Have you ever thought about how many nuances and specifics exist in the field of web design? How much you have to consider and remember when creating even the simplest project? And we’re not talking about a big online store like 1C-Interes or a corporate website like Microsoft. But rather, something like a small café, a pizza delivery service, or a landing page for... new headphones. The scale of these projects differs, but the approach to their creation, implementation, and the realization of the client’s and creator’s ideas is practically the same.
There’s a ton of design rules floating in our minds. Things we learn on our own, tips from experienced designers, elements of lessons and design theory. But imagine for a moment that there are web designers who don’t strive to follow all the rules down to the last comma. Imagine that they calmly break many rules and still manage to create designs that are visually appealing, user-friendly, and interface-smart.
You might be thinking: “That’s nonsense — it doesn’t exist.” But it does — and we’re here to tell you about it.
The reality in web design is that trends and concepts are constantly evolving. In particular, technological advancements have changed many rules. Design — any kind — is an ever-evolving process, and what works today might already be outdated tomorrow. This understanding led web professionals to identify certain principles and trends that are constantly being "broken," adjusted, or reinterpreted depending on the project.
Using Sans Serif Fonts in Web Design
Almost every web designer will tell you that you should use sans serif fonts online. But that’s not necessarily true. A good combination of legible fonts might include a balance of serif and sans serif styles, italics, and fresh, modern effects. The key is to choose the style and typeface that reads well and is visually appealing.
This idea was supported by Jakob Nielsen in a study by the Nielsen Norman Group, which focused on user experience. He highlighted that the evolution of screen technologies influences the typography guidelines used in web design.
The old advice for using typography online was simple: stick with sans serif fonts. That’s because early computer screens couldn’t display serifs properly, and attempts to adjust the font size only made letters blurry.
Unfortunately, the new guidance is not as clear-cut. Readability studies do not convincingly prove that serif fonts are better for comprehension than sans serif fonts.
But the difference in reading speed between serif and sans serif appears to be minimal. So there’s no strict rule about which one to use. Web designers are free to choose based on research, logic, personal experience, branding, or the emotional tone that a certain typography style conveys.
So even with the typography trends of 2018, and despite the love many have for sans serif, you don’t have to use it. Here are a few things to consider when choosing fonts for optimal readability.
Check out the font selections used by Izvestia, undertheskin, Mir Fantastiki, wonderthebook, scissorsandclippers, unplug, and fubiz.
Just Not a Bright Background
In recent years, it seemed that the only acceptable background colors for websites were white, pastel tones, and neutrals. But this year’s trends are shifting toward bold, bright, and vibrant colors being used widely and in unimaginable combinations in web design.
A rich, saturated background on a page or section can be a powerful design element. Color can grab users’ attention, set the tone, express the site's character and purpose, divide content in creative ways, and help designers break free from overused templates. But — it depends on the background. A loud, overly bright, and high-contrast background can ruin a design entirely, regardless of how trendy it might look. To users, it may come off as simply unusable.
That’s why another part of this rule or trend is to limit your color palette and tone down overly bright hues. Sure, it’s great to have a defined brand palette and use it in your web design — in fact, it’s encouraged. But even with a strong brand palette, you can go further and build a project that truly stands out.
Material Design color palettes combined with bolder choices created what many consider stylish and eye-catching. A large number of colors is now totally acceptable. More and more websites — both from major brands and smaller players — are using color to create engaging and appealing designs. Users absolutely love this.
Still, it’s best to begin with a basic palette, because design starts with standards — necessary for consistency and visual harmony. Then, experiment by adding some extra (brighter) colors. This won’t work for every site or landing page, but it’s worth considering.
Designers don’t even need to redesign an entire project or brand kit if they want to add a green or ultraviolet background. In general, it can work well — the added tones can emphasize the brand’s existing colors and highlight them. There are many ways to incorporate such bold colors into an existing project.
Here’s what designers created for buysellads, neverbounce, scissorsandclippers, foodserver, capitalplaza, communitysectorbanking, and cremationforpets.
Symmetry — and Only Symmetry?
Everywhere you look, people are saying that web design must be strictly symmetrical. And many veteran designers still can’t imagine doing it any other way. After all, symmetry creates balance and harmony — it’s user-friendly.
But let’s consider this: many symmetrical layouts today look boring, simple, safe, and unremarkable. No one’s denying that symmetry is convenient. But who says asymmetry isn’t? Who says users don’t appreciate it?
Asymmetry can help designers create more visually engaging areas on a site while still maintaining balance — and without having to divide the screen into rigid halves or thirds. Of course, there’s still a time and place for symmetry, since layout balance is crucial. But embracing asymmetry makes design more interesting — and let’s face it, without interest, there’s no creative spark.
To make the most of asymmetry in web projects, here are some ways to create visual flow and harmony:
Take a look at these examples: olivier-guilleux, papercast, lmgonzalves, onero, agency, resultaten2017
As you can see, asymmetry is used both boldly and subtly. Yet each of these designs looks unique and anything but generic.
Afterword
Much of what we’ve discussed isn’t groundbreaking for some designers. But often, when something is trending, people feel compelled to use it everywhere — to showcase it clearly and visibly. A great example is the site lowproteinconnect, which uses almost nothing but trendy ultraviolet. The whole site is purple. It’s not bad, but imagine how it might look with more colors or different backgrounds.
That’s what we were talking about today: that even with rules, trends, and standards, it’s sometimes worth stepping outside the lines and looking at web design differently. Create variations, test them, and ask: what might appeal most to the user? Is it the same thing you personally like?
Conclusions
Breaking web design rules can be refreshing and inspiring. But it can also be disastrous. If you don’t understand the reasoning behind breaking a rule — and don’t even break it properly — your design might never be finished, or worse, might fail entirely. Make thoughtful decisions about which rules to bend and when, and always align with your project goals.
You must ask yourself: how can I break the rules to make the design work better? Will it still be usable — or even more usable? Will the user understand the message?
If the answer is “yes,” then your design is the perfect canvas for creative experimentation. Just don’t break rules for the sake of it — create meaningfully. That’s when design becomes exciting and truly effective.