Aesthetic Principles of Design: Quick Tips

Here are list of tips on Aesthetic Principles of design
from the Information design Handbook:

Structure: 

Grid Systems
- Use the Golden Ratio to determine page margins - the ratio of the longer part to the whole should be the same as the ratio of the shorter part to the longer part. The Golden ratio is present in nature, art and architecture, and is therefore immediately familar to the viewer.
- In addition to vertical columns, horizontal flowlines and a baseline grid create a more consistent viewing experience.

Hierarchy
- To continually engage your viewer, explore different ways to create hierarchy. Employ color, spacing, position, or other graphic devices to create that initial focal point.

Legibility:

Color
- When designing in color, dramatic contrasts in hue and value, saturation, and brightness make for the most legible message. This simple rule addresses a great many vision problems, from aging to color blindness. The Americans with Disabilities act (ADA) best practice suggests a 70 percent contrast between an object and its background.
- Physically we all have different numbers of rods and cones in our eyes that may affect color recognition. Psychologically, we know best what we use most, so an audience  of fashion designers or artists may immediately differentiate between subtle color differences like plum, violet and indigo, where a group of bankers will only see purple.
- Avoid Simultaneous contrast color pairings that create a visual vibration when viewed together, and also combine to distort hue.

Contrast
- Do a quick check of value contrast by turning your design to grayscale or printing in grayscale. If graphic elements and Type blend together, adjust the color to create more contrast.
- Pick a single contrast pair and maximize the concept.
- The Hierarchical effects created by contrast lose their value if there is no place for the viewers eye to rest.

Type
- Pairing a serif font with a sans-serif font creates clear typographic contrast. Avoid pairing two different sans serifs or two different serifs, as the average reader doesn't see the difference.
- Serif fonts with extreme thick/thin stroke contrast (Bodini) may be beautiful but can be difficult for some viewers to process because hairline strokes may  blur or disappear.
- To enhance hierarchy, try using two steps of differentiation in your type choices.