Design Jones

For those of you who love the detail of brands, their guidelines and the work that goes into delivering a consistent visual language, this article HERE from Creative Review is a must read. They give an overview of the “new ‘global visual language’ for the BBC’s online activities by Research Studios is set to be rolled out over the next few months… The project, won by the studio in August last year, apparently stems from an intention to unify cross-platform concepts – over both bbc.co.uk and bbc.com – and consolidate all design elements, such as typography, colour palette and iconography, into a style guide for the organisation.”

“One interesting finding of these studies is that users really do judge a book by its cover… or rather, a website by its design. Elements such as layout, consistency, typography, color and style all affect how users perceive your website and what kind of image you project. Your website should project not only a good image but also the right one for your audience.”

This is just one of the findings of Smashing Magazine’s latest usabilty findings and guidelines report. Others include, vertical layouts for online forms, the benefits of using white space and the degree to which users become blind to advertising.

It is full of things that are reassuring, sometimes suprising but always useful and valuable. You can read the article in full HERE.