A fundamental understanding of what the word design really means — and why most people misinterpret it — is where you need to start.

The path to great UI design starts when you stop looking at other people's work.

Learn why "form follows function" as a UI design principle is flawed — and false.

Achieving balance between form and function in the UI means informed decision-making — not order-taking.

How to avoid the pitfall of assuming functional considerations should influence visual form.

Understanding what forces really impact visual form is the key to better UI design decisions.

Understand the very big challenges posed by small screens — and how to solve them through UI design.

Five timeless rules for designing anything well on small, mobile device screens.

Learn how the principle of Balance creates visual order — and why doing so is critically important.

Case studies showing how changes in visual balance significantly improve poorly designed interfaces.

Learn how rhythm is established in the UI — and why, when intentional, it significantly improves UX.

Learn how the principle of Harmony acts as the glue that holds individual UI elements together.

Learn how harmony establishes purposeful, intentional visual flow in the UI.

A case study detailing how changes in visual harmony makes a form faster and easier to scan and complete.

Learn why and how the principle of Dominance is critical to proper UI form and functionality.

Understand why using the principle of dominance properly decreases a user's mental effort, resulting in positive UX.

Learn multiple ways to establish dominance, beyond the most obvious method (size).

Learn to use alignment intentionally, to guide users through every part of the screen.

Case studies showing how changes in alignment make HUGE differences in the quality of UI design and UX.

Learn how proximity signals (or confuses) relationships between content, data and interactive UI elements.

Use the principle of proximity to speed up recognition and understanding of visual information.

Case studies showcase the principle of proximity to design effectively with negative space — and make browsing easier and faster.

Learn why color can be a powerful emotional tool — and why it should never be an afterthought or an arbitrary choice.

Understand the key role color plays in users' ability to identify (and act on) opportunities to interact with the UI.

Color doesn't have to be difficult. Honest ;-)

Learn the common associations most of us have with color — and when they're the right place to start.

Emotional impact plays a big role in determining color effectiveness and appropriateness.

Everything around you is a potential source for appropriate color choices — the trick is knowing where to look.

Color choice can start with branding — but there's more to that than you think.

Why contrast trumps all else when it comes to visual design — and how to use that to your advantage.

Contrast is a powerful tool for guiding and enhancing usability and overall user experience.

The three critical functions of contrast you must apply properly when designing.

How do you know when color and contrast is appropriate? The method is simpler than you think.

A crash course in proper typographic design — which is what separates great designers from merely good ones.

The right typeface has massive impact in how visual messaging is seen, perceived and interpreted in the UI.

Choosing the right font means understanding and recognizing its relationship to pattern recognition.

Learn these critical keys to speeding up scanning, encouraging reading and increasing comprehension.

Seven timeless rules to ensure you design appropriately — and effectively — with typography.

How to choose the right imagery, for the right reasons, for the right situations.

Hard and fast rules for using images of any kind in sites, apps and systems.

While icons can seem like easy solutions, they don't always work as intended — and aren't always appropriate.

Knowing these four types of icons is a big step in knowing when (and how) to use them in the UI.

Five rules you can use to tell when (and when not) to use an icon, along with how to judge effectiveness, usefulness and appropriateness.

How to navigate the many UI challenges that come with data-intensive websites and systems.

Five ironclad rules to follow when designing data displays of any kind.

Specific recipes for clearing clutter and simplifying data in the UI.

Part 02 of simplifying visual information.

How to establish clear visual differences (and cues) between things the user needs to see, and things they need to be able to do.

Part 2 of separating content from controls.

A quick recap of the 19 UI Design Mantras you'll want to keep at your side during every project.