <\/em>Glider Theme<\/em><\/a> by Elegant Themes<\/em><\/p>\n

5. Textured Background\"Background<\/a><\/h2>\n

Why textures have become so popular in web design is a mystery. Perhaps it\u2019s a backlash against the techy, crisp white backgrounds of the Web 2.0 look, but the truth is, we\u2019ll never know. Textured backgrounds (things like subtle grain, dirt, scratches and papery surfaces) have become extremely commonplace in web design, and whilst I can understand the desire to introduce a little interest into a flat background, perhaps it\u2019s time to leave the texture to the print designers. Image Source: – <\/em>Subtle Patterns<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We live in a world where collaboration is important. It\u2019s natural to be influenced by others to a certain degree and sometimes, this is a great thing. In design however, it\u2019s way too easy to allow your influences to get a little heavy, to the point that all you\u2019re doing is jumping on the aesthetic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":5308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[504,34],"tags":[570,1177],"class_list":["post-5318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice","category-design","tag-design-trends","tag-guest-writer","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evolutionarydesigns.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/puzzle-e1348247374195.jpg?fit=600%2C398","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pJPdG-1nM","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.evolutionarydesigns.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.evolutionarydesigns.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.evolutionarydesigns.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.evolutionarydesigns.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.evolutionarydesigns.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5318"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.evolutionarydesigns.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5318\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.evolutionarydesigns.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.evolutionarydesigns.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.evolutionarydesigns.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.evolutionarydesigns.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}