Website Navigation and Graphic Design Principles - Research Proposal Example

Website Navigation and Graphic Design Principles Navigation elements in the screenshot The website screen shot has used a number of navigation types to allow users easily brose the site and provide a road map from one section to another. One of the navigation techniques evident in the screenshot is Horizontal text based navigation. For example the website has listed a horizontal list of navigation links such as main menu, guidance and legislation and tools and resources among others. There is also the use of vertical text navigation particularly on the left site of the website where sub sections buttons of the main menu are listed vertically.

Another type of navigation used in the website screenshot is Sub-Menus. To provide additional information for the users, the designers of the website has included sub-menus below each of their main navigation links. Lastly graphics and icons have effectively been integrated in the navigation of the website by selecting suitable icon pictures to represent the content of the navigation links.Design principles of contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity Generally all the four main design principles and concepts of contrast, repetition, alignment as well as proximity have been effectively employed in the design of the website.

With regard to the principle of contrast, the designer has particularly achieved contrast by using contrasting colors such as warm colors and cool colors on different parts of the website. On the other hand, the concept of repetition in the screenshot is evidenced by the reuse of similar elements such as font sizes and graphic styles throughout the website to achieve consistency and wholeness (Williams, 1994). The graphic design principle of alignment is also represented by the manner in which the texts, links and sub menus have been uniformly aligned throughout the website layout.

Finally the principle of proximity has been achieved in the website by grouping related photo icons and links together to demonstrate their connectedness. For example all the sub links have been placed close to the related photo icons.ReferencesWilliams, R. (1994). The Non-Designer’s Design Book: Design and Typographic Principles for the Visual Novice. Berkeley: Peachpit press.