article Part 5 of 6

Making It Look Great (And Work Even Better)

With your wireframes and prototypes tested and refined, you can turn your attention to the visual design of the website—that is, how it looks and how the visual presentation can enhance usability.

Visual design (often overlapping with UI design) is where you apply choices about layout, color, typography, imagery, and style. The goal is to create an interface that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also clear, consistent, and accessible to users.

Here's the thing: it's not just about making it "look pretty"—it's about making it usable at a glance. A well-designed interface will guide users' eyes to the right places, make interactive elements obvious, present content in digestible chunks, and maintain a cohesive style that reinforces trust.

Consistency in Visuals

One of the cardinal rules of UI design is consistency. This means using uniform design patterns and styles throughout your site so that users don't have to relearn the interface on each page.

Consistency applies to things like:

  • Typography (heading sizes, font choices)
  • Color scheme
  • Button styles
  • Iconography
  • Interaction behaviors

Example: All your primary buttons might be the same color and shape, menu items appear in the same location, and the tone of imagery aligns with your brand.

Consistency creates a sense of familiarity and trust. When users see a familiar element, they know how it will behave. Research shows that adhering to platform or web conventions in design (e.g., blue underlined text for links, a gear icon for settings) also improves usability because it meets users' expectations. In short, don't reinvent the wheel without a good reason—consistent and standard design elements help users feel in control.

Visual Hierarchy

We touched on hierarchy in the Information Architecture section, but it's equally (or even more) relevant in visual design. Visual hierarchy means arranging and styling elements in a way that indicates their relative importance and guides the user's attention.

Through the use of size, position, color, and other styling, you can make sure the user notices the most important things first.

Example: A large, bold headline at the top of a page clearly signals the page's topic, followed by smaller subheadings and body text. Calls to action (CTAs) like "Sign Up" buttons might be given a prominent color that contrasts with the rest of the page to stand out.

Designers use principles of contrast, alignment, spacing, and grouping to establish hierarchy:

  • Use bigger font or a standout color for primary actions
  • More subdued styling for secondary information
  • Ample white space (empty space) around an element draws attention to it
  • Dense, cluttered text is likely to be skipped

Effective visual hierarchy ensures that when a user lands on a page, they can quickly understand what the page is about and what actions are available without feeling lost. Design principles such as contrast, proportion, repetition, and white space play a central role in building visual structure, helping users know where to look.

Simplicity and Clarity

"Keep it simple" is timeless advice in UX. Simplicity doesn't mean a bland design, but rather eliminating unnecessary elements and text.

Every extra button, image, or line of text that isn't helping the user accomplish their goal is a potential distraction. A visually simple design with plenty of breathing room tends to be easier to navigate and more scannable.

Embrace minimalism where appropriate: focus on the essential content and actions on each page. This can involve using concise language (no verbose instructions if a simple label will do), and visually de-emphasizing or removing secondary information.

Example: If 90% of users only need 3 of the options on a settings page, you might show those upfront and collapse the others under an "Advanced" accordion.

A minimalist approach also aligns with modern aesthetics, giving a clean, professional impression. "Embracing minimalistic design—reducing clutter and focusing on the essentials—helps remove distractions and creates a fluid content flow."

Users should never have to wonder "What is this thing on the page for?"—everything on screen should have a clear purpose.

Typography and Readability

Text is a primary vehicle of information on the web, so how you present text is crucial. Use a clear, legible font (or set of fonts) and stick to it. Typically you'll have one font for headings and body combined, or two at most (perhaps a distinct heading font and a body font).

Key typography principles:

  • Contrast: Maintain sufficient contrast between text and background—for example, black or dark gray text on a white background is most readable. Low-contrast text (like light gray on white) can be very hard to read, especially on mobile in sunlight or for users with visual impairments. High color contrast for text is not only good UX but an accessibility requirement.
  • Font size: Body text should be around 16px or larger on web for comfortable reading, with larger sizes for headings to create hierarchy.
  • Line spacing and length: Lines that are too long (over ~75 characters) can strain reading, and too-tight line spacing can make text blocky. Good spacing improves readability.
  • Structure: Use headings, bullet lists, and emphasis (bold/italics) to structure content. Break up long paragraphs (like we do in this guide) and use subheadings so users can scan and find what they need.

Many users don't read everything word-for-word, they scan—so a visually well-structured text helps them pick out key points.

Color and Contrast

Choose a color scheme that aligns with your brand and use it purposefully. Typically, you'll have a primary brand color (often used for primary actions, highlights, or links) and a complementary set of colors for backgrounds, accents, feedback states (success, error), etc.

Consistent use of color gives the interface a coherent identity. Beyond aesthetics, color should be leveraged for usability:

  • Use a distinct color for interactive elements (like buttons or links) so they're obviously clickable
  • Be mindful of color connotations (e.g., red for errors or warnings, green for success or go-ahead signals) and keep them consistent
  • Always ensure sufficient contrast between foreground and background colors, especially for text (refer to the WCAG contrast guidelines for specifics)
  • Don't rely on color alone to convey important information, because not everyone perceives color the same (consider color-blind users). For example, underline links (not just color them), or use icons/labels in addition to color coding

Example: Adding a checkmark icon next to a green "success" message provides clarity beyond just the color.

Imagery and Icons

Visual assets like photos, illustrations, and icons can greatly enhance a design when used appropriately. They should be high quality and relevant.

An image can often communicate context or emotion faster than text—for instance, a hero image on a homepage that reflects your product's purpose can draw users in. However, use imagery judiciously; avoid decorative images that don't add value as they can clutter and slow down the page.

Icons (small graphical symbols) are very common in UI for buttons, navigation, status indicators, etc. Icons can improve scannability if they are standard and easily recognized (e.g., a magnifying glass icon for search, a trash can for delete).

Best practices for icons:

  • Maintain a consistent icon style throughout (flat vs. skeuomorphic, line style vs. filled, etc.—mixing styles looks unprofessional)
  • Always pair icons with text labels if there's any ambiguity—an unlabeled icon can confuse if its meaning isn't obvious
  • A gear icon usually means settings (that's a convention), but an abstract icon might need a tooltip or label to clarify

Feedback and Affordances

Visual design should also give users feedback and clues about interactivity (this crosses into interaction design, but visuals play a key role).

An affordance is a hint that an element is interactive or how it should be used. For instance, underlined text suggests a hyperlink, a button with a shadow looks clickable, and a field with a border invites text input.

Use visual cues to make interactive elements obvious:

  • Buttons should look like buttons (through shape, color, or hover effects)
  • Clickable elements often change appearance on hover/active states (e.g., a subtle darkening to show it's being pressed)
  • Provide feedback for user actions—if a user clicks a button, maybe it changes color or shows a loading spinner to indicate the action is processing
  • If there's an error (like a form validation issue), highlight it in red and maybe use an icon or message so the user can easily spot and fix it

These visual feedback mechanisms greatly improve usability by keeping the user informed.

Responsive and Adaptive Design

Since this guide focuses on websites, it's critical to mention responsive design—designing your layout to adapt to different screen sizes (desktop, tablet, mobile).

Modern best practice is often mobile-first design: designing the mobile layout first (which forces you to prioritize content due to limited space), then enhancing for larger screens.

Ensure your visual design scales gracefully:

  • Use a layout grid that can reflow (a 3-column desktop layout might collapse to a single column on mobile)
  • Use images that resize or crop appropriately
  • Navigation should adapt (common pattern: a full menu on desktop becomes a "hamburger" menu on mobile)
  • Test your design on multiple devices or at least screen widths

Something that looks great on a widescreen might be unreadable on a phone if not handled properly. Considering responsive design from the start is a must given that "mobile browsing is now the primary way most users access your website." Users expect a seamless experience, whether they're on a phone or a laptop. Consistency in functionality across devices (while optimizing the layout for each) is key.

Accessibility: Designing for Everyone

Finally, ensure your visual design is accessible to as many users as possible, including those with disabilities.

Accessibility is a huge topic, but some quick wins include:

  • Using sufficient color contrast (as mentioned)
  • Providing text alternatives for images (alt text for screen readers)
  • Making sure interactive elements are reachable via keyboard (focus states visible)
  • Not using color as the sole means of conveying information

There are established guidelines (WCAG) that offer criteria for accessible visual design—following them not only helps users with disabilities but often improves overall UX.

Example: Larger, high-contrast text helps everyone in bright sunlight on their phone, not just users with low vision.

Designing with inclusivity in mind from the start (sometimes called "accessibility by design") is far easier than trying to retrofit it later. Modern UX emphasizes that accessible design is good design.

Performance Matters Too

Remember to optimize images and CSS for performance—a slow site is a poor UX no matter how nice it looks. Compress images, use efficient CSS, and consider lazy loading for images that are below the fold.

Key Takeaways

  • Visual design is about making interfaces clear, consistent, and accessible—not just aesthetically pleasing.
  • Consistency in colors, typography, buttons, and interactions helps users feel confident and in control.
  • Visual hierarchy guides users' attention to the most important content and actions first.
  • Keep designs simple and focused—eliminate unnecessary elements and text.
  • Typography should be readable with sufficient contrast, appropriate sizing, and good structure.
  • Use color purposefully, ensure sufficient contrast, and don't rely on color alone for information.
  • Images and icons should be high quality, relevant, and consistent in style.
  • Provide visual feedback and affordances to make interactions obvious.
  • Design responsively for all screen sizes—mobile-first is often the best approach.
  • Prioritize accessibility from the start—it benefits everyone.

By applying these visual design principles, you'll create a web UI that is both beautiful and functional—exactly what we set out to do in UX design. Now it's time to validate your work with the most important judges: real users.