Daylight Computer’s website takes users on a journey using both vertical & horizontal scrolling that emphasizes their message of computers designed for well being.
Source: Appleton Creative
The Five Core Principles
These aren’t rigid rules—more like invitations. Ways to ground your creative process in intention and clarity.
1. Essence First
What’s the core truth or energy you’re trying to express? Is it softness? Structure? Sacredness? Let that guide every decision. Everything else—layout, color, form—should be in service to that essence.
2. Hierarchy as a Guide
Good design gives people direction. Use contrast, size, spacing, and weight to show what matters. Let their eyes—and energy—move with purpose.
In web design, your headline isn’t just an intro. It’s an emotional cue. The call-to-action isn’t just a button. It’s a subtle nudge.
3. Geometry Matters
Symmetry, sacred shapes, and grid structure help stabilize perception. They’re not just aesthetic—they’re deeply human ways of orienting ourselves. Structuring design using geometric composition techniques has given artists and designers ways to think systematically about visual layout and create beautiful and balanced designs for hundreds of years. For those interested, here is A short history of geometric composition.
4. Color Sets the Tone
Color is atmosphere and evokes emotions. A soft blush can open space for tenderness; indigo might invite reflection. Choose deliberately. Think in temperature, not just hue.
5. Rhythm & Flow
Every visual journey has pacing. Whether it’s a painting or a product page, there’s a rhythm to how people move through it. Let them pause. Let them feel momentum. Avoid visual noise that forces too much at once.
Samantha Keen’s website takes users on an intuitive journey while highlighting her book.
Visual Storytelling in the Digital Space
In our studio, we think of websites not as static pages, but as experiential landscapes.
Designing a homepage? Think less “What do I need to show?” and more:
- What do I want them to feel here?
- Where do they need clarity?
- Where can we offer breath, or a shift in energy?
When every design choice serves that flow—from font scale to section breaks—you’re not just sharing information. You’re shaping experience.
Creator at work!
The Role of the Creator
Whether you’re designing, painting, or building a brand, your state while creating matters. Presence shows up in the work. So does rush. So does clarity.
Some tools we return to:
- Cross-based compositions for grounding
- Gradients to suggest transition or uplift
- Gold leaf as a focal point of sacred attention
- Geometric scaffolding to anchor the abstract
We use them not as trends, but as meaning-carriers—visual cues that hold more than what meets the eye.
Source: Gaborkovax
Common Pitfalls to Watch For
These show up often—especially when people are trying to do too much at once:
- Too many ideas. If everything’s important, nothing lands.
- No visual hierarchy. Without clear structure, viewers work too hard.
- Trend-chasing. Aesthetic without depth doesn’t stick. It scrolls by and disappears.
If we had one golden rule? Let it breathe. Trust that simplicity, done with care, is powerful.
