Why should you learn design?

What is design?

There are many ways that we visually communicate. When creating digital outcomes, like websites or games, it is important to understand the visual languages of design.

The purposeful use of color, typography and layout can make a huge difference when creating meaning. Following simple design rules we can convey an idea or theme instantly.

Consider the differences between these movie posters with monsters. One is meant for children, and one is meant to be scary. Layout, color and font choice make all the difference in telling a clear story.

Compare movie posters: Kid-friendly monster versus Scary monster

Typography

Typography is the art or skill of arranging text on a page. Whether you’re a graphic designer, a programmer, an entrepreneur or a mommy blogger, at some stage you’ll have to make decisions about fonts to use and, where and when to use them. Understanding the history of typography and how it impacts the user experience of your website, game or app, will start you on the path to mastering the art.

In modern times, the far-reaching influence of the internet means that digital media is more consumed than printed media. Digital design skills are vital to stay ahead of the marketing game as traditional media takes a back seat. While designers have an endless supply of typographic styles and typefaces to choose from, there is increasing demand for designs that are able to hold the attention of digital media users.

Color Theory

The same can be said for color. A strong color palette and an understanding of your audience can lead to beautiful designs.

While some color choices rely on personal opinion, there are scientific ways to create striking work, harmony or what else you might be trying to achieve. "Less is more", and things like color wheels can help us to create dynamic palettes with only a few colors.

Using tools like https://htmlcolorcodes.com/, https://color.method.ac/ or Adobe Color to auto generate palettes for you can help immensely to create a narrow selection of colors. It can also help with choosing safe colors when considering accessibility and color blindness.

Wherever you are on your journey to becoming a master designer, Code Avengers will help you get there. We’ll take you through the principles of typography, color theory, layout and User Experience design and the way to implement them using HTML and CSS. With these skills, you can create the perfect user experience for your website, game or app.

Video about the Code Avengers Design courses

Design Course 1 - Typography

Thoughtful fonts are an essential ingredient in good design. Explore the history of typography and learn how to supercharge your designs with the right font types. Use CSS to present your text with the impact you need, and add special effects to make it come alive!

Try the Typography course today

Design Course 2 - Color theory

This 20 lesson course looks at the theory of color from the physics behind colors to the myriad of color wheels. It looks at color from the viewpoints of psychology and branding. The third component of the course is how to actually add colors to a webpage CSS and write colors as HEX code.

Check out the Color Theory course

For teachers

Students can learn about typography and color, key aspects of web design.

The two courses, on typography and color, are conceptual courses rather than coding courses. The tasks have interactive questions that build an understanding of the learning content. They have been written by collaboration between experienced teachers and graphic designers. The courses generally use web design examples using HTML and CSS. However, they are also relevant to graphic design, print design, and more.

Don't forget to check out our Lesson Plans and other resources when you visit the Teacher Tab at https://www.codeavengers.com