3 Ways to help you complete your stealth design.

Design is not always a dazzling art. It is delicate, practical, and often uncertain. Very simple, good design is often invisible. But how to be invisible? In particular, web design is a fairly visual means. This article will focus on several sites to verify the concept of stealth design.

Make it clear that stealth design does not add layers, transparency, or hidden meanings to your project. It is to create a user-centric project, so that the function is complete, visual pleasure.

When I was a young designer, I heard that sentence over and over again. If you have to "decorate" the canvas, that's over the design. The best design-the design that really makes the project work effectively-is invisible.

　　Thinking about invisibility in design

　　Alchemy-digital

　　Cyclebycycle

The design is certainly visible when we leave the question. There is no doubt about this. But the tools and techniques you use should not be used in front of ordinary users.

Most designs only pursue "feel right". The user wants to immerse in it and manipulate something. They don't have to understand why. This is the invisible design.

Oliver Reichenstein,information, founder and director of Architects, is renowned for its emphasis on stealth design concepts. Even before I heard his opinion, it was imprinted on my mind. There were a few words in the interview of The Verge.

"Excellent design is invisible. Excellent interface design will be fine to subatomic micro-font (the precise definition of text), invisible macro-text layout (the use of text), there are interactive design and information architecture composed of the Invisible world. With the least input, the most abundant output, the interface designers are committed to making the user spend the least amount of attention. Like font designers and engineers, we're not trying to find the perfect solution, but we're looking for the best. ”

　　Invisible communication.

　　Godaytrip

When you create Web pages, mobile apps, and even smart watch interactions, you're designing some kind of communication. Design to host information, not hinder it.

You use all the design tools to create an experience when you're dealing with it. The final output is not given to you, not even to other designers, but to the vast majority of people who do not understand (and do not want to understand) the color theory, spacing and fonts of the audience. They only know that all these combinations are tight, easy and fun.

This is the important thing to see design as a means of invisibility.

　　Different types of invisibility

　　Billbyronwines

　　Thankbot

When we talk about stealth design, we think of something different. Every stealth design is important and affects your work in different ways.

Invisible products and typography, such as branding or advertising that you don't notice. (This is important for applications and game designers, who often have to think about placement in design)

Invisible interactions and notifications are seamless, and you don't think of them when you perform certain actions or tasks. (e.g. alarm clock and warning on mobile phone)

The invisible aesthetic design can establish the emotional connection, integrates with the user, lets the people desire to invest in it. (This is what we are concerned about)

　　Design Tips

Invisible aesthetics is rooted in the foundation of design theory. This is not a trend, nor is it the use of some cool new user experience feature. It uses text, colors, fonts, pictures, icons, and some tricks to convey information. Let's review some of the basics and see how they can be used for you.

　　Mediadistribution

　　Rebuildingtogether-stl

　　NextMatch

　　Text and language:

A text used to convey a tone and emotion to the user. When the user interacts with the design, a language is used to convey the feeling you want to express. Is it formal, light-hearted, or funny? Should it make you feel enthusiastic or want to react? And think about the rhyme of words, what does it sound like when you read aloud?

　　Color:

Each color and color combination has a different feeling. To consider emotional and cultural factors, it takes a lot of time to choose a color. Select the color scheme carefully, choose the colors that will motivate the user to perform specific actions, and create the right feeling to maintain balance and coordination.

　　Font:

The font itself can also have meaning. From the clean sans serif font, get the meaning from the surroundings (Helvetica), to the complex coarse blackbody style (Baroque writing), with a sense of form. The type of font you choose will convey a special feeling. When you are indecisive, stick to the font with sans serif or simple lines, using a uniform stroke weight and regular character weight.

　　Image:

What's in the picture you're using? including photos, animations and videos. Are the people happy with smiles? (anyone in there?) is the color warm or cool? Move fast or slow? The pace of browsing and the reading process are appropriate--just like walking speed--to create a specific level of comfort for the user. Too fast or too slow action, it will start to attract attention, users will be more concerned about it, even beyond the image itself.

　　Icons and UI elements:

The unified icon set and user interface elements are helpful in stealth. A system will show the user how the Web site works, and how to do it, even if the operation of the icon may not be the same as a particular look. When a user does not need to think about how it is used, invisibility takes effect. Think of the shopping cart icon that every retailer is using, which is a sign to view the product. Users don't have to think about how to go to the last step, or how to pay, which leads them to the right action.

　　Other tips:

There are a lot of design techniques that can make or break your design--projections, text effects (such as tilt), strokes and borders, white, underline, lists, and so on. The key to any one of them is to use it. If you open the tool window of the editing software and click "Apply" under the default settings, you are wrong and can cause fancy effects. The user ignores a picture and blames it for its heavy shadow (although the eyes of a trained designer can be identified) to use these effects. Design effects should only contribute to the overall information and visual objectives.

　　Conclusion

Think again about what Oliver Reichenstein said. It emphasizes "microscopic" and "macroscopic" elements. This is the key. To achieve complete invisibility, every detail of the design should be carefully elaborated.

A simple design with a purpose. Do not overdo or add to popular elements just because you want to use some kind of skill. Design every detail and make them work seamlessly. Design the big picture at the same time and let it delineation the whole concept that your project is trying to convey. Don't think too much: sometimes simple solutions are the most correct. (Perhaps the concept of stealth design contributed to the rise of flat design and continued to prevail)

Have you stumbled across which sites are designed to be invisible and perfectly functioning? can be shared with us in the comments.