I learned this concept years ago in "The Non Designer's Design Book". It really gave a logical breakdown of Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity along with a number of other useful/important design techniques.
Paying $10,000 for design work at early stage is lunacy. I solved the problem by:
1) Reading the first 100 pages of the Non-Designers Design Book (http://www.amazon.com/Non-Designers-Design-Book-Typographic-...).
2) Using CSS grid systems (e.g. Blueprint) and CSS abstractions (such as Compass) to ease the design process and minimize cross browser tomfoolery.
3) Visiting http://www.smashingmagazine.com/ and browsing lists such as "best minimal designs" and then slicing and dicing parts from my favorite pages together.
End results: www.bolivianexpress.org, www.oxbridgenotes.co.uk
Your end result might not win any awards, but hey you'll have $10,000 more in the bank.
http://www.amazon.com/Non-Designers-Design-Book-Typographic-...
http://www.amazon.com/Non-Designers-Design-Book-Typographic-...
It's a quick, easy read and the concepts can really apply to any kind of visual design. Any of her other titles are also excellent.
1) Reading the first 100 pages of the Non-Designers Design Book (http://www.amazon.com/Non-Designers-Design-Book-Typographic-...).
2) Using CSS grid systems (e.g. Blueprint) and CSS abstractions (such as Compass) to ease the design process and minimize cross browser tomfoolery.
3) Visiting http://www.smashingmagazine.com/ and browsing lists such as "best minimal designs" and then slicing and dicing parts from my favorite pages together.
End results: www.bolivianexpress.org, www.oxbridgenotes.co.uk
Your end result might not win any awards, but hey you'll have $10,000 more in the bank.