Visual Design in Axure RP

Had a productive week last week as I hooked up an Axure prototype based on my visual design direction. After I checked out Adobe's release of Muse today, one feature that caught my eye was the paragraph styles. I did not know that Axure also had this (albeit hidden) feature until I came across Fred Beecher's useful presentation on Managing Visual Design in Axure.

Managing Visual Design in Axure

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On Beauty

I've followed the buzz generated by UPA Boston's Mini UPA Conference, twittered via #miniupa. Came across Aye Moah's presentation, "What User Interface Designers Can Learn from Architecture." Slide 28 contains a great quote by Matthew Frederick: "Beauty is due more to harmonious relationships among the elements of a composition rather than to the elements themselves."

I couldn't help but think of LukeW's article, "Common Visual Design Misconceptions," where he dispels the myth that it's possible to evaluate visual design in pieces. It's critical that design decisions are made by looking at things holistically, rather than in isolation. As LukeW says, "When a designer adjusts one element, she needs to refactor the overall composition to restore balance. Design decisions made in isolation tend not to add up to a coherent whole."