Design on the internet goes in phases according to what’s cool at the moment. It’s not that we’re conforming to what’s popular but once the style is established, you pretty much have to follow because every client wants what is modern to look modern. Not long ago, the style was very glossy with many reflections but now the modern element is grunge. Of course, if you follow what’s modern and are on the edge, you do run the risk of looking dated as soon as the style is over. This can be a good thing if you’re designing for clients and are constantly updating their site. However, if you need the design to last then you need to do something a little different.
Think about clothes. Many people are embarrassed when they look at themselves in the 80’s because of how they were dressed. Most of the people who are embarrassed were the stylish people because they followed trends and were on the edge of what was modern at the time. More conservative people look about the same now as they did then (when referring to clothes and hair). What was normal then is normal now and will be normal for many years: solid colors, collar shirts, plain jeans or kakis, etc. But an element that both groups of people could use then and now without ever looking out dated is layering: layering with jackets, shirts under sweaters, cardigans over tank tops, etc.
Layering is also one thing that will last in design no matter what style you put it with. Layering automatically adds more depth to a design so instantly it is more complex. Take the Houston Zoo design that I designed while working as a designer at Schipul. I went into the planning knowing that I wanted to give the feeling of actually being there so I needed many layers to make it complex and look real. If you’re looking at depth and start on the lowest layer, then you visually have about five layers before you even get to paper background. Because of that, I know the design will last even when the grunge phase is over (since there are many grunge elements on this particular design).
Things you can do to have the look of layering:
1. Shadows. Understand where your light source is coming from and use shadows accordingly. I like to manually create shadows using shapes because it gives me more flexibility but the Photoshop shadows that you add from double clicking a layer will work just as well.
2. Color Differences. If many layers have the same color, give the layers closer to the bottom a darker tone. In the Zoo example, I made some of the leaves black silhouettes to look further away. In Photoshop, I like to duplicate layers, select the bottom layer, hit ctrl+U, and take the lightness down a little.
3. Details of imagery. Give layers closer to the top more detail and then make layers that are further back shapes with less detail. This goes back to the leaf silhouettes. The black leaves also look further away because they have no detail when compared to the leaves near the top.
When you think about layering, you don’t have to save it for designs with many illustrations or for grungy designs with heavy imagery. Even the web 2.0 designs that use visual layers seem more complex and in turn, better designed. Try even adding a shadow behind an image and then a platform with a shadow behind the image with the shadow. It will give the look of your content much more depth.
