UI Design Principles for 2018 - Creating Visually Stunning Interfaces

As we progress through 2018, user interface design continues to evolve with new trends, technologies, and user expectations. Creating visually stunning interfaces that also deliver exceptional functionality requires a deep understanding of fundamental design principles combined with awareness of emerging trends. This comprehensive guide explores the essential UI design principles that will help you create beautiful, effective interfaces in 2018.

The Evolving UI Design Landscape

Several key shifts are influencing UI design in 2018:

• Mobile-First Design: Designing for smaller screens first, then scaling up
• Gesture-Based Interfaces: Moving beyond tap and swipe to more complex interactions
• Micro-Interactions: Small animations that provide feedback and delight
• Voice and Conversational UI: Integrating voice interfaces with visual elements
• Accessibility Awareness: Designing inclusive interfaces for all users

These shifts require designers to balance aesthetic innovation with usability and accessibility.

Fundamental UI Design Principles

While trends evolve, certain principles remain essential to effective interface design:

1. Visual Hierarchy

Guiding users' attention to the most important elements:

• Size and Scale: Using larger elements to indicate importance
• Color and Contrast: Drawing attention through visual distinction
• Spacing and Positioning: Placing critical elements in prominent locations
• Typographic Hierarchy: Using font weight, size, and style to establish importance

Best Practice: Conduct five-second tests to verify that users can quickly identify the most important elements on your interface.

2. Consistency and Patterns

Creating predictable, learnable interfaces:

• Visual Consistency: Maintaining consistent colors, typography, and styling
• Functional Consistency: Ensuring similar elements behave in similar ways
• Internal Consistency: Creating coherence within your product
• External Consistency: Leveraging familiar patterns from other products

Best Practice: Develop and maintain a comprehensive UI component library to ensure consistency across your product.

3. Simplicity and Clarity

Reducing cognitive load through focused design:

• Visual Simplification: Eliminating unnecessary decorative elements
• Functional Minimalism: Including only necessary features and controls
• Clear Communication: Using straightforward language and obvious signifiers
• Progressive Disclosure: Revealing complexity only when needed

Best Practice: Regularly audit your interfaces to identify and eliminate unnecessary complexity.

4. Feedback and Responsiveness

Communicating system status and confirming user actions:

• Visual Feedback: Indicating state changes through visual cues
• Micro-Animations: Using subtle motion to confirm interactions
• Response Timing: Providing immediate feedback for user actions
• System Status Communication: Keeping users informed about ongoing processes

Best Practice: Ensure every user action receives some form of acknowledgment, even if subtle.

Color Theory for UI Design

Color is one of the most powerful tools in the UI designer's toolkit:

1. Color Psychology and Meaning

Understanding the emotional and cultural impact of colors:

• Blue: Trust, stability, professionalism (common in financial and corporate applications)
• Green: Growth, health, permission (effective for positive actions and health applications)
• Red: Energy, urgency, errors (useful for warnings and critical actions)
• Yellow: Optimism, clarity, caution (good for highlighting and temporary states)
• Purple: Creativity, luxury, wisdom (often used in creative or premium products)

Best Practice: Research color associations specific to your target audience's cultural background.

2. Color Schemes and Harmony

Creating cohesive color palettes:

• Monochromatic: Different shades of a single color, creating elegant, unified designs
• Analogous: Colors adjacent on the color wheel, creating harmonious, related feelings
• Complementary: Colors opposite on the color wheel, creating vibrant contrast
• Triadic: Three colors equally spaced on the color wheel, creating balanced contrast

Best Practice: Limit your primary palette to 2-3 colors plus neutrals, with additional accent colors for specific purposes.

3. Accessibility Considerations

Ensuring color is accessible to all users:

• Contrast Ratios: Maintaining WCAG 2.1 recommended contrast between text and background
• Color Blindness: Testing designs with color blindness simulators
• Non-Color Indicators: Using patterns, icons, or text in addition to color for critical information
• Dark Mode Support: Creating palettes that work in both light and dark interfaces

Best Practice: Use tools like the WebAIM Contrast Checker to verify your color combinations meet accessibility standards.

Typography in UI Design

Typography plays a crucial role in both aesthetics and usability:

1. Font Selection

Choosing appropriate typefaces:

• Sans-Serif Fonts: Clean, modern appearance ideal for digital interfaces (e.g., Inter, SF Pro, Roboto)
• Serif Fonts: Traditional, authoritative feel for specific brand personalities (e.g., Georgia, Merriweather)
• Display Fonts: Distinctive styles for headlines and brand elements
• Monospace Fonts: Technical appearance for code or technical content

Best Practice: Limit your interface to 2-3 font families maximum, with clear purpose for each.

2. Typography Hierarchy

Creating clear reading paths:

• Size Hierarchy: Using size to distinguish between headings, subheadings, and body text
• Weight Contrast: Varying font weights to create emphasis and structure
• Style Variation: Using italics or different fonts for specific content types
• Color Application: Using color selectively to highlight important text

Best Practice: Create a type scale with defined sizes for each level of your hierarchy (H1, H2, body, caption, etc.).

3. Readability and Legibility

Ensuring text is easy to read:

• Font Size: Using minimum 16px for body text on web interfaces
• Line Height: Setting appropriate spacing between lines (typically 1.4-1.6× font size)
• Line Length: Limiting lines to 60-80 characters for optimal readability
• Letter Spacing: Adjusting tracking for different sizes and purposes

Best Practice: Test your typography with actual content rather than lorem ipsum to ensure readability in real-world conditions.

Layout and Composition

The arrangement of elements creates structure and flow:

1. Grid Systems

Creating organized, consistent layouts:

• Column Grids: Dividing the interface into vertical columns
• Baseline Grids: Aligning elements to consistent horizontal lines
• Modular Grids: Combining vertical and horizontal divisions
• Responsive Grids: Adapting layout structure across different screen sizes

Best Practice: Use a flexible grid system that maintains proportional relationships while adapting to different screen sizes.

2. White Space

Using empty space strategically:

• Micro White Space: Small gaps between related elements (letters, lines, paragraphs)
• Macro White Space: Larger gaps between major sections and components
• Active White Space: Intentional empty areas that guide attention
• Passive White Space: Natural gaps that improve readability and reduce visual noise

Best Practice: Don't treat white space as "empty" space to be filled—view it as an active design element.

3. Alignment and Proximity

Creating visual relationships between elements:

• Consistent Alignment: Aligning elements to create order and cohesion
• Proximity Grouping: Placing related items closer together
• Edge Relationships: Creating clean edges between different content sections
• Intentional Misalignment: Using selective breaking of alignment for emphasis

Best Practice: Use a "proximity review" to verify that related elements are visually grouped and unrelated elements are visually separated.

Emerging UI Design Trends for 2018

Several design trends are gaining momentum this year:

1. Bold Typography and Color

Making strong visual statements:

• Oversized, ultra-bold typography as a central design element
• Vibrant, saturated color palettes with high contrast
• Typography as a primary visual element rather than just content
• Strategic use of color to guide user journeys

Spotify's interface exemplifies this trend with its bold use of typography and vibrant color gradients.

2. Depth and Dimensionality

Moving beyond flat design:

• Subtle shadows and elevation to create interface hierarchy
• Layered elements that suggest depth without skeuomorphism
• Strategic use of blur effects to indicate focus states
• Parallax effects to create immersive experiences

Google's Material Design 2.0 is leading this evolution with its refined approach to digital materiality.

3. Asymmetrical Layouts

Breaking from rigid grid structures:

• Intentionally unbalanced compositions that create visual interest
• Broken grid layouts that guide attention in specific paths
• Strategic use of white space to create dynamic tension
• Overlapping elements that create depth and relationship

Best Practice: Ensure asymmetrical designs still maintain clear visual hierarchy and usability.

4. Micro-Interactions and Animation

Using motion to enhance engagement:

• Subtle animations that provide feedback for user actions
• State transitions that help users understand interface changes
• Playful interactions that add personality and delight
• Functional animations that clarify relationships between elements

Best Practice: Ensure animations serve a purpose beyond decoration and can be disabled for users who prefer reduced motion.

Practical Implementation Strategies

Translating principles into practice requires systematic approaches:

1. Design Systems

Creating cohesive, scalable design frameworks:

• Component Libraries: Building reusable interface elements with defined behaviors
• Design Tokens: Managing visual attributes systematically
• Pattern Documentation: Capturing interaction models and usage guidelines
• Governance Process: Maintaining and evolving the system over time

Best Practice: Start with your most common components and gradually expand your design system as patterns emerge.

2. Prototyping and Testing

Validating designs before implementation:

• Fidelity Progression: Starting with low-fidelity wireframes before moving to high-fidelity mockups
• Interactive Prototyping: Creating clickable prototypes to test user flows
• Usability Testing: Observing real users interacting with your designs
• Iteration Process: Refining designs based on feedback and observations

Best Practice: Test early and often, starting with basic wireframes before investing in high-fidelity designs.

3. Collaboration with Development

Ensuring design integrity during implementation:

• Design Handoff: Providing developers with detailed specifications and assets
• Design QA Process: Reviewing implemented interfaces against design specifications
• Collaborative Tools: Using platforms that bridge design and development workflows
• Design System Integration: Aligning component libraries with development frameworks

Best Practice: Include developers in the design process early to identify technical constraints and opportunities.

UI Design Tools for 2018

The tooling landscape continues to evolve:

1. Design and Prototyping

Tools for creating and testing interfaces:

• Sketch: The industry standard for UI design, with a robust ecosystem of plugins
• Figma: Collaborative design platform gaining rapid adoption
• Adobe XD: Integrated design and prototyping tool with Creative Cloud integration
• InVision Studio: Advanced animation and interactive prototyping capabilities

2. Design Systems and Documentation

Tools for managing design assets and guidelines:

• Zeroheight: Comprehensive design system documentation platform
• Storybook: Component explorer for front-end development
• Abstract: Version control and collaboration for design files
• InVision DSM: Design system management integrated with design tools

3. Collaboration and Handoff

Tools for designer-developer collaboration:

• Zeplin: Design handoff platform with specifications and assets
• Avocode: Developer-focused design handoff tool
• InVision Inspect: Detailed specifications for developers
• Figma's Inspect Mode: Built-in developer handoff capabilities

Best Practice: Choose tools that integrate well with your existing workflow and tech stack rather than forcing adoption of disconnected platforms.

Common UI Design Pitfalls to Avoid

Even experienced designers make these mistakes:

1. Prioritizing Aesthetics Over Usability

Creating beautiful but difficult-to-use interfaces:

• Invisible Affordances: Design elements that don't clearly indicate their function
• Low-Contrast Text: Beautiful typography that's difficult to read
• Complex Animations: Visually impressive but distracting or disorienting motion
• Trend-Driven Design: Following aesthetic trends without considering usability implications

Best Practice: Test your designs with real users to ensure beauty doesn't compromise function.

2. Inconsistent Design Patterns

Creating confusion through inconsistency:

• Multiple Styles: Using different visual treatments for similar elements
• Behavioral Inconsistency: Similar elements functioning differently in different contexts
• Terminology Variation: Using different terms for the same concept
• Pattern Breaking: Deviating from established patterns without clear purpose

Best Practice: Conduct regular design audits to identify and eliminate inconsistencies.

3. Neglecting Edge Cases

Designing only for ideal scenarios:

• Empty States: Failing to design for zero-data conditions
• Error Handling: Not providing clear error messages and recovery paths
• Extreme Content: Not accounting for very long or very short content
• Accessibility Scenarios: Ignoring keyboard navigation or screen reader users

Best Practice: Create a checklist of common edge cases and verify your designs address each one.

Conclusion: The Path to UI Excellence

As we navigate 2018's UI design landscape, creating exceptional interfaces requires balancing timeless principles with emerging trends and technologies. The most successful UI designers will be those who:

• Master fundamental principles of visual hierarchy, consistency, and simplicity
• Develop deep understanding of color theory, typography, and layout
• Stay current with evolving trends without sacrificing usability
• Build systematic approaches through design systems and component libraries
• Test designs with real users to validate assumptions

By applying these principles and approaches, you can create interfaces that are not only visually stunning but also highly functional, accessible, and delightful to use.

Remember that great UI design is never about following trends blindly or creating beauty for its own sake—it's about using visual tools strategically to create interfaces that help users accomplish their goals efficiently and enjoyably.

This article was written by Nguyen Tuan Si, a UI design specialist with experience creating visually compelling interfaces across various digital products and platforms.