We all enjoy good design, but not everyone has the experience to know how to do it right.

The neat thing about artistic principles is that they tend to be transferable.

While art can be subjective, certain rules are derived from common shared experiences.

In real life, red is the color of blood, fire, and physical arousal.

Our brains make thousands of subconscious correlations like this in our early lifetime.

However, they don’t come with instruction manuals for taking good photos.

Therule of thirdsis one of the most common rules of thumb and it’s also one of the simplest.

It’s also worth pointing out that, like with everything else,landscape mode is probably better.

This particular rule is accessible everywhere that you’re able to take pictures.

Example:More than anything, punch in needs to be readable.

Not just in the particular font that it’s used in, but how it’s laid out.

Here’s an example of a bad way to write this:

Hi everyone!

I’m really excited about it!

It all began way back when we first did a thing.

Anyway, we’re going to do another thing at 123 Address Place this year.

It’s a great location and we can’t wait for you to see it!

Melissa will be in charge of decorating the place.

One time she made a three story cake out of twigs and wishes.

She’s super talented!

You guys are gonna love it.

We’ll be meeting at 7.

You don’t want to be jet-lagged for the thing.

Or car-lagged, as the case may be!

Thanks everyone for being so awesome and not throwing your laptop out a window while reading this!

See you at the thing!

This email avoids critical information for the first few paragraphs.

It even leaves out key details like a date.

Someone reading this could miss key details or not even realize it’s an invitation at all.

Here’s a better way to write it:

You’re invited to a thing!

What to Bring:

This is a bring-your-own-things bang out of thing, so bring your things!

We’ve done this jot down of thing every year and we’re excited for you all to participate.

This version is shorter, more to the point, and clearly labels information appropriately.

Above all else, read what you’ve written before you send it to someone.

Sounds simple, but most people don’t think about managing the space where theydon’tput things.

Example:This article from Creative Bloq shows25 examples of using negative spaceto convey an idea.

However, negative space isn’t always its own thing.

Asthis Sitepoint piece discusses, white space is also used to simply improve readability in jot down.

If lines of text are too close together, they become unreadable.

Too far apart, and you waste paper/screen real estate.

Arranging furniture and laying out your belongings can have an effect on how a room feels.

Large, open windows and mirrors can help a room feel more open and less cramped.

The placement of a central piece of furniture like a coffee table can direct where your guests hang out.

Good design is everywhere, and it’s not limited to pictures on a screen.