This is the PDF slide deck for "Intro to Design: Learning Principles and Theory to Help Your Site Blow Minds"

1. INTRO TO DESIGN
How to blow minds and make awesome CRAP
Presented by Kyle Smith
WordCamp 2012

2. KEYS TO SUCCESS
Or something somewhat resembling it
• Keep CRAP in mind
• Use color intelligently
• Use a grid no matter what
• Typography is just as important as imagery
• Steer clear of Display Fonts if you can
• Have a goal!
• Great design takes time and patience

3. WHAT IS CRAP?
C - Contrast
R - Repetition
A - Alignment
P - Proximity

4. CONTRAST

5. REPETITION

6. REPETITION

7. ALIGNMENT

8. PROXIMITY

9. COLOR
•What is your color pallet?
• Keep your pallet simple, it’s
more effective
• Does your pallet set the
mood? It should.
• Use color to speak to your
audience
• Use online tools like Kuler to
help you make accurate choices

10. GRIDS
What the hell does that even mean?
There are several types of grids that can help us
with our design but the most popular ones are
960 and 1440.
Grids help us keep our content visually
appealing and structured by dividing it in to
columns. When we follow these grids, we will
find that our content becomes more unified and
becomes part of a larger whole.
Many themes use a grid out of the box. If you
are building your site based off of one, be sure
to make use of it, it will make your site more
professional and easier to use.

11. MOTIF
Motif is a tool used to set a
narrative within design. It can
be used to help unify your
design in every way.
Motif can be used by setting a
common theme, common items
such as icons or even patterns
used within the design itself.