Are You Using Space Properly in Your FileMaker Solutions?

THE PROPER USE OF SPACE when designing a FileMaker solution is one of the harder topics to tackle–it’s not as tangible as scripting, naming conventions, and the like.  As such, it’s harder to get one’s mind around it.

Alexis Allen of Designing FileMaker just published a great blog post on the proper use of space:

As we move through an application’s windows, there’s a sense of existence in space, of “coming” and “going” somewhere. We use “forward” and “back” buttons to help find ourselves in the application. This journey happens only in our minds as we discover the various features and functions, but that doesn’t make it any less important.

Design is similar to art in that artists also divide up space, and guide the viewer’s eye, walking them through from place to place. Works of art tend to be more abstract, though, and their purpose more esoteric. Artists treat space in a great variety of ways, depending on the style.

We’re working on a more practical level, because design is really creative problem-solving. The problem with space is how to divide it up so that the purpose and functionality of the application comes through. As Alex White says in The Elements of Graphic Design, “The designer’s job is not to fill in all the space. It is to make information accessible and appealing.”

Follow the link below to learn more about space, context, hot spots, consistency, the golden ratio, and much more.

More…Visual Design Basics for FileMaker: Space – Design for FileMaker Pro Developers.

 

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