Web Design Principles

Web design isn't about making things pretty. It's about controlling how people see, understand, and move through an interface. Every color choice, every bit of spacing, every alignment decision shapes how a user feels about what they're looking at — usually before they've read a single word.

Most design courses skip straight to Figma. This one doesn't. It starts with the why: how the human eye groups elements, how the brain processes color, how perception itself works. You'll learn the Gestalt principles that explain why some layouts feel effortless and others feel wrong. You'll understand visual hierarchy — the single most important skill in design — and how to lead a user's eye through a page without them ever realizing they're being led.

From there, you'll go deep into color. Not just "which colors look nice together," but color theory, color systems, blending modes, and how to build a palette that works everywhere. You'll learn the 60-30-10 rule, how to pick backgrounds that don't fight your content, and how to make colors accessible to everyone — including the 8% of people who see the world differently.

Then comes composition. Grids, spacing, alignment, the golden ratio, the box model. The invisible scaffolding that holds every good design together. You'll learn why whitespace is a feature, not a waste. Why consistency beats cleverness. Why "simple" is the hardest thing to design.

By the end, you won't just know how to design. You'll understand why design works — the psychology, the math, and the craft behind every decision. That knowledge is what separates someone who can use Figma from someone who can actually design.

This is the foundation course for the Web Designer roadmap. It's the skillset that makes everything else — UI, UX, product design — possible.